Solange Announces New Album ft. Q-Tip, Sampha, Dev Hynes + More, Out This Friday
Solange Knowles recently released her third studio album A Seat at the Table, a project that has immediately become one of our favorites of the year.
Coinciding with its release Solange released an interview on her Saint Heron website, where she discusses the influences behind the album as well as her growth as an artist and person, with mother Tina Lawson and writer Judnick Mayard.
The conversation between the three women is insightful and telling, as they all touch upon certain standout tracks from the album, such as "Don't Touch My Hair" and "Don't You Wait."
"I believe that hair is incredibly spiritual, and, energetically, it really encompasses and expresses who we are," Solange said about "Don't Touch My Hair." "Obviously, my relationship with hair, being that I grew up literally in a hair salon, is very deep and very complex. I think that one of the things that I’m also trying to communicate through that song is the way that people see us through our hair. It's almost my India.Arie 'I Am Not My Hair' moment."
The group then discusses "Don't You Wait," a song inspired by Solange's commentary on how R&B was being covered by music outlets earlier this year. A particularly important line in the track, "bite the hand," is in reference to a statement made to her by a journalist during that incident, and is discussed in depth during the conversation.
"I spoke up on something that did not feel right, and I was essentially told to shut up or there would be consequences," Solange said. "That's what it meant to hear someone say 'don't bite the hand that feeds you' in response to that. The hardest part was that person got to live in peace for years while I held on to those words for years."
Throughout the interview we also get some additional background Solange's family history, including the origins of her grandmother and grandfather, Tina's mother and father.
Check out the interview here.
