photo by steed media service

Recording Artist, Actress

Being the younger sister of one of the biggest pop stars on the planet can be downright difficult — especially when the younger sister is striving to develop her own public identity. Luckily, Solange Knowles has side-stepped the shadow of her older sibling, Beyoncé, by developing an identity of her own while still maintaining ties to her famous family. The young mother and author may have a top-secret album slated for release later this year, but she hasn’t limited her options to the recording booth. Knowles’ son inspired her to create a line of educational hip-hop-themed toys for Wal-Mart stores.

 “I’m actually working on a toy line [that] will be out by Christmas. It’s a passion project. No matter how much [of the] Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Bob Marley I play for my [son], he loves hip-hop,” explains the 21-year-old singer, adding that she also has a children’s book that will be on bookstore shelves soon. As music is never far from Knowles’ sight, she has also been busy completing her upcoming album. In fact, she used her recent experiences with motherhood when she was in the studio.

“The songs on this record that I’m doing now are more about life and experience,” she explains. “I want to talk about something that will one day influence my son.” Even while working on her album, she still makes time for her Destiny’s Child extended family and other projects.

“I’ve been really focusing on writing. A lot of people don’t know that I write a lot of my sister’s music as well as Kelly [Rowland’s],” she says. And what about the big screen?

“I’ve been so wrapped up that I haven’t had a lot of time to go out there and read for parts,” she says. “I’ll wait until my [son’s] a little older and [take] a project that I’m passionate about.”

- todd Williams