Solange Knowles reflected on the ‘project that changed’ her life, revealing she struggled through ‘depleting health’ while working on her album ‘When I Get Home.’
Solange Knowles commemorated the two-year anniversary of her 2019 album When I Get Home with an incredibly vulnerable post on Instagram. The March 1 post, which featured a behind-the-scenes image of the artist, 34, included a lengthy caption that highlighted the obstacles Solange had to overcome in order to complete her album. “2 year anniversary of the project that literally changed my life,” she began the caption, adding a black heart emoji.
“When I first started creating ‘When I Get Home’ I was quite literally fighting for my life…in and out of hospitals (s/out park plaza on Binz!,” she revealed. “With depleting health and broken spirits asking God to send me a sign I would not only survive, but that if he let me make it out alive, I would step into the light whatever that meant. He begin [SIC] speaking to me,” she continued.
While the singer didn’t reveal what health scares she was struggling through, Solange did confessed that the process was completely unique, and she uncovered so much about herself and her artistry. “Half the time I didn’t know where it was coming from. I only knew I had to open the door and honor it,” her caption went on. “I didn’t see naann [SIC] a thing I imagined. I didn’t know who I was speaking to on ‘I am a witness,’” she said, referencing one of the tracks on the album. “When I listen back, I hear a woman who had only an inkling of what the journey entailed, but didn’t have a clue of why or what the journey would look like,” she wrote.
“This project has shown me, once you open that door, you can’t go backwards,” Solange observed. “Believe me I’ve tried saying ‘nah I’m just playing’ so many times, ha. I’m not a big fan of talking about sh*t I don’t know yet. I didn’t do much talking during this time because of that. I’m really down for showing the process, and staying quiet when it hasn’t all yet being revealed,” she continued.
Solange also shared with her fans what her artwork means to her, especially the dedication she put into When I Get Home. “I make work to answer questions within me, for survival. Sometimes I am asking myself that same question many ways. Sometimes it takes me years. I have to honor that time. This Houston ting moves slow y’all. One day, I’ll tell y’all about the days I’ve had since I opened this door,” she wrote to her more than four million Instagram followers.
“The things I’ve uncovered. The life long healing I’ve begin. The great divine joy and love I’ve experienced. The stories of my past I’ve survived that I had stored all up in my body…. till it said…. no more. The re-learning. The reckoning. This album led me to all of it. Life has now become before WIGH and after WIGH. I’m so grateful for you guys allowing me the space and time. So so so grateful. Ima be celebrating all week long the coming of home,” she concluded her post.
Along with her March 1 post, Solange celebrated the Criterion Channel release of the film accompaniment to her fourth studio album. The art film was added to the streaming service to commemorate its two-year anniversary, and highlight the director’s cut of the piece. Solange not only performed her music for the film, she also directed the visceral accompaniment, as well.