In a recent interview with Refinery 29, Solange Knowles revealed that Chaka Khan was her sole inspiration for her transformation into a natural and bold new look.
“When I was recording, I was staying in a house with five guys and two showers. I knew there would be a shower wait everyday and with my natural cropped hair, it’s mandatory that I wash it otherwise it gets stuck to my head like glue! I wanted to get something that I could literally roll out of bed without looking nuts. I watched so many Chaka Khan YouTube videos and became sort of obsessed with her during the process. I went to my stylist and said ‘Give me the fro.’ I walk differently now, sing differently; This hair has spirit and soul,” said Solange.
Chaka Khan in the 1970’s
“If anything, I feel like if I didn’t have a sister who was a huge star, no one would think twice about how I look, because they would have no one to compare it to. I would just be another gal who wears loads of vintage or counts Grace Jones as inspiration. But because I’m Beyoncé’s sister, I’m an easy target to say, ‘There’s no way those two had the same parents, and have one be naturally this way…this has to be a ploy for her to appear cool!’ It makes me want to pull out pictures of five-year-old me next to nine-year-old her wearing a tutu over polka dot stockings and an old scarf over my head….”
If you never respected Solange’s tranformation in the past, after this shoot you have to give her the props she deserves. The new look is really becoming to her.
In response to her secret style weapon:
“Shoes! I’m all about the shoes! I order a ton of them online and play with my entire wardrobe until I find the right shoe. Unfortunately, so many people get it right from the head until the ankles. The shoe is very important. I can’t even fuck with you if your shoe game is slacking.” (read more)
