Singer/songwriter Solange Knowles turns to an imaginary Stevie Wonder whenever she's stuck on a song.
Beyonce's little sister, who joined the R&B superstar onstage at the Coachella festival on Saturday night (14Apr18), admits she often struggles with creativity and when she's not sure if a song is any good, she simply asks herself, "What would Stevie Wonder think?"
Talking about her process in a new Dazed magazine interview, Knowles says, "I start to chart out all the songs I’ve been working on, and give them intentions. My demo names are always a trip and have little to do with the songs.
"On this (new) album, I might keep a few of them as real titles. We listen to a jam none of us even remember making in the wee hours and wonder if it’s too esoteric. Then I wonder if Stevie Wonder would like it. If he happened to like it, I wouldn’t worry so much about its life."
Solange fears she stresses too much when she's crafting news songs and performance art pieces in her adopted New York City, adding, "When I am creating new work, I always feel a bit unbalanced. The circles (around my eyes) get darker, my jaw a bit tighter, my hair less combed, my spirits more unaligned. I don’t sleep very well. I’m always buzzing."
But she's found a dream place in Jamaica, where she can unwind with her son Julez: "I’ve spent two Christmases, one Thanksgiving, one breakup, one breakdown and one birthday in St Elizabeth. I’ve spent many a day on the beach, just my son and I, both of us reading and running and smiling wide in the sun, tasting the salt in the corners of our mouths."
