Solange Screens “When I Get Home: A Texas Film” in Houston, Gives Surprise Talk
“Growing up in Texas, it’s such a spirited place. At any given time of day, you can see and experience something that’s so unique and so grounded in our culture here, and I just began to think of all the innovation that has happened here and really want to reflect on those things.”
Written by Selome Hailu
Photo courtesy of Rolling Stone
Following the March 1 release of her fourth studio album When I Get Home, Solange announced a series of nine events in Houston, Texas. “When I Get Home: A Special Album Experience” was scheduled at casual venues throughout Houston’s Third Ward, with limited free tickets available online. Though few details about the night were provided in advance, hundreds of fans flocked to the various locations. With places on the lineup like Unity National, Texas’ only black-owned bank, audience members speculated Solange’s motives and whereabouts as they waited for something to begin.
Staff at each location provided attendees with two free posters and seated them for a screening of “When I Get Home: A Texas Film,” a 33 minute visual album directed by Solange. The film depicted an eclectic combination of futuristic and nostalgic imagery, with footage of black rodeo cowboys, dancers in metallic outfits, and children playing in Houston streets. Following the film, personnel of the respective venues came out to explain the historical significance of each building to Houston’s black community.
At one venue, Solange made a surprise appearance. She came out after the screening at SHAPE Community Center for a talk moderated by art critic Antwuan Sargent. With a heartfelt shout-out to her family in the front row, she remarked how profound it felt to host this gathering in her hometown. “I’m in Third Ward two days after my film came out,” she said. “My son is here, my mother is here, my friends are here, my family, the people who made me who I am. There’s just joy everywhere.”
After saying her hellos and giggling about how she used to attend summer camps at SHAPE growing up, Solange chose to get vulnerable. She explained the physical and emotional toll of touring after the release of her last album, A Seat at the Table, and how that experience made her crave a return to Houston. “I feel like any time that you go through something like that, you crave and yearn for things that remain the same,” she said. “I know that, at any given time in my life, I can come back here to Houston, to Third Ward, and have these anchors that really lift me up. So that’s what I did.”
After her tour, Solange rented a home in Houston to begin working on the new album. During that time, she reflected on how her upbringing affected her perception of American history. She recalls a cowboy-themed Calvin Klein campaign she participated in saying, “I remember getting the mood boards for these and seeing the interpretation of Americana, and not even on any controversial sh--, but it was just funny to me because all of the first cowboys I saw were black. I don’t know who John Wayne is. I don’t know what his story is,” she joked, to wide audience laughter.
Photo courtesy of Pitchfork
Sargent brought up how the black cowboys Solange included in her film would fit in with “the yeehaw agenda,” an affectionate term given to the recent resurgence of cowboy imagery in pop culture. Considering this, she responded, “It’s not just an aesthetic. This is really what Western culture has meant to a broader America and the world. So I feel so privileged to have been able to meet so many of these cowboys and hear their stories and see what they are willing to do to their bodies for the sake of entertainment, which is something I can relate to.”
After the talk, Solange stepped down from the stage to greet audience members. While her security detail tried to facilitate her exit, she instead stuck around to take pictures with fans, holding them close as they told her their stories.
“When I Get Home: A Texas Film” is available on Apple Music.