Beyonce's younger sister, Solange Knowles, announced in November 2019 that she would
be separating from Alan Ferguson, her husband of five years. So, why did these two musical
heavyweights throw in the towel? Here are the real reasons why Knowles and Ferguson
are calling it quits.
Solange broke the news to fans about her divorce in a since-deleted Instagram post confirming
the split. To readers' surprise, she dropped the bombshell that she'd actually separated
from Ferguson earlier in 2019. She made it clear, though, that she wasn't bitter about
the breakup, calling Ferguson a quote, "phenomenal man who changed every existence of my life."
"There were all these transitions for me personally as an artist"
Never one to share too much about her personal life, Solange added,
"I find it necessary to protect the sacredness of my personal truth and to live in it fully
just as I have before and will continue to do."
Less cryptically, Solange claimed that she'd changed as a person in the years prior to
the split. She revealed,
"The past two years have brought me more physical and spiritual transition and evolution than
ever before. […] My body left me with no choice but to listen and be still. Within
that stillness I begin my journey in confronting my worst enemy, fear."
But the exact details of her transformation would remain a mystery.
As it turned out, the singer's Instagram statement didn't come from out of the blue. The week
before she confirmed the split, Twitter was ablaze with rumors after a gossip site shared
an unconfirmed video of a woman who looked like Solange getting close with a man who
didn't appear to be Ferguson. Fans on social media responded with equal parts disbelief
and celebration, with many users speculating that the singer was already divorced. One
user tweeted:
"Excuse me? Solange is divorced?"
And another wrote,
"Oh I definitely didn't know Solange wasn't with that man anymore. Wow."
"It happened in a very organic way for me"
To many fans, the singer's quiet separation was admirable — just additional proof that
she's one of the smartest celebrities in the game. One fan wrote,
"Solange divorced that man quietly. Goals."
And another admired Solange's multitasking skills, tweeting,
"Solange got a whole new man before people even found out she was divorced. Energy."
While plenty of celebrity couples avoid the spotlight to keep their personal lives private,
Solange was rarely seen in public with Ferguson. Even at the Met Gala, Solange has walked the
red carpet alone every year since she and Ferguson last attended together in 2015. But
in March 2019, Just Jared published a paparazzi shot of the couple stepping out in Los Angeles,
pointing out that the last pap photo of the couple, before that, dated all the way back
to 2017.
As far as we can tell, the last awards show where Solange and Ferguson were spotted together,
was the 2017 Grammys, where they celebrated next to Beyonce and Jay-Z.
An illness can put a strain on even the healthiest of relationships. And, in 2017, Solange revealed
that she was battling a nervous system disorder. While she declined to share specifics, in
a 2019 interview with i-D, she described how her diagnosis led to a re-awakening. She said,
"Going through a transition where things were happening to my body that were out of my control,
I got to the place where there was no fear surrounding my body, and it belongs to me
in a whole new way."
"Womanhood is like, ya know, always evolving, and it will evolve more I'm sure"
It's worth noting that, in her Instagram post revealing the split, Solange mentioned the
quote "physical and spiritual transition" she's experienced over the past two years,
suggesting that perhaps her health issues impacted her decision to make a change.
Solange and Ferguson frequently worked together on many projects, with Ferguson co-directing
the 45-minute film she released with her 2019 album "When I Get Home," as well as music
videos for her 2016 singles "Cranes in the Sky" and "Don't Touch My Hair."
It might sound like a strong partnership, but Solange wasn't so sure about it at first.
In January 2017, Interview published a chat between Beyonce and Solange, in which the
younger songstress claimed that she was nervous to work with Ferguson. She said,
"I remember telling you years ago that I wanted to work with him, but I was scared. […] I
know that when I come home, I'm going to find peace with him. I didn't want any variable
that could interrupt that."
Solange revealed that it was Beyonce who reassured her that working with her romantic partner
was a good idea, adding,
"You actually encouraged that and said, 'I swear, you guys are going to be just fine
and will probably make the best work that you have ever made because of the way that
you love and respect one another and each other's vision.'"
"Your relationship is able to grow and evolve"
According to the interview with her sister, Solange and Ferguson shared similarly-fanatical
work ethics. Describing her video shoots for her album, A Seat at the Table, she revealed,
"Only a person who loves me would say yes to shooting 21 scenes in one week and climbing
mountains and literally crossing waterfalls with million-dollar equipment strapped to
his back. […] At the end of it, [the crew was] cranky and ready to go home, rightfully
so. And Alan and I were like, 'We just got started!'"
"Being able to feel that energy through the performance I think was really important to
us"
In addition to his work with Solange, Ferguson has spent the past few years directing high-profile
music videos for artists including Lizzo, Janelle Monae, Camila Cabello, and Logic.
Since releasing A Seat at the Table to widespread acclaim in 2016, Solange's schedule has been
packed. For the following three years, she played numerous summer festivals, scored and
performed at fashion shows, and staged elaborate performances at museums and theaters. That's
all before she released her album When I Get Home in 2019.
We have to wonder whether the duo's independently packed schedules may have contributed to their
split.
One of the many things that Beyonce and Solange share in common are the significant age gaps
between them and their partners. Both men were significantly older than the sisters,
with Jay-Z 12 years older than Beyonce. Even more striking is the age difference between
Solange and Ferguson, who were 33 and 56, respectively, at the time of their November
split. Ferguson is actually closer in age to Solange's 68-year-old dad, Mathew Knowles.
While relationships between older men and much-younger women may be normal in Hollywood,
the fit apparently may not have been right for Solange and Ferguson.
"The house that was built could crumble at any time, really speaks to this conversation
of transition over the last year"
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