She's No Angel. And She's No Beyonce, Either.

Prior to this interview, the publicist had one request: No Beyonce questions. Solange Knowles, the younger sister of you-know-who, wants to step out from behind her famous sister's shadow with the release of her sophomore album, "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams" on Aug. 26. Besides her famous name, Knowles is also known for other things: her marriage at 17, the birth of her son at 18 and her divorce last year. Gossip blogs slapped the singer with the label "So-Long Career" following her first album and when her movie "Bring It On: All or Nothing" went straight to DVD. Not a great start.

But the now-savvy 22-year-old knows this. With "Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams," the singer attempts to shed everything the tabloid-fueled world thinks about her, starting with her music. "I Decided" is the '60s-inspired first single, currently at No. 1 on several Billboard charts. NEWSWEEK's Susan Elgin spoke with Knowles from her family home in Houston about how she's reinventing her image, raising her son and defining success. Excerpts:

NEWSWEEK: Do you think this sound is surprising for listeners who expect you to sound like your sister?
Solange Knowles: I don't think people really know much about me, outside of a few things I've done here and there. I do know that it is an extremely different sound from anything out there in the mainstream marketplace. Amy Winehouse and Duffy's records just came out, and I started recording this way before their records were out, but that doesn't matter. I think it's definitely shocking for some people who have heard it.

Your first single "I Decided" is doing well, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's R&B Singles Sales and Hot Dance Singles Sales charts.
It is exciting. I was kind of in denial up until I just had an in-store to sign singles. Seeing all of the people actually with it in person made me realize "OK, maybe it is selling." [Laughs.]

A lot has happened in your personal life since your last album was released in 2003. Since then, you've been married, divorced and had a child. How did that impact your music?
Well, for one, I actually have stories to tell. When you're 15, you don't really have that much to think about, other than boys and crushes. [Laughs.] I tried to touch on topics that aren't so generic and that have some sort of social consciousness. I've been through a marriage and a divorce, so of course I've changed. I think the biggest way that I've changed is my outlook on making art and being an artist. What I am really trying to achieve is making something that means something and that I would listen to.

How does touring work when you have a child?
I just got off a tour, actually. He just came with me. I have help. My family helps me. I have a nanny who helps me, which is a blessing, because I could definitely not be away from him for a month. So I bring him with me and it works. It's very exciting for him. He thinks the tour bus is like a spaceship or something. It's also really good because he's able to travel. He's gone to San Francisco and gone to the bridge. He's seen the arch in St. Louis. It's like having his own little geography class right in front of his eyes.

I saw on your Web site that you are supporting Barack Obama. How politically involved are you?
I try to get involved as I can. I want to see what my little self can do. I definitely wouldn't call myself a superpolitical person, but I will say that I am very socially aware. I read the news just as much as I read Perez Hilton. I just try to make sure that I am well rounded. There are a lot of changes that need to be made, and he [Obama] could definitely do that for us.

Speaking of Perez Hilton, he was pretty critical of you a few years back, but lately he's praised your new music. What is it like to read gossip blogs like that and see yourself on there?
I definitely laugh. I think that, in this industry, you have to have a sense of humor. [Laughs.] I just figured, it's actually hilarious, but you have to have a lot of spunk to get through it, and I definitely have a lot of that. I actually think that stuff is pretty ridiculous, and you only get offended when there's some truth to it. Most of it doesn't have any truth to it, so it doesn't bother me. The only time that causes a reaction is when you see something about your child, and I do a good job of trying to avoid that.