Singer, songwriter, and composer Solange Knowles released her debut album Solo Star in 2002, bringing popularity to a new take on R&B that included Urban Contemporary elements. Proudly commanding her unique sound, she continued to explore the possibilities of straying from safe/radio-friendly jams by blending Jazz, Funk, Electronica and R&B/Soul elements in Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams released in 2008 followed by her True EP in 2012. In 2016, the deeply personal A Seat at the Table was released, further defying R&B as we know it both musically and lyrically. Examining some of her own first-hand experiences, the album would contain 12 tracks and 9 interludes that boldly called out Black feminism and racial injustice while simultaneously serving as a shameless stand in solidarity with all of the world’s underprivileged and oppressed groups. From the heartfelt reflection of Cranes in the Sky to the empowering F.U.B.U., everything about A Seat at the Table was destined to shake up music’s business-as-usual. The pensive body of work was written, performed, arranged and partly produced by Solange herself and would go on to earn her solo career's first-ever Grammy win (Best R&B Performance, Cranes in the Sky) and number 1 Billboard Top 200 chart placement.
