Solange talks Redefining Sexy as a Married Woman, Being a Working Mom & More in Vogue

MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 4: Solange Knowles attends Dom Perignon, Alex Dellal, Stavros Niarchos & Vito Schnabel host From Earth to Heart at The W Hotel South Beach on December 4, 2015 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Dom Perignon)

Solange Knowles has been very busy attending several shows during the ongoing New York Fashion Week.

Vogue caught up with the 29-year-old music star and talked to her about everything – Beyoncé’s new song “Formation”, how it feels to be a working mom, Solange redefining sexy and more.

See excerpts below.

On redefining sexy as a married woman: I’ve been with my current husband going on eight years, and it’s interesting to me how I’ve redefined sexy through my relationship, in terms of becoming the woman that I am now. If I had to define sexy now, as Disney as it sounds, I would have to say it’s about complete and utter confidence. When I first started dating my husband, I wore so much color and print, and whenever I would wear black, he would be like, “Oh, my God, you look so sexy!” Now I have learned to understand the elegance and the sexiness of black. Living very publicly and going through all of these intense phases when you feel like that is truly who you think you are, I think that’s a part of your 20s.

On Beyoncé’s “Formation” video: I have always had tremendous respect for my sister as an artist, as a woman, and now as a mother. It’s been very interesting to see the impact that video and song have made globally, the connectivity that it had, and the power that it had. Honestly, I was just blown away as everyone else, because solidarity means so much, and there are so many different ways to communicate that. I think actually she has always communicated that.

On fashion being a vehicle for the solidarity message: For sure, fashion can be incredibly powerful. Overall from top to bottom, I think the entire messaging was heard loud and clear. The thing that I loved about it as well was that it gave a lot of homage to my parents, and the older I get, and the older my son gets, the more and more I recognize how much my parents primed us to make politics and social messages in our work. A lot of people don’t realize this, but my mom was super radical as a teenager, out there with the Panthers. And my father was definitely in the thick of the civil rights in Alabama. For the world it might seem like some new statement-making occurrence, but for me, I heard this every week at dinnertime.

On being a working mom: As an artist mom, that’s something I think people rarely speak about, but I know it’s something that other female artists face, too: The internal conflict that happens, and how to switch it off—when you’re a mother, it’s challenging. I’m really grateful that I’ve found a rhythm, but it took some time to find it. Now, if I’m going to be part of a project, then I really have to feel it, because there’s a sacrifice that I have to make to be away from my family. When [my son] was younger, he came everywhere with me, so there was a lot more freedom with that. Now my son is 11 and about to go into middle school. They grow up so fast. That’s my heart and pride, and when I go home, that’s all that matters.

You can read up the rest of her feature here.

Photo Credit: Getty Images/Dimitrios Kambouris