Solange Knowles, who just scored her first number-one album and Grammy nomination, is finally getting the recognition she deserves as an artist, but she's no stranger to the musical spotlight. With Beyoncé as an older sister and Kelly Rowland as a close family friend, she has been at the periphery of fame from a young age.
In her cover profile for Elle's March issue, the younger Knowles sister opens up about her childhood with two thirds of Destiny's Child and how it influenced her music:
"My sister and Kelly [Rowland] were the same age, which is like a built-in best friend in the house; they were extremely close. Writing felt like this insular thing that I could go back in my room and express all that I would observe, all the emotions that would arise. It felt like mine, my little thing," she said.
The A Seat at the Table singer previously opened up about the musical influences from her youth when Beyoncé interviewed her for Interview magazine. Solange credited her sister and their mom for helping her find her voice. "Growing up in a household with a master class such as yourself definitely didn't hurt," she told Beyoncé. "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."
Although Solange was in the background during the breakout years of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé already knew her sister was also bound for stardom. "I remember thinking, 'My little sister is going to be something super special,' because you always seemed to know what you wanted," she confessed to her younger sister in Interview.
Turns out, she was right.
