Solange Knowles feels "far older" than 27.
The singer thinks marrying Daniel Smith – the father of her nine-year-old son Julez – when she was just 17 and separating less than four years later gave her an "insane amount" of perspective and says her experiences have made her wiser.
She said: "In a lot of ways, emotionally and mentally, I feel far older than 27. Just going through a marriage and a divorce – which I essentially did by 21 – will give you an insane amount of perspective on life."
Despite their split, Solange still gets on well with her ex-husband.
She told America’s Harper’s Bazaar magazine: "We co-parent really well. I’m able to say, ‘I need to finish this album, can you step up and take care of the boy?’ "
The ‘Losing You’ singer released her first album when she was 16 years old, and despite her older sister Beyonce being a successful member of Destiny’s Child, she insists her family were never keen on her following in her sibling’s footsteps.
She said: "My parents constantly tried to talk me out of being an artist. They had gone through the whole journey with my sister and just wanted me to have a normal teenage life."
And Solange – who is in a relationship with video director Alan Ferguson – admits she doesn’t want her son to be a performer.
She said: "It’s certainly not what I have in mind for him, I’m constantly trying to push him to work at the U.N., or be a diplomat. I try to convince him by explaining that he wouldn’t have to wait in lines at the airport, and that he can park anywhere."