When it comes to music in Solange Knowles' life, it's a family affair.
Of the powerhouse family, the 'Rise" singer is the youngest member of the Knowles clan to strike gold in the industry. On the heels of her number one album, A Seat at the Table, the 30-year-old musician called her iconic older sister, Beyoncé Knowles, to talk singing, Selena and sisterhood for Interview Magazine.
Despite their other-worldly fame, the ladies sounded surprisingly like everyday siblings, bonding over parent-teacher conferences and all-too-personal texts from their stylish mama, Tina Knowles.
"Are you exhausted?" the "Formation" singer kicked off her interview, worrying about Solange's meeting with her son's teacher the night before. The conversation quickly turned to Solange's roots—growing with Bey and their parents in Houston.
"I remember thinking, 'My little sister is going to be something super special,' because you always seemed to know what you wanted," Beyoncé recalled of the star in her youngest years.
On her latest chart-topping album, Solange wrote, co-produced and staged all of her music—a one-man-band instinct she learned early on from her big sister. "I got to have a lot of practice. Growing up in a household with a master class such as yourself definitely didn't hurt. And, as far back as I can remember, our mother always taught us to be in control of our voice and our bodies and our work, and she showed us that through her example," Solange explained.
Solange also credits her sister for helping her grow into a strong woman.
"It's something I've learned so much about from you, getting to be in control of your own narrative. And, at this point, it should be an expectation, not something that you're asking permission for. I feel like I'm getting closer to that, not taking on all the baggage when I have to just stand up for myself and say, 'No, I'm uncomfortable with that.' And I really appreciate you and mom being examples of that, being able to speak about our achievements, these things that deserve to be celebrated, without feeling bashful about it," she told her.
During the personal chat, Solange also revealed how her hit track, "Cranes in the Sky," was inspired by the end of her first marriage to Daniel Smith.
"I know you remember that time," she told her sister. "I was just coming out of my relationship with Julez's father. We were junior high school sweethearts, and so much of your identity in junior high is built on who you're with. You see the world through the lens of how you identify and have been identified at that time. So I really had to take a look at myself, outside of being a mother and a wife, and internalize all of these emotions that I had been feeling through that transition. I was working through a lot of challenges at every angle of my life, and a lot of self-doubt, a lot of pity-partying."
"I think every woman in her twenties has been there—where it feels like no matter what you are doing to fight through the thing that is holding you back, nothing can fill that void," she added.
Whether they're discussing painful milestones or picking between two Selena songs, the two women are inherently two gals with decades of history together.
"Growing up, how did I do as a big sister?" Beyoncé asked Solange.
"You did a kickass job," she answered. "You were the most patient, loving, wonderful sister ever. In the 30 years that we've been together, I think we've only really, like, butted heads... we can count on one hand.
"I was expecting something funny, but I'll take it. Thank you," Beyoncé commented.
As for those Selena songs, Beyoncé had her pick between "No Me Queda Mas" or "I Could Fall in Love."
"This is so unfair!" Solange answered. "No Me Queda Mas."