Quantcast

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

 

RELATED

 
ALSO ON XONECOLE
Aries-April-2025-monthly-horoscopes

April is a month to slow down and to fully grasp what has been. The month starts in fiery Aries Season, but we are also in the thick of Retrograde Season as we begin the month as well. Thankfully, Mercury finally goes direct on April 7, after being retrograde mid-March, and communication matters are clearing up. This is a month of mental clarity, a fresh start, and not being afraid to dream a little bigger.

On April 12, there is a Full Moon in Libra, and this Full Moon brings relationship and financial matters full circle. This is the time to let go of what doesn’t make you feel balanced or in harmony and to create space for more peace to enter your life. Venus goes direct in Pisces on the same day, after being retrograde since March 1, and love is healing. With Venus now direct, there are more opportunities for commitment and longevity in love, and there is overall a greater feeling of romance, receptivity, and compassion in the air now.

KEEP READINGShow less
Turns Out Sober Sex Might Be The Underrated Secret To Better Orgasms

Hmph. I know there has got to be at least three times a week when our grandparents will hear about something that folks present as being revolutionary that causes them to just roll their eyes, shrug their shoulders, and continue to go on with whatever they were doing. Listen, call it old-fashioned thinking if you want to but if you want to avoid a lot of unnecessary regret in this life, hang out with your elders (and actually listen to what they are saying) sometimes — they’ve already been where you are and, since when it comes to them, you can’t say the same, you just might get a few gems (in fact, I can almost guarantee it).

Take sobergasms, for instance. Oh, I’m willing to bet that a senior in your life has mentioned them, just in another way, before. If you’ve never heard of the term, it’s actually a pretty good one because it means just what you think it does: SOBER ORGASMS. And just to make sure that we all are on the same page, it’s sex — that hopefully includes orgasms — that involves very little to no alcohol.

KEEP READINGShow less
LATEST POSTS