Solange Knowles Announces Her Own Label, Saint Records + Covers Complex Mag

Entrepreneurship seems to be part of the genetic make-up of the Knowles clan. Just ask Solange Knowles. A few hours after news hit that her big sister, Beyonce, was canceling her Belgium show, Solange hopped on twitter, sharing some positive business moves. The 26-year-old singer has started her own label called Saint Records. Apparently, she’s been holding out on releasing her new album, so that it can drop on her own terms, via her own label. She shared the news on twitter, writing:

Big news day for me! Wasn’t ready to announce, but since false info is spreading I will gladly do so:) Supppppperr EXCITED! Super stoked to announce I’ve started my own label,SAINT RECORDS,where I’ll be releasing my music & other projects distributed through SONY!It is through SAINT RECORDS that I will be releasing my full length album, and also future music projects that I’m excited about sharing! Through Saint Records I will have 100% creative/artistic control & continue to passionately pursue my footing in this new musical movement.

She’s also covering Complex’s June/July summer issue, for the first time. During her interview, she recounts how a simple ‘Pocahontas’ costume, gave her the courage to express herself, early on, with fashion. One day, she wore a “full-on Native American outfit” to Will Rogers Elementary School in Houston.

I had my own little quirks as a child. I had a very vivid imagination, mostly through my style and fashion choices. The kids had a lot to say.

Her fourth-grade teacher, Miss Bethann, found Solange on the verge of tears in her Pocahontas costume outside of the classroom and gave her a lesson that stuck with her:

Don’t you ever, ever bend or break because of who you are.

She explained the lesson that she learned:

From that point, the idea of convention versus non-convention or mainstream versus indie or any of those quote-unquote ‘conflicts’ has never crossed my mind.

She also credits both parents, with setting examples of how to carve out one’s own path:

I have a mother who never took no for an answer when it came to her creative pursuits. She started a hair salon in her spare bedroom and four years later had 30 employees. I have a father who was the first black student at his junior high and high school and had to do a lot to get to that point. So it’s really in my bloodline when it comes to having an idea and making it happen.

Click here to read the full interview.