Solange Knowles may hail from a talented and famous family, but she says being a single working mother is a “balancing act.”
“I do the best I can, which involves a lot of saying no to things, actually, and a lot of really organized scheduling and a lot of help, to be honest,” the singer told Brooklyn Magazine.
Knowles is the mother of eight year old Daniel Julez Smith Jr. She recalls budgeting her time while recording her True EP. “We were living in L.A. and I was writing and recording this album literally between the hours of 9 A.M. and 3 P.M. every day because that was the time that Julez was in school,” said Knowles. “We were completely isolated, we didn’t have any family or long-term friends there, and we didn’t have the support system built there like we have in New York.”
Knowles knows the importance of having family nearby. She loves that her sister, parents and cousin are all in town. She admits that she wanted her son to have a close-knit family experience while growing up. “It’s such a beautiful feeling, but also to have that village is a necessary reality so that I’m able to pursue my passion both outside of motherhood and outside my career,” said the ESSENCE Festival performer.