How Old Is Julez, Solange’s Son? Age, Dad & Quick Facts

Daniel “Julez” Smith Jr., Solange Knowles’s only child, is 21 years old as of March 2026. Born on October 18, 2004, Julez turns 22 later this year. Solange was 18 when she gave birth and just 17 when she married his father, Daniel Smith Sr. — placing her among the youngest mothers in one of the most scrutinized families in American entertainment.

Julez is Beyonce Knowles-Carter’s nephew, Tina Knowles’s grandson, and Blue Ivy Carter’s older cousin by nearly eight years. He walked the Luar runway at New York Fashion Week in February 2024, spoke publicly about dealing with online misconceptions, and lists basketball as his primary passion. For someone raised inside the Knowles dynasty, that independence says plenty.

Julez Smith’s Age and Birthday

Julez Smith is 21 years old, born October 18, 2004. He turns 22 in October 2026. His zodiac sign is Libra, and he was born in California according to public records on FamousBirthdays.

Born October 18, 2004

Julez’s legal name is Daniel Julez Smith Jr., taken directly from his father. He grew up across multiple cities as Solange’s career shifted geography — Houston first, then New Orleans, then Brooklyn. The constant was Solange herself; mother and son were rarely apart for long stretches.

How Old Was Solange When She Had Julez?

Solange Knowles was 18 years old when Julez was born on October 18, 2004. She had married Daniel Smith Sr. eight months earlier, on Valentine’s Day 2004, at age 17. Solange’s own birthday falls on June 24, 1986 — meaning she spent the final months of pregnancy as a newly-turned 18-year-old navigating marriage, motherhood, and a recording career simultaneously.

As People magazine confirmed, Solange was 17 at the time of her wedding. The distinction gets conflated online constantly: she married at 17, gave birth at 18. Both facts circulate, but the timeline is unambiguous when you run the math against her June 1986 birthday.

Who Is Julez Smith? Full Name and Early Life

Julez Smith is the only child of Solange Knowles and Daniel Smith Sr., born into one of the most culturally influential families in modern American music. Named after his father, Julez has been raised primarily by Solange since the couple’s 2007 divorce.

Growing Up Between Houston and Brooklyn

Julez’s childhood mapped onto Solange’s artistic evolution. Houston came first — the Knowles family’s home base. New Orleans followed during the period around Solange’s “Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams” (2008). Brooklyn arrived in the mid-2010s, around the creation of “A Seat at the Table” (2016), the album that shifted Solange from perennial “younger sister” status to a critically respected artist on her own merit.

Through each relocation, Julez was there. Solange has described in interviews how raising a child while constantly reinventing her career shaped both of them. Motherhood sharpened her artistry, she has said, rather than competing with it.

Homeschool, Basketball, and Staying Off the Radar

Julez was homeschooled through high school — a common choice for children of public figures seeking more flexibility and privacy. His main passion is basketball, not music. In a 2020 interview on Houston’s 97.9 radio, Julez named Allen Iverson, James Harden, and LeBron James as role models and said his goal was to play professionally.

He also mentioned making beats as a side interest, an unavoidable nod to the household he grew up in. But music was not the plan. For a Knowles, choosing the court over the studio is a statement in itself.

Who Is Julez Smith’s Dad? Daniel Smith Sr.

Julez Smith’s father is Daniel Smith Sr., Solange Knowles’s first husband. The couple married on February 14, 2004, separated in May 2006, and finalized their divorce in April 2007 — when Julez was two. Daniel Smith Sr. has stayed deliberately out of the media spotlight since then.

Solange and Daniel Smith Sr. — The Marriage Timeline

Solange and Daniel Smith Sr. began dating around 2001 when both were teenagers. They married in the Bahamas on Valentine’s Day 2004 — Solange was 17. Julez arrived eight months later. By mid-2006, they had separated. The divorce was finalized the following spring.

According to MarriedCeleb, a celebrity biography database, the relationship lasted roughly five years from first dating to final divorce. Brief by any standard, but it produced the only child Solange would go on to have.

Where Is Daniel Smith Sr. Now?

Daniel Smith Sr. has stayed far from the media glare that follows his ex-wife. Entertainment biography sources indicate he works as a talent manager at Roc Nation, Jay-Z’s entertainment and sports agency — a detail that keeps him tangentially connected to the broader Knowles-Carter world even post-divorce.

Public records also suggest Daniel Smith Sr. remarried and has three additional children from his second marriage, giving Julez three younger half-siblings. Neither Daniel Smith Sr. nor Solange has publicly discussed their co-parenting specifics. The Knowles family has consistently drawn that boundary.

The Knowles Family Tree — Where Julez Fits

Julez Smith sits at the intersection of three generations of the Knowles dynasty: grandson of Tina Knowles, nephew of Beyonce Knowles-Carter, and first cousin to Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir Carter. Few family trees in American pop culture carry as much combined influence.

Beyonce Is His Aunt

Beyonce Knowles-Carter, Solange’s older sister by about five years, is Julez’s aunt. The sisters have maintained a close public bond, and Julez has been photographed with the extended family at events since childhood. One widely circulated moment came after the 2014 Met Gala elevator incident between Solange and Jay-Z, where Julez was seen leaving with the family — a snapshot of how tightly his everyday reality overlaps with global tabloid events.

Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir — His Cousins

Beyonce and Jay-Z’s three children are Julez’s first cousins. Blue Ivy Carter was born in January 2012, making her roughly seven years younger. Twins Rumi and Sir Carter arrived in June 2017, nearly thirteen years his junior. The age gap places Julez in more of an older-cousin role than a peer one — a dynamic he touched on in a 2024 social media discussion when he talked about watching his bond with Rumi change as both of them grew older, according to a post reported by E! News.

Tina Knowles — His Grandmother

Tina Knowles — fashion designer, businesswoman, and Knowles family matriarch — has publicly expressed pride in all of her grandchildren, Julez included. Her Instagram account regularly features family moments, and she has referenced Julez warmly in interviews. Growing up with Tina Knowles as a grandmother meant proximity to the woman who built the aesthetic foundation for Destiny’s Child and both daughters’ solo careers. That influence runs through the family in ways that are hard to separate from who Julez is becoming.

What Is Julez Smith Doing in 2026?

Julez Smith has entered his twenties with a few public markers: a New York Fashion Week runway debut, candid statements about his personal life, and an Instagram following of roughly 84,000 — modest by Knowles-family standards but growing on his own schedule.

The Luar Runway and Fashion Debut

In February 2024, Julez walked the Luar Fall 2024 show during New York Fashion Week. Luar, the Brooklyn-based label founded by designer Raul Lopez, has become one of the most talked-about names in contemporary fashion. Julez’s appearance drew attention less for modeling credentials — he had done some toddler-era toy campaigns, but nothing major since — and more for the symbolism: Solange’s son, at 19, stepping onto a serious runway on his own name.

Several posts about the appearance, including one from E! News’s Facebook page, generated thousands of reactions. The fashion press framed it as an arrival moment, however quiet.

Addressing Public Speculation

In early 2025, Julez publicly confronted years of online speculation about his sexuality. In a widely covered moment reported by People magazine, Julez described how adults had been making assumptions about his personal life since he was 13. His response was direct and unvarnished, pushing back against what he called “misconceptions” without the polished distance of a prepared statement.

A 20-year-old from one of the most visible Black families in America choosing to confront that kind of scrutiny on his own terms — through a livestream, not a press team — pointed to someone comfortable with who he is and uninterested in performing for public approval.

Julez Smith — Growing Up Knowles: A Timeline

Tracking Julez’s life against major Knowles family milestones puts his age and position in sharper focus. This chronological view connects the personal with the cultural in a way raw age numbers alone cannot.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Julez, Solange’s son?

Julez Smith is 21 years old as of March 2026, born on October 18, 2004. He turns 22 in October 2026. Julez is the only child of Solange Knowles and her first husband, Daniel Smith Sr.

What is Solange’s son Julez’s current age?

Solange’s son Julez is 21 in 2026. Born October 18, 2004, he was Solange’s first and only child, arriving when Solange was 18 years old and in the first year of her marriage to Daniel Smith Sr.

How old was Solange when she had Julez?

Solange Knowles was 18 years old when she gave birth to Julez on October 18, 2004. She had married Daniel Smith Sr. eight months earlier, in February 2004, when she was still 17. Solange was born June 24, 1986.

Who is Julez Smith’s dad?

Julez’s father is Daniel Smith Sr., Solange Knowles’s first husband. They married on Valentine’s Day 2004 in the Bahamas and divorced in April 2007. Daniel Smith Sr. reportedly works in the entertainment industry and has remained out of the public eye.

What age did Solange have her son?

Solange had Julez at age 18. She married Daniel Smith Sr. at 17 in February 2004 and gave birth in October 2004, four months after her 18th birthday on June 24.

Is Julez Smith Beyonce’s nephew?

Yes. Beyonce Knowles-Carter is Julez’s aunt through her sister Solange Knowles. Julez is also a first cousin to Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir Carter, and a grandson of family matriarch Tina Knowles.

Does Julez Smith have siblings?

Julez is Solange Knowles’s only child. Through his father Daniel Smith Sr.’s second marriage, Julez has three younger half-siblings. On the Knowles side, his closest family peers are cousins Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir Carter.

Conclusion

Daniel “Julez” Smith Jr. is 21 years old, born October 18, 2004, to an 18-year-old Solange Knowles and her first husband Daniel Smith Sr. Beyonce’s nephew. Tina Knowles’s grandson. Blue Ivy Carter’s older cousin. Julez occupies a seat near the center of one of American pop culture’s most famous family trees.

What sets Julez apart from the standard celebrity-kid trajectory is the deliberate independence. Basketball over music. Homeschool over Hollywood. A fashion debut on his own timeline, not his family’s. And when the internet projected its assumptions onto his personal life, he responded on a livestream — not through a publicist. At 21, Daniel Julez Smith Jr. is still early in whatever story he decides to build. So far, he has insisted on writing it himself.