Fashionista / singer Solange Knowles continues to serve up Cover Girl fierceness, and this time it’s for London’s ‘Evening Standard Magazine.‘ In her feature she brings some glam to the bowling alley wearing fur, a bra, and a long white pencil skirt while chopping it up with the Mag about growing up in the Knowles household. She also discussed getting pregnant and engaged at age 17 to her ex-hubby Daniel Smith, her mother initially not wanting another daughter in the music industry and Kelly Rowland being Beyonce’s live-in best friend as well as why she releases her albums independently and how good sex has influenced her music.

On Getting Pregnant & Settling Down at 17-Years-Old
“I just loved being at home and being domestic,’ she says. ‘We would have gotten married for sure anyway, but then I found out I was pregnant. We were crazy, impulsive teenagers and I was obviously craving some sort of stability. [My family] were alarmed and frightened that their 17-year-old daughter wanted to get married and have a kid, but I’d been working since I was 13. I was making my own money. I wasn’t really asking permission, and once they found out I was serious about it, they were supportive and amazing.’
On Her Close Relationship With Beyonce
[Kelly Rowland's] mother was a nanny for another family, so Kelly lived with us when they first moved from Atlanta. She was like a second sister. It definitely was tough, having your sister have a built-in BFF, and me being five years younger. But my sister was very protective of me, and we were very sweet with each other. I’m sure if we were closer in age we wouldn’t have gotten along so great. But we’ve been super-close ever since I was about 13.”
On First Telling Her Father She Wanted to Be a Singer & An Unsuccessful First Album
“And he told my mother, who said, ‘Oh, no. We don’t want you doing this, too. You can do anything in the world! You’re so smart.’ I think she was nervous about me losing my childhood. My sister started at such a young age that this was her life for as long as she could remember. From a very early age I decided that I wanted to be able to do my music but still be able to live a normal life. I went into the meeting [with Columbia] and said, ‘I want it to be clear that I want to write all of my music. I want to have control of that.’ I had grown up around this.” After a disagreement with the label, Solange had to promote the album, Solo Star, on her own. “I didn’t care. I didn’t need the money…” She pauses. “It wasn’t very successful.”
On Her Second Album Not Being Received Well
“I’d have to time it around the baby’s naps,” she says. “And make sure he wasn’t crying in the background on demos. [I wrote] all of these Sixties songs… I would send them to my publisher [EMI] and would check every day if someone was interested. This was before the retro vibe of Amy Winehouse and Adele… they were not very well received.”
On Why She’s Not on a Label
“I don’t think there’s a need if you are able to fund it yourself and have a strong sense of development as an artist. It means you aren’t dependent on some A&R dude to position you with writers or producers or figure out your next direction. Major labels act as banks in terms of how they produce and release your album. No major label is really good or bad, they just 100 per cent operate as a business, which makes sense… no hard feelings.”
On The “Sexual Vibe”of Her Next Album (Summer 2012)
“There’s a lot of sexual vibes on it. I think I just finally started having good sex. This woman came up to me the other day and said, “You know, I think people dress a lot better when they’re in love with themselves, with other people, or with where their life is.”
On Having a Private Life, Especially With Blue Ivy
“I think there’s a way to protect yourself. I think the fact that I live here is very helpful. It’s about working it and not letting it work you, about being very selective about what you do and who you do it with.”
On if she gets to see Beyonce and Blue Ivy a lot
Yes. Actually, I invited them over for dinner tonight. I’m excited to see her; I haven’t seen her in a week and half.’ She wraps her coat around her, bracing against the weather. “You know, my sister and I truly are best friends.