In a wide-ranging interview, music mogul, speaker, professor, author and entrepreneur Mathew Knowles, 71, speaks about male breast cancer, his return to the Cayman Islands, entrepreneurship, and raising pop icons.
Knowles, male breast cancer survivor and father of Beyoncé and Solange, is the keynote speaker for this year’s Breast Cancer Gala, the main fundraising event for the Breast Cancer Foundation being held at The Ritz-Carlton. Grand Cayman, on Saturday, 7 Oct.
He is the first male breast cancer survivor to speak at the gala, telling the Compass the day before the event he was excited to share his story on his 2019 stage 1A breast cancer diagnosis. He was also keen to raise awareness of early detection with the 600 guests expected to attend the gala.
“I want to share my ideas on how I think we should approach male breast cancer in a different way.
“A lot of men in the last three, four years have come and said. ‘Oh I have that too, but I was too embarrassed to talk about it,’ or ‘I wanted to go but was just embarrassed’, so if we can cross that line, I think we will have more men that go for early detection… and know… the warning signs of breast cancer. And the same for women; it’s all about early detection,” Knowles said.
Going back 40 years, Knowles said he’s always been an advocate for early detection. “I hear so many men embarrassed, feel as though there is a stigma attached to breast cancer versus male breast cancer or male chest cancer,” he said.
‘I am a survivor’
In observance of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, he took to social media this week to share a message of hope, strength and resilience to those who are living with cancer and fighting the disease.
As part of an Instagram post, he wrote: “Cancer may be a part of your life, but it does not define you. You are much more than a diagnosis, and your spirit shines bright enough to overcome any obstacles.”
He explained, “I send positive messages almost every day. I’m just that person that I always reach for the sky and the stars and my faith.” He added that he co-wrote – with Beyoncé and Anthony Dent – the Destiny’s Child hit song ‘I’m a Survivor’, which spoke of “I’m not gonna give up, I’m gonna fight, I’m gonna make it.”
Returning to Cayman
Knowles last visited the Cayman Islands five years ago to celebrate his five-year wedding anniversary with his wife, Gena, when they renewed their vows.
“We love it here [the Cayman Islands] and The Ritz-Carlton has been very good and kind to us. Oddly, we got the same room we got five years ago. I’m going to try to get them to name [the room] the Mathew Knowles suite,” he chuckled.
Raising music superstars
For 25 years, Knowles was the architect of the careers of his daughters, global superstars Beyoncé and Solange, from his first marriage to Tina Knowles. He still manages Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling female groups in history.
Knowles said he is proud to be a ‘girl dad’. “When those girls say, ‘I love you dad’, I just melt.”
While he no longer manages Beyoncé’s career, “there is still this business part of me and it’s looking at the lights, the sounds… I don’t want that ever to leave, but it was great seeing my granddaughter, [Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s daughter] Blue Ivy, the next generation… to see her from the first time to the last time she performed was remarkable, just to watch her development in such a short time,” he said.
Knowles spoke about his eldest grandson, Jules (Solange’s son) and how he is supporting his modelling pursuits. He said it’s been amazing with his other grandchildren, Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s twins Rumi and Sir Carter, 4, ‘running around’ getting everyone’s attention on their mother’s summer tour, Renaissance.
Advice for entrepreneurs
In his book, ‘The DNA of Achievers: 10 Traits of Highly Successful Professionals’, Knowles shares his tricks of the trade for having a successful career. He said entrepreneurship is very simple.
“The who, the what, the why, the where. Who is my customer, what is my product, why should they buy it and where can they receive it, how you distribute it. It’s real simple if you get the foundation, but it’s all based on success and life is based on passion, the thing that energises and wakes you up,” he said.
In his advice to Cayman’s young entrepreneurs, Knowles said they should want to grow and have knowledge, and passion should co-exist with work ethic. “You can’t have one without the other and you can’t have million-dollar dreams with a minimum-wage work ethic,” he said.
When asked what he is most proud of, Knowles took a deep breath before saying he is happy “that I have joy in my life, that my daughters are good people, not just their successes, that I’m married to an amazing woman who is my best friend, and we get to have joy and happiness every day. I’m at a place in my life that I have gratitude… and the ability to give back and help others and touch the younger generation… I love that. Getting on that stage and motivating many people and educating them,” he said.
Before the interview ended, Knowles shared what he always says: “Pray not for a life free from trouble. Pray for triumph over trouble. For what you and I call adversity, the universe, God, Allah, whatever name you use, calls opportunity.”
For more on Breast Cancer Awareness Month events, visit the Breast Cancer Foundation website.
Related Videos
