Life on her own terms for Beyonce’s sister

And while she is acclimating to New York,the shadow of Beyonce Knowles,her older sister,extends like a skyscraper. During a recent lunch at Walter Foods,Solange Knowles glanced around the patio with a sense of relief. When she dined there with her sister,she said,patrons ogled them and reached for camera phones.

“It did not feel like this,” she said. “I’m so proud,” she added,“of her success,but I could not do that.”

Instead of pursuing pop stardom,Knowles has wrapped herself in indie cred— a Pitchfork-approved chanteuse,boldfaced DJ and fashion ambassador. It’s an appealingly spongy zone of celebrity for the 25-year-old.

In the late ‘90s,the rise of Destiny’s Child turned the Knowles clan into an entertainment juggernaut. Beyonce was the star,their father was the manager,and their mother was the stylist and choreographer.

Solange never joined Destiny’s Child,but began travelling with the group as a backup dancer at 13. Knowles followed her sister’s path,pursuing a career as a singer and songwriter. Neither her debut album (Solo Star,in 2003) nor her sophomore effort (Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams,” 2008) was a commercial success.

At 18,she gave birth to Daniel Julez J. Smith II,which put her career and education on standby. She married his father,Daniel Smith. They divorced in 2007. Then came the move eastward. “I’ve been trying to talk her into going to Brooklyn for six years,” Beyonce said. “It’s so close to her personality. She’s such a fashionista—she’ll get used to it.”

“Solange can wear anything she wants,” said Humberto Leon,a co-owner of Opening Ceremony,the influential SoHo boutique. “I’ve enjoyed watching her evolution as a style icon.”

Brooklyn is also fertile soil for indie music. Despite her R&B origins,she has deftly infiltrated the genre,remaking a song by the Dirty Projectors,recording with Of Montreal and collaborating with Grizzly Bear and Twin Shadow.

Despite her familial advantages,Knowles still has a younger sibling’s stubborn streak. While she has helped to write several songs for Beyonce—Get Me Bodied and Upgrade U,among them—she has declined any professional help from her more famous sister.

“My sister will not record with me,” Beyonce said. “She’s her own woman.”