Solange Reflects On 'Fighting' For Her Life During Major Health Scare In 2018

Solange Knowles is celebrating the second anniversary of her album When I Get Home — but along with that, she’s reflecting on her health, too.

The 34-year-old suffered a serious health scare right before she wrote the music for her acclaimed 2019 album, and she created the soundtrack based on her survival — as she was inspired by a voice from inside guiding her way.

On March 1, the singer posted a very heartwarming message on Instagram, addressing some of the struggles — and joyous moments — she faced while working through this time of her life.

She wrote:

“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! 🙂 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 speaking to me. Half the time I didn’t know where it was coming from. I only knew I had to open the door and honor it.”

Wow. That’s just amazing. And what a way to develop music! Right from the heart.

For anyone who isn’t familiar, in late 2017 Solange was diagnosed with whats known as dysautonomia, a little known autonomic nerve disorder. Her health deteriorated to the point where she had to cancel her 2018 New Year’s Eve performance at AfroPunk Festival which would have been in Johannesburg.

Knowles continued:

“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. This project has shown me, once you open that door, you can’t go backwards. Believe me I’ve tried saying ‘nah I’m just playing’ so many times, ha. I’m not a big fan of talking about s**t I don’t know yet. I didn’t do much talking during this time because of that.”

Ugh. We completely get that. And it’s so heartbreaking to hear all of this. We can’t even imagine what it must’ve been like suffering from a relatively unknown disease that affects how every part of you feels.

Yet she kept moving on, a true fighter. And her work actually helped her to survive and to keep herself asking the right questions. She explained:

“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. 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.”

We totally get all of this, and we’re looking forward to hearing more about her health struggles as she decides she’s ready to open up.

She concluded by saying: