Heavily influenced by Motown girl groups, her second studio album Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams (2008) deviated from the pop-oriented music of her debut to Motown-inspired sounds from the 1960s and 1970s.

During Destiny's Child's opening stint for Christina Aguilera's 2000 tour, Knowles temporarily replaced member Kelly Rowland after she broke her toes backstage during a costume change.

[18] Managed by her father Mathew, Knowles first ventured into the music business in 2001 as the lead singer, backed by Destiny's Child, on the title theme song for the animated television series The Proud Family.

[25] At age 14, Knowles started working on her debut album Solo Star,[26] which involved American producers such as Jermaine Dupri, the Neptunes, Linda Perry and Timbaland among others.

Knowles appeared as a teenager in the 2004 comedy film Johnson Family Vacation, starring alongside American actors Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams and Bow Wow.

Although the reviews were generally negative, Knowles earned praise from Variety, which opined that she "is nearly as dazzling as big sister Beyoncé and does little more than smile winningly in her first bigscreen outing".

While she was married, her family moved to Idaho, and while staying there, she resumed writing songs including the singles "Get Me Bodied" and "Upgrade U" from her sister's second solo album, B'Day.

A collection of 1960s and 1970s influenced songs,[45] it is seen as a departure from her pop-oriented debut,[46][47] with what Billboard called "more of a modern twist on hip-hop and R&B flecked with tinges of blues and jazz".

[51] In support of the album, Knowles began the Solange Presents Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams Tour in Britain in November 2008.

The lyrics to the song name check some major artists such as Mary J. Blige, Ashanti, Keyshia Cole, and Beyoncé, although she made a point of stating that it does not have "a negative light to any of [them]".

[55] Early in 2010, Knowles traveled to Australia to work with Australian rock band Midnight Juggernauts on her third studio album.

[57] She also confirmed on Twitter that she rented a house in Santa Barbara, California to get into a certain state of mind while writing and making music.

Regarding the musical direction of the album, she said the inspiration came from new wave and stated, "This is a dance record, but the lyrics can get pretty dark at times.

On October 24, 2012, Knowles held a listening party in New York City for her EP True, released for digital download on iTunes on November 27, 2012.

[68] On May 15, 2015, Knowles performed "Rise" for the first time at an HBO-sponsored event, which was inspired by police killings of Michael Brown and Freddie Gray, and the subsequent protests in Ferguson and Baltimore.

[74] On October 3, 2016, Knowles released music videos for the songs "Don't Touch My Hair" and "Cranes in the Sky", both co-directed by herself and Alan Ferguson.

[81] She previously teased the album by posting two video snippets on her Instagram and Twitter as well as a personal web page on the African-American social networking site BlackPlanet.

[83] On her debut album, Knowles had no control over which kinds of music to produce, stating that "when you're 14, everyone else is older and more seasoned and you trust their decisions".

[44] Her musical influences were better expressed on Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams, when she considered herself mature and was able to write and produce songs as she wished, without worrying about the expectations of others.

[26] Knowles's lyrics tackle relationships, world issues, and deceased friends,[44][86] with her second album focusing on events in her life, such as marriage, divorce, and parenthood.

[98][99] In August 2022, the New York City Ballet announced that Knowles would compose a score for the Fall Fashion Gala the following September, becoming the third woman and first African American to serve in that role for the company.

She has expressed her opinion of the comparison in the lyrics to "God Given Name": "I'm not her and never will be"[26][101] – which was purposely set as the opening track of Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams to show their differences.

[26] In her self-titled album, Beyoncé credits Knowles with the lyric "my sister told me I should speak my mind", as she acknowledges the impact her family has made on her life.

The music video for her 2012 single "Losing You" featured a heavy demonstration of the contemporary sartorial movement throughout Africa, La Sape.

[44] She is the executive producer of the CD, composed of updated hip hop inspired nursery rhymes, which is featured in all of the toys.

Armani said Knowles epitomizes the style, which is a "vision of a young, independent, casual lifestyle with a strong and cool, fashion sensibility".

In this role, she curated four women's shoe collections: "Girls of Blaze" (2014), "Wild Wonder" (2014), "Behind the Baazar" (2014) and "Word to the Woman" (2015).

In 2013, Knowles launched the digital platform Saint Heron as a music and cultural hub to amplify Black artistry.

[139] Knowles married music video director Alan Ferguson at the Marigny Opera House in New Orleans on November 16, 2014.

[141] That year, Knowles began dating experimental jazz artist Gio Escobar from the band Standing on the Corner,[142] with whom she had previously collaborated on her studio album When I Get Home.