2014 Coachella Hotlist: 5 Things to Know About Solange (She's Not Just Beyoncé's Sister)

"Losing You" crooner has her own music label and has already released two albums and an EP

By Brandi Fowler Apr 14, 2014 3:00 PMTags
Beyonce, Solange Knowles, CoachellaJeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Coachella goers were shocked when Beyoncé hopped on stage with Solange this weekend.

In the midst of Solange's set at the music fest Saturday, the "Flawless" singer sauntered out and sang "Losing You" with her younger sis, with the duo putting on an epic choreographed performance together.

When Solange started in the biz, she was known mainly as "Beyoncé's sister," but the talented fashionista now has a big following all her own and has cultivated a unique sound in her music that has set her apart from most R&B artists today.

Since her days of performing as a dancer for Destiny's Child when she was just a teen, the sultry, free-spirited singer has gone on to release albums and establish herself as a budding music mogul.

Check out the 5 things to know about Solange!

Mike Coppola/Getty Images

1. Her first passion in songwriting: And her interest in it started early. When Solange was in the fourth grade she won first place in a United Way songwriting competition, beating out 20,000 other student applicants. From there, she went on to help Beyoncé write "Get Me Bodied" and "Upgrade U." She also co-wrote "We Break the Dawn" for Michelle Williams, and two tracks on Kelly Rowland's debut album, Simply Deep. "The part about songwriting that I love is that I wouldn't necessarily sing [the songs] myself. [It's a] really fun expression of myself in a another way," she said.

2. She draws her musical inspiration from Motown: Aside from her "greatest music influence," mom and former Veltones singer Tina Knowles, Solange's biggest musical inspiration comes from Motown girl groups like The Supremes, The Marvelettes and Martha and the Vandellas lead singer, Martha Reeves. "My mom used to play me all those old songs," Solange told the Daily Mail. "I've always loved Dusty Springfield and Martha Reeves."

Joe Schildhorn /BFAnyc/Sipa USA

3. She's a mom: In 2004 at the age of 17, Solange married Daniel Smith and soon gave birth to their son Daniel Julez J. Smith. After they divorced in 2007, she moved to Los Angeles and started to write music again. Now, she lives in Brooklyn, where she told Brooklyn magazine she relocated with her now 9-year-old son to be closer to family. "My parents are here, my sister is here, my cousin is here, all my friends are here. We really wanted Julez to have the experience that we had growing up—being able to drop in on his aunt's house and being able to hang out with Grandma and see our friends and have that experience of actually having a soccer game and having family show up. It's such a beautiful feeling, but also having that village is a necessary reality so that I'm able to pursue my passion both outside of motherhood and outside of my career."

4. She has already released two solo albums: Solange debuted her first studio album Solo Star in 2003 when she was only 16, her second album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams in 2008, and an EP in 2012, True, which had an 80's pop/R&B sound to it. This year, she plans to release her third solo album.

5. She has her own record label: In May 2013, Solange announced that she had launched her own label, Saint Records, which she said will be "where I'll be releasing my music & other projects distributed through SONY!" After forming it, she released a compilation album called Saint Heron in 2013 which features fellow Coachella performer, Jhene Aiko and Cassie.