From a young age, Solange knew she wanted to entertain; in fact, Janet Jackson was her role model. When she was two years old, her parents signed her up for dance lessons, and by age five, she was performing in front of an amusement park crowd as an opening act for her older sister.

At 13, she went on a two-year tour as a backup dancer for Destiny's Child. When the tour ended, her father and manager, Matthew Knowles, signed her to a recording contract. She hosted the 2001 summer MTV TRL tour, featuring acts such as Destiny's Child, Jessica Simpson and Nelly.

In 2002, she released her first single, "Feelin' You, Pt. 2," from her debut album, Solo Star. The album debuted in January 2003 in the Top 50 of the Billboard 100. In 2004, she made her feature film debut with Cedric the Entertainer in Johnson Family Vacation (2004). That same year, she married football player Daniel Smith, and their son, Daniel Julez J. Smith, was born in October 2004.