Solange Knowles is known for her style and powerful, socially conscious songs. After taking home a Grammy award in 2016, she proved to the world she’s more than just Beyoncé’s little sister. However, despite her professional success, she’s faced some serious setbacks in the love department. This all seemed to change when she married Alan Ferguson in November 2014.
They’ve since decided to go their separate ways, but we’re still curious about the man who once was a very important part of her life. We were able to gather up some information about what her dating life was like before meeting Alan, as well as the real reason things fell apart.
A secret romance
Solange performed on stage with her sister for years as a backup dancer for Destiny’s Child. In 2002, she released her first album, entitled Solo Star. Being around the industry at such a young age put her in contact with other celebrities, but we were still shocked to find out that her first high-profile relationship was with Omarion of B2K. (They obviously ended on good terms because she made an appearance in the music video for his 2006 hit song “Ice Box.”)
Solange shared a since-deleted picture on her Instagram of the two of them looking mighty cozy (bottom right of the above photo). In the caption, she admitted they hid their relationship from the public. Solange joked: “I was scared them B2K fans would try to cut me.”
We don’t blame her!
A teen mom
We’re unsure when they broke up, but she moved on with Texas Southern University football player Daniel Smith. In 2004, her world was rocked when she discovered she was pregnant at the age of 17. She and Daniel, who was 19 at the time, decided to get married, and no one was going to stop them.
Always one to march to her own beat, the decision was a no-brainer for Solange. She said they would’ve gotten married at some point anyway, but their unplanned pregnancy pushed up their timeline. She told the Evening Standard, “We were crazy, impulsive teenagers, and I was obviously craving some sort of stability.”
How did her parents, Tina and Matthew Knowles, feel about the situation? Solange admitted they were frightened that their teenage daughter wanted to get married and have a baby. But Solange had her mind made up. She stated, “I’d been working since I was 13. I was making my own money. I wasn’t really asking permission.”
Living in isolation
Eventually, her family gave her their complete support. On February 27, 2004, Solange and Daniel said their I do’s in the Bahamas. According to People magazine, 25 friends and family members were in attendance to watch it all go down. Beyonce was the bridesmaid and even toasted the young couple.
Solange gave birth to Daniel Julez Smith Jr., in October 2004. According to the Evening Standard, the family then moved to Moscow, Idaho, where Solange’s new husband had accepted an offer to play college ball.
Solange expressed how she loved being domestic. However, things slowly fell apart as reality began to set in. In an interview with Elle magazine, she called it one of the most “bittersweet” moments of her life.
She loved staying at home with her son, but she called domestic life isolating, lonely, cold, and dark. She added, “It was just Julez and me most of the time. It was hard to imagine being able to progress in my career in any way.”
By 2007, the marriage was officially over and they decided to get divorced. Solange and Julez relocated to Los Angeles to get her career back on track.
She told Essence magazine that getting married and divorced by the age of 21 gave her an “insane amount of perspective on life.” Thankfully, she and her ex-husband have remained friends and have a great co-parenting relationship.
Playing the field
Young, beautiful and single, nobody expected Solange to be on the market for very long. There was a rumor she was dating rapper Lil’ Wayne. However, according to Contact Music website, her rep called the rumor, quote, “completely unfounded.”
In 2008, she was spotted with football player Julius Peppers at Coachella. The extent of their relationship is unclear, but by 2009, she was linked to rapper Wale (pictured above). Well, kind of.
In October 2009, she told Honey Magazine that Wale was definitely not her boyfriend. She added that they were good friends and were on the same record label. A month later, Wale had an interview with the same magazine and he admitted he was in love with her, but he also confirmed they were just friends.
Whatever the true extent of their relationship, he did refer to Solange as a muse, and many people believe that his hit song “Lotus Flower Bomb” was inspired by their situationship.
The truth would be revealed years later. During the time of their respective Honey Magazine interviews, Solange was actually dating someone else.
Who is Alan Ferguson?
In a since-deleted tweet, she revealed that in 2008, Janelle Monae and Fall Out Boy group member Pete Wentz introduced her to music video director Alan Gerard Ferguson.
Alan’s parents had four children in total, including a daughter who was stillborn. Alan came along in August 1963, and grew up in Richmond, Virginia. His dad was a World War II military police officer, before becoming a U.S. postal carrier. Despite Alan’s humble beginnings, he would go on to become one of the most sought-after video directors. He’s worked with everyone, from Katy Perry to Jay Z and Beyonce.
When they first met, Solange was only 22-years-old, while Alan was 45. Despite their age difference, she wasn’t afraid to make the first move and go after what she wanted. In an interview, Solange said she’s not an old-school kind of woman, so she’s not going to wait for a guy to approach her first.
Her bold move paid off. During a chat with Beyonce for Interview Magazine, Solange said on their first date, she and Alan watched the movie Mahogany together.
Though they didn’t publicly confirm the status of their relationship, they started hitting up appearances together in 2008. From there, their love blossomed. According to an interview with Vulture magazine, they settled down in Los Angeles, although it wasn’t the ideal location for Solange to raise her son. She told the magazine they spent a lot of time on Hollywood Boulevard among the people who roamed the streets in costumes. Once her son told her, “Mom, Spider-Man is our neighbor,” Solange knew it was time for a change.
Sadly in May 2011, Alan’s father passed away. Despite it being a devastating time in their lives, it was also the perfect opportunity for them to leave Los Angeles behind. That same year, they packed up and moved to Brooklyn to be closer to his family in Virginia. At the time, Beyonce, Jay Z, and Blue Ivy were also living on the East Coast.
A surprise wedding
In 2012, Alan received one of the highest honors in the industry when he was awarded the Video Director of the Year award alongside Beyonce at the BET Awards. While on stage, Beyonce thanked Alan and his team for teaching her so much about directing. And when Alan took the microphone, he made a public declaration by calling Solange the love of his life and his inspiration.
Things were looking promising for their relationship. In early 2014, there were rumors they had gotten engaged. Of course, Solange nor Alan confirmed their plans to tie the knot. Instead, they broke the internet by getting married in November 2014.
The monochromatic affair was held at an opera house in New Orleans and was attended by 100 members of their inner circle. According to Essence magazine, Solange went natural and sported a bold, beautiful Afro. She also took a more casual approach and wore various jumpsuits throughout her weekend celebration.
Working together
Solange and her husband Alan, and her son Juelz decided to make New Orleans their new home. The couple not only had a great relationship, but they worked together professionally to produce some of the most stunning artistic visuals. Alan even directed videos for Solange’s songs “Don’t Touch My Hair” and “Cranes in the Sky” from her 2016 album, A Seat At the Table.
Solange admitted to Interview Magazine she was scared that working together could fracture their relationship. In the end, everything turned out perfectly. Solange added, “The experience was one I will cherish for the rest of my life.”
A scary health diagnosis
Things began to crumble for Solange in 2017 when she had to pull out of a major festival due to health issues. In a since-deleted Instagram post, she revealed she was battling an autonomic disorder that she had been quietly treating for the past few months. Her health diagnosis had affected her blood pressure, cognitive impairment, and her heart rate.
We were just glad to know Solange had someone by her side to help her through it all. But in January 2019, their world came crashing down once again when Alan’s mom passed away. Ten months later, in a since-deleted Instagram post, Solange and her husband were confirmed to be over.
The end of Solange and Alan
It appeared their split had been in the works for at least two years. Solange wrote that during that two-year period, she had a physical and spiritual evolution. She wrote, “My body left me with no choice but to listen and be still.”
Within that stillness, Solange said she began confronting fear, which she described as her worst enemy. In the end, separating from Alan was something she felt she needed to do. She showed him love by calling him a phenomenal man that changed every existence of her life. As of this article, it’s unclear if the divorce papers have been filed.
Since Solange is extremely private, the internet got messy and tried to figure out what went wrong between her and Alan. When photos of Solange with another man hit the internet, everyone assumed cheating played a part in the breakup. Solange slammed the rumors on Instagram by revealing the man was actually her manager of five years, John Bogaard.
At this point, we may never know the whole story. However, we wish Solange the best with everything, from her love life to her health and her career.
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