Solange On How Owning Her Fears Empowered Her To Become The Best Version Of Herself
This video of Solange rapping "Almeda" to an obviously bothered old white man is our mood 4 eva and she kept that same energy throughout her latest album When I Get Home. The 33-year-old singer's fearlessness has translated from her music all the way into her eclectic sense of beauty and style, but like all of us, Solange has moments where her anxiety gets the best of her. In a recent interview with Trina for L'Officiel, she opened up about how confronting her fears helped has helped her boss up and design her dream life.
Solange, who made her musical debut at only five years old and started writing songs at the age of nine, is no stranger to the spotlight. Although Solange has been in the industry for more than a decade, the singer says that she is only recently finding the courage to confront her fears. She explained:
"There are certainly some days where I have to work a lot harder to own my fears. That's what I've been trying to work on the most this past year. Moving past fear. It may look like I'm owning all of it, but some days I'm most certainly struggling, too. Those are the days I just try to be silent. Reflective. And just sit in it all. It sucks, though! It's really not fun or sexy to have to confront those parts in that way. But I really am trying."
Earlier this year, Solange said that her relationship with fear, which she now calls "a beautiful love affair that took me time," was especially elevated throughout the making of When I Get Home. Along with unapologetically reconnecting with her sensuality, she learned that fearless creativity allowed her to be the best version of herself:
"During that time of creation I really was fearless. I had so many tests in front of me and something really guided me at all times. Stood alongside me. Held my hand. Lifted me up. I feel my most sure and beautiful when I am creating the work. When I am thick in the midst of my own guidance. When I am done creating, that's another story. I am all in my head and making decisions all from up there. But when I am creating I am using and speaking from other parts of myself. My gut, my legs, my heart, my fingers, my throat. That feels like the best me."
Another technique that Solange says helps get her out of her head and into the music is collaboration. Even though we as women have been blessed with the superhuman ability of not only bringing home the bacon but cooking it up and feeding it to our babies, it's important to know that it takes a village to create a healthy environment for creativity:
"I find out things about myself that I can't necessarily speak to when I am collaborating. There are so many facets of who I am, and that articulation just feels so much wider and more expansive when someone helps bring something out of you that you wouldn't normally express. There's a lot of value and humility in that trust, and when it feels safe it can be the most rewarding feeling ever. More importantly, I learn so damn much. There are people who are going to be a trillion times better at a specific scope of expression or a skill or just time and experience, and I feel such appreciation when I'm gifted that access into someone's process. I used to be stubbornly DIY."
Although in the past, the singer says living with this "f*ck it, I'll do it myself" mentality has been beneficial, she's ultimately learned that doing it all alone is working harder, not smarter. According to Solange, one of the most bossed-up things you can do for yourself is to ask for help. She continued:
"That shit is important too. You have to! And that spirit will never go away within me. I need to be able to do my own shit. But I've really learned the last couple of years to ask for help. I feel confident in my ability to guide and lead my vision, but having more tools has been invaluable for my process."
Check out Solange's full interview here!
Featured image via Giphy
Taylor "Pretty" Honore is a spiritually centered and equally provocative rapper from Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a love for people and storytelling. You can probably find me planting herbs in your local community garden, blasting "Back That Thang Up" from my mini speaker. Let's get to know each other: @prettyhonore.
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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We all love that Beyoncé's recent foray into country music has turned the world's attention back to the impact of Black legends and icons who were foremothers of the genre. All of the buzz around the superstar's take on country music (along with the fab TikToks of Black women getting their country glam on to prep for a possible country music tour), brings to the forefront stories of the amazing impact of women like Sister Rosetta Thorpe, Elizabeth Cotton, and Linda Martell. These women laid the groundwork for folk, country, and rock music way before any of us reached our mother's wombs.
I've loved country music since childhood and would rock, sway, and sing along to songs by The Neville Brothers, Patsy Cline, and Elvis. (Yep, I loved me some Elvis, honey. It was an admiration I inherited from my mom.). Back in the day, my friends and I would all enjoy the country music songs played at a popular hangout spot, the local skating rink. The DJ would go from 69 Boys, Brandy, and Usher to Billy Ray Cyrus ("Achy Breaky Heart), Dolly Parton ("9-to-5" and "I Will Always Love You,") and Shania Twain ("Man! I Feel Like A Woman.") Country music has always been part of my life's soundtrack.
Since it's Women's History Month, what a perfect time to highlight some of the other Black women who have been standing it the gap for years, doing this country music thing, and doing it well. Here are a few to add to your playlists this month and beyond.
The Boykin Sisters AKA The BoykinZ
Sisters Nylan, Nytere, Anale, and Alona took the country music world by storm on TikTok, drawing more than 480,000 followers and 10 million likes for their soulful country music swag. They've performed with Shania Twain on the Country Music Awards, appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, and have recorded with legendary country music producer Nathan Chapman. Each brings their own unique flavor to the group, from style to music abilities.
Rissi Palmer
She released her self-titled debut album with hit singles, “Country Girl,” “Hold On To Me,” and “No Air,” and has since performed at The White House, New York's Lincoln Center, and the Grand Ole Opry. She’s also shared stages with country and pop music heavy-hitters including The Eagles, Charley Crockett, and Taylor Swift. Taking things to the advocacy level, she launched her own radio show Color Me Country with Rissi Palmer on Apple Music Country and created the Color Me Country Artist Grant Fund to support newbie country artists of color to reach their entertainment industry dreams.
C Brandon / Contributor/Getty Images
Yola
A U.K.-bred country music artist, this singer and actress was nominated for multiple Grammys for her 2019 debut album, Walk Through Fire, including Best Americana Album. Her 2021 album, Stand For Myself, mixes country and soul with intriguing and relatable visuals. She also magnificently starred as Rosetta Thorpe in the 2023 Elvis biopic, a film whose soundtrack was an American Music Award winner.
Mickey Guyton
A modern-day pioneer in her own right, Mickey Guyton was the first Black woman to be nominated in the Best Country Solo Performance category at the Grammy Awards in 2021, and, that same year, she became the first Black woman to co-host the Academy of Country Music Awards. Her song, “Black Like Me,” released in the wake of the George Floyd protests and the Black Lives Matter movement, added more to her legacy of being a leader and advocate in country music.
Brittney Spencer
This newbie artist in the game has given us strong previews of her talent, releasing two EPs and receiving Country Music Awards and Country Music Television award nominations. Elektra signed her to a deal in 2022, and this year, she released her debut album, My Stupid Life, which has been described by one Rolling Stone reviewer as “one of the most convincing country statements in a while.”
Reyna Roberts
The self-proclaimed "Princess of Outlaw Country," is serving soul, sass, and style with her music, with a debut album titled, Bad Girl Bible, Volume 1, sparking intrigue and fan support. Her more than 300,000 followers on IG rally behind her, as she campaigns for big-ticket performances that we are sure, will be in her future.
Chapel Heart
Sisters Danica and Devynn Hart have joined musical forces with cousin Trea Swindle as a country music trio, and found early viral success performing on “America’s Got Talent.” In 2021 the group was inducted into Country Music Television’s “Next Women of Country,” and they’ve been honored as “International Group of the Year” as well as “International Song of the Year” for the single “You Can Have Him Jolene” in Scotland. They have been nominated for several British CMAs including “Group of the Year” and “Album of the Year” for their second album release The Girls Are Back In Town.
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Featured image by Emma McIntyre / Staff/Getty Images