Fantasia Barrino
Encyclopedia
Fantasia Monique Barrino (born June 30, 1984) commonly known as Fantasia, is an American
R&B
singer, Broadway
and television
actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season
of the reality television series American Idol
in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe
", which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
. Subsequently, she released her debut album, Free Yourself
, which went on to be certified Platinum
by the RIAA and garnered Barrino three Grammy nominations in 2006.
In 2006, she released her second album, Fantasia, which featured the single "When I See U
" which topped the Billboard
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart for eight weeks. The album was certified Gold
by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations in 2008. She then played the part of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, for which she won a 2007 Theatre World Award
. Her third studio album, Back to Me
, was released worldwide on August 24, 2010 and features the single "Bittersweet
," which peaked in the top ten on the R&B chart. The single won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
, North Carolina
. The family traveled and performed in the Carolinas and elsewhere in the American South and recorded the CD Miracles for a local label.
Despite the travels, Barrino attended Andrews High School
in High Point, North Carolina. Feeling embarrassed and harassed after she was rape
d by a classmate, she dropped out of high school. She became pregnant at 16, and on August 8, 2001, gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari Barrino. Barrino then briefly moved to neighboring Greensboro
, North Carolina
before trying out for the American Idol
Auditions in Atlanta.
's "Proud Mary" made her an early favorite in the competition. Her standout performance during the course of the show was a heartfelt staging of the Porgy and Bess
standard "Summertime
" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges - Randy Jackson has called it the best performance in the show's history - and was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.
For the final performance of the season, Barrino offered a second performance of "Summertime" that again drew praise from the judges; Simon Cowell
remarked that she was the best contestant to ever compete in any competition, including the more than seventy Idol champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show began its first global incarnations. On the finale, over 65 million votes were cast in order to determine the winner on May 26, 2004, up from 24 million in 2003. It was the highest finale vote in the show's history until the May 23, 2007 season-six
finale. Barrino defeated runner-up Diana DeGarmo
by 1.3 million votes. At age 19, she was the youngest American Idol winner until May 23, 2007, when the 17-year-old Jordin Sparks
won the title.
Barrino participated in the U.S. tour with the other American Idol finalists and appeared in the 2004 Christmas special, Kelly, Ruben and Fantasia: Home For the Holidays as well.
Barrino's brother auditioned for the eighth season of American idol but failed to make it to the Hollywood round.
Barrino is one of only three winners, the others being Ruben Studdard
, and most recently, Kris Allen
, to have landed in the bottom three or two, which she did twice, making her the only winner of the series who landed in the bottom group on more than one occasion.
with 19 Entertainment and began work on her debut album. In June 2004, she released her debut single, "I Believe
", which later debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
. This number-one debut made Fantasia the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. On the sales chart, the single spent eleven consecutive weeks at number one, giving it the longest consecutive stay on top of that chart for an American Idol contestant. The CD single
, "I Believe", went on to become the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S., and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA
. Barrino also won three Billboard Music Award
s for the single.
Fantasia released her debut studio album, Free Yourself
, in November 2004. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200
, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. To date, it has sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified Platinum in the U.S. The singles "Truth Is
" and "Free Yourself
" became R&B hits, reaching number two and number three respectively on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
, while the controversial "Baby Mama" - which critics accused of romanticizing single motherhood - reached the top twenty. Barrino did even better on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay, where she was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously hold the top two spots of the top three, and "Truth Is" spent fourteen weeks at the number one position. Barrino was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for 2005 according to the December 13, 2005 issue of Billboard
magazine.
Through the spring and winter of 2005, Fantasia made many television appearances to promote her album. She played Aretha Franklin
in an episode of the series American Dreams
, singing "Respect", guest voiced on The Simpsons
episode "A Star Is Torn
", and guest starred as herself in a cameo role on the sitcom All of Us
. She appeared three times as a musical guest on The Tonight Show
with Jay Leno
. On March 25, 2005, Fantasia performed at the thirty-sixth NAACP Image Awards in honor of Illinois
Senator Barack Obama
after winning the award for Outstanding Female Artist. In May 2005, Fantasia went on her first tour with her own live band, with soul singers Kem
and Rashaan Patterson. She also appeared as a headliner at several music festivals including the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival
and the Reggae Sumfest
in Jamaica
. In October 2005, she received good notices as an opening act for Kanye West
's Touch the Sky Tour.
s for her debut album. Though she did not win any awards, she performed at the 48th annual telecast with several artists including Aerosmith
, Joss Stone
, John Legend
, Maroon 5
, and Ciara
in an all-star tribute to Sly and the Family Stone during the Grammy Award show.
In August 2006, Fantasia played herself in a Lifetime Television
film based on her autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. The film was directed by Debbie Allen
and debuted on the women’s cable network on August 19, 2006. The movie received nineteen million viewers throughout its debut weekend. Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story
has also become Lifetime's second most viewed program of all time.
Fantasia had many musical collaborations during the fall of 2006 including a remake of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which featured Faith Evans
, Lil' Mo
, and Coko
of SWV
, a remake of Stevie Wonder
's 1976 song "I Wish
" with Patti LaBelle
and Yolanda Adams
for the soundtrack
to the 2006 computer-animated film Happy Feet
, and most notably her duet with Aretha Franklin which was recorded at that time and later released in 2007.
She released her self-titled second effort, Fantasia, on December 12, 2006. The album involved production by Missy Elliott
, Swizz Beatz
, Babyface, Diane Warren
, and others, and has since spawned the singles "Hood Boy
" produced by Tone Mason
, "When I See U
", and "Only One U
" and went on to be certified gold.
"When I See You" became her first single to top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, remaining at the number one spot for eight consecutive weeks. The single stayed on the chart for over a year and was named #8 on the Billboard Best of The 2000s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
In February 2007, Fantasia appeared and performed on American Idol, and announced that she would be starring in the lead role of Celie in the Broadway
musical The Color Purple
, the hit musical based on the Pulitzer Prize
-winning 1982 novel of the same name
by Alice Walker
. After appearing on American Idol and The Oprah Winfrey Show
, the musical received a boost of over two million in pre-ticket sales in one week. Leading up to her first performance on April 10, 2007 the play garnered a total of 6.5 million in pre-ticket sales.
While playing the role, Fantasia earned rave reviews for her performance. New York Post
critic Clive Barnes
said, "... there is some elemental quality to Fantasia that is either greatness or something close to it." Upon her warm welcome to the stage Fantasia was asked to perform at the 2007 Tony Awards
in a tribute to Atlanta's Alliance Theater in which The Color Purple got its start. In recognition of an outstanding stage debut performance, Fantasia was given the Theatre World Award
and the Best Replacement Star Broadway.com Award. Fantasia was initially scheduled for a limited six-month engagement ending in October 2007 but had her run extended until January 6, 2008. The Color Purple box office saw a thirty-four-million-dollar jump in sales since Barrino started in the show, a third of the play's 100 million dollar earning since its debut in 2005. The New York Post reported that Barrino missed nearly fifty performances in the show, causing the producers to give back tens of thousands of dollars in refunds. In the September 2008 issue of Sister 2 Sister
magazine, Barrino revealed that the reason for her absences in The Color Purple was because of the development of a cyst on her vocal cords
. She was ordered to immediately undergo surgery which later revealed that she in fact had a tumor on her vocal cords. She now reports that after a successful surgery, the tumor was completely removed and she is now well.
, and Midi Mafia
, who produced one of her biggest hits, "When I See U".
Midi Mafia produced the majority of Fantasia's third studio album. Also, hip hop
duo Rock City were confirmed to be writing for the new project. At the time, they had recorded four songs together. She also worked with songwriter/producer Rich King (Brandy "1st and love", Randy Jackson Music club vol.1, John Legend's "Quickly"), which spawned two songs with for her third release. KP, Eric Hudson and Raphael Saadiq are a few people that also became involved on the project. Fantasia confirmed that about 75% of the album was complete by mid-2009, and that fans should've expected a new single by the fall of 2009, with the album due to be released in early 2010. This was later delayed, and while recording her new album, Fantasia decided to do a great deal of it the "old fashioned way," inviting a live orchestra to record in the studio with her.
Fantasia was then cast by Oprah Winfrey
as Celie in the film adaptation of The Color Purple musical, which began production after the release of her third album, as Fantasia confirmed to MTV News
on March 5, 2008.
In June 2008, Entertainment Weekly
reported that Fantasia was dropped from 19 Entertainment because of creative differences, however, she will remain with 19 Recordings and J Records. She also revealed that after the release of her third album, she plans to release a gospel album. She performed with her mother, Diane Barrino, in a Thanksgiving special on BET
's Bobby Jones Gospel. Fantasia also appeared on Jennifer Hudson
's self-titled album
, on the song "I'm His Only Woman", which was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award, though it did not win.
Fantasia reprised the role of Celie in the national tour of The Color Purple during its Washington D.C., Chicago
, Atlanta, and Los Angeles
stops.
Fantasia also stars in a reality show produced by World of Wonder. Titled Fantasia for Real
, it premiered on January 11, 2010, on VH1
to rave reviews and ratings. The show's first season ended in July 2010 with its second began on September 19, 2010.
On February 2, 2010, "Even Angels", produced by The Stereotypes
and written by Heather Bright, was never released to radio from Fantasia's third studio album. She performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show
on February 3, 2010. The album's first official single, "Bittersweet
", was released on May 11, 2010 and has gone on to reach number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
chart as well as number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Fantasia's third studio album, Back to Me
, was released on August 24, 2010. Fantasia cited Tina Turner
, Queen
and Aretha Franklin
as influences, and like musicians she admired from their era, she recorded with a live band. The album has been promoted by appearances on Good Morning America
and The Wendy Williams Show
among others. On March 28, 2010, Fantasia also performed "America the Beautiful
" at WWE WrestleMania XXVI. To promote the album, Barrino embarked on her first solo concert tour, Back to Me Tour
in the fall of 2010.
Barrino appeared on Charlie Wilson's album Just Charlie
, on "I Want to Be Your Man."
In the summer of 2010, she appeared as a guest judge alongside Wayne Brady, on episode 11, of RuPaul's Drag Race.
In 2011, Barrino was cast in her first film role, playing gospel
singer Mahalia Jackson
in a biopic based on the 1993 book Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel. It was later reported that the film was fully endorsed by the Mahalia Jackson estate. Fantasia also would receive not only the top salary in the project but a percentage of the box office revenue the film creates. Production is said to begin in October 2011 in New Orleans and Chicago
, and will be released late 2012. It will also premiere at the Cannes Film Festival
. It was however reported later that Fantasia may have lost the film role after she announced her pregnancy in August 2011. Members of Mahalia Jackson’s estate are not happy that Brrino got pregnant by a married man and producers are mad that she did not disclose her pregnancy. Additionally, scheduling conflicts have arisen due to Barrino’s pregnancy, which may force the director to drop from the project. Double Dutch Productions LLC, the production company behind Mahalia!, released a statement, which read it "extends apologies to Fantasia Barrino for the inaccurate, non-factual and disparaging statements of Ms. Barrino’s reputation, character and image."
During an interview with CNN
, Aretha Franklin
has expressed interests in casting Barrino to play her in an upcoming biopic.
On October 7, RCA Music Group
announced it was disbanding J Records
along with Arista Records
and Jive Records
. With the shutdown, Barrino (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on the RCA Records
brand.
. The book became a New York Times best-seller, reaching number seven on the list. In it, she revealed she is functionally illiterate
and was unable to read the text of contracts she signed or to read to her then four-year-old daughter. In 2006, following the release of her autobiography, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
, Barrino's father sued her for $10 million after she said unflattering things about him in the book that he claimed were false.
On December 9, 2008, The Charlotte Observer
reported that Barrino's 6600 square feet (613.2 m²), lakefront home in Charlotte
's Glynmoor Lakes at Piper Glen
community was in foreclosure
and would be up for auction
. Her 4500 square feet (418.1 m²) home, also in Piper Glen, is unaffected. On January 8, 2010, an agreement was reached to not auction Barrino's home.
Her uncles, The Barrino Brothers
, were a 1970s R&B band.
An August 2010 divorce
filing in Mecklenburg County
District Court alleges that Barrino has had a year-long relationship with Antwaun Cook, who was married. Barrino claimed the two began dating after Cook and his wife separated.
On August 9, 2010, Barrino was hospitalized in Pineville, North Carolina
, due to overdosing on aspirin
and an unknown sleep aid. Dickens said, "'Her injuries are not life threatening … she was dehydrated and exhausted at the time." The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
classified the incident as a suicide attempt
. In transcript segments released the day before an August 24, 2010, interview on the VH1
series Behind the Music
, Barrino confirmed the incident was a suicide attempt, saying, "I didn't care about anything. I just wanted out. At that moment I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with...." Barrino denied rumors that the incident was a publicity stunt.
Afterward, Barrino said, "Music saved me. When I went in the hospital, I went into the computer room, and I looked up artists who've been through things, artists who sing from their soul. I took my cues from them, and I just put my mind and everything into music." She also relied on her family, something she had not done earlier in her career. Barrino testified in court that she aborted her and Cook's fetus around the time of her failed suicide attempt.
In late August 2010, the ex-wife of Antwuan Cook, Paula Cook, accused Barrino of knowingly pursuing a relationship with her husband despite knowledge of their existing marriage. In December 2010, a North Carolina judge ruled in Barrino's favor stating the Cooks' separation date was September 14, 2009, and not June 2010 as Paula previously claimed. No information was given yet as to how the decision of the court will affect Paula's original plan to sue Fantasia under North Carolina's Alienation of affections
Law which allows the abandoned spouse to file a suit against the individual(s) responsible for the failure of the marriage.
On August 1, 2011, Barrino announced a second pregnancy during a charity concert event in Jacksonville, Florida. She did not reveal the name of the father. On September 13, 2011 it was confirmed that the singer would be having a boy. She is expected to deliver the baby in later December or early January 2012.
Theatre
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
singer, Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season
American Idol (Season 3)
The third season of American Idol premiered on Monday, January 19, 2004 and continued until May 26, 2004. The third season was won by Fantasia Barrino, who defeated Diana DeGarmo by an approximate margin of 2% ; the vote total was the highest recorded vote total in the show's history until the...
of the reality television series American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe
I Believe (Fantasia song)
"I Believe" is the debut single released by singer and American Idol season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino. The song significantly helped Fantasia rise to fame. The song was co-written by former American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray.-History:...
", which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. Subsequently, she released her debut album, Free Yourself
Free Yourself
Free Yourself is the debut album by American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, which was released on November 23, 2004. The album was a great success for Barrino, selling over 240,000 units in its first week, and reaching number eight on the United States Billboard 200 chart...
, which went on to be certified Platinum
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA and garnered Barrino three Grammy nominations in 2006.
In 2006, she released her second album, Fantasia, which featured the single "When I See U
When I See U
"When I See U" is a Grammy-nominated R&B song recorded by Fantasia, written by Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Kevin Risto, Waynne Nugent, Janet Sewell and Erika Nuri, and produced by Midi Mafia and Mzmeriq. It is the second single from Fantasia's second album, Fantasia . The song reached #1 on...
" which topped the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart for eight weeks. The album was certified Gold
Music recording sales certification
Music recording sales certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped or sold a certain number of copies, where the threshold quantity varies by type and by nation or territory .Almost all countries follow variations of the RIAA certification categories,...
by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations in 2008. She then played the part of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, for which she won a 2007 Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
. Her third studio album, Back to Me
Back to Me (Fantasia album)
Back to Me is the third studio album by American singer Fantasia Barrino. It was released by J Records on August 24, 2010. The album is her first studio album in four years since 2006's Fantasia. The album's title was suggested to her by comedian Steve Harvey, when Barrino visited his morning radio...
, was released worldwide on August 24, 2010 and features the single "Bittersweet
Bittersweet (Fantasia song)
"Bittersweet" is a song performed by American singer Fantasia from her third studio album, Back to Me. The song was released on May 11, 2010 as the lead single from the album....
," which peaked in the top ten on the R&B chart. The single won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance.
Early life
Fantasia Barrino was born to Diane and Joseph Barrino and raised in High PointHigh Point, North Carolina
High Point is a city located in the Piedmont Triad region of North Carolina. As of 2010 the city had a total population of 104,371, according to the US Census Bureau. High Point is currently the eighth-largest municipality in North Carolina....
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The family traveled and performed in the Carolinas and elsewhere in the American South and recorded the CD Miracles for a local label.
Despite the travels, Barrino attended Andrews High School
T. Wingate Andrews High School
T. Wingate Andrews High School is a public high school in High Point, North Carolina, part of the Guilford County school district. The school has an enrollment of 887 students in grades 9 through 12....
in High Point, North Carolina. Feeling embarrassed and harassed after she was rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
d by a classmate, she dropped out of high school. She became pregnant at 16, and on August 8, 2001, gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari Barrino. Barrino then briefly moved to neighboring Greensboro
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
before trying out for the American Idol
American Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
Auditions in Atlanta.
2004: American Idol
Barrino's audition version of Tina TurnerTina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
's "Proud Mary" made her an early favorite in the competition. Her standout performance during the course of the show was a heartfelt staging of the Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess
Porgy and Bess is an opera, first performed in 1935, with music by George Gershwin, libretto by DuBose Heyward, and lyrics by Ira Gershwin and DuBose Heyward. It was based on DuBose Heyward's novel Porgy and subsequent play of the same title, which he co-wrote with his wife Dorothy Heyward...
standard "Summertime
Summertime (song)
"Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP....
" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges - Randy Jackson has called it the best performance in the show's history - and was named amongst the AOL's 2004 list of greatest television moments.
For the final performance of the season, Barrino offered a second performance of "Summertime" that again drew praise from the judges; Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
remarked that she was the best contestant to ever compete in any competition, including the more than seventy Idol champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show began its first global incarnations. On the finale, over 65 million votes were cast in order to determine the winner on May 26, 2004, up from 24 million in 2003. It was the highest finale vote in the show's history until the May 23, 2007 season-six
American Idol (Season 6)
The sixth season of American Idol premiered on the Fox Broadcasting Company as a two-night, four-hour premiere special on January 16 and January 17, and ran until May 23, 2007. Simon Cowell, Paula Abdul, and Randy Jackson returned to judge once again, and Ryan Seacrest returned as host...
finale. Barrino defeated runner-up Diana DeGarmo
Diana DeGarmo
Diana Nicole DeGarmo is an American singer and Broadway actress. She finished as the runner-up on the third season of the reality/talent-search television series American Idol, narrowly missing the win by about 2% out of over 65 million votes...
by 1.3 million votes. At age 19, she was the youngest American Idol winner until May 23, 2007, when the 17-year-old Jordin Sparks
Jordin Sparks
Jordin Brianna Sparks is an American pop / R&B singer-songwriter and actress. She hails from Glendale, Arizona who rose to fame as the winner of the sixth season of American Idol. Sparks won when she was 17 years old, making her the youngest winner in Idol history...
won the title.
Barrino participated in the U.S. tour with the other American Idol finalists and appeared in the 2004 Christmas special, Kelly, Ruben and Fantasia: Home For the Holidays as well.
Barrino's brother auditioned for the eighth season of American idol but failed to make it to the Hollywood round.
Barrino is one of only three winners, the others being Ruben Studdard
Ruben Studdard
Christopher Theodore Ruben Studdard , best known as Ruben Studdard, is an American R&B, pop, and gospel singer. He rose to fame as winner of the second season of American Idol...
, and most recently, Kris Allen
Kris Allen
Kristopher Neil "Kris" Allen is an American musician and singer-songwriter from Conway, Arkansas, and the winner of the eighth season of American Idol...
, to have landed in the bottom three or two, which she did twice, making her the only winner of the series who landed in the bottom group on more than one occasion.
Performances
| Week | Theme | Song | Artist | Order Sung | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semifinals | Semifinal Group 1 | "Something to Talk About" | Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Raitt Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially... |
8 | Advanced |
| Top 12 | Soul music Soul music Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of... Week |
"Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" is a soul single by American musician Stevie Wonder, recorded for Motown's Tamla label. Released in June 1970, the song spent six weeks at number one on the U.S. R&B chart and peaked at number three on the U.S. Pop chart... |
Stevie Wonder Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist... |
6 | Safe |
| Top 11 | Country music Country music Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music... Week |
"Always on My Mind Always on My Mind "Always on My Mind" is an American country music song by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson, originally recorded by Brenda Lee in 1972.Allmusic lists over 300 recorded releases of the song in versions by dozens of performers... " |
Willie Nelson Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized... |
3 | Safe |
| Top 10 | Motown Motown Records Motown is a record label originally founded by Berry Gordy, Jr. and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation in Detroit, Michigan, United States, on April 14, 1960. The name, a portmanteau of motor and town, is also a nickname for Detroit... Week |
"I Heard It Through the Grapevine I Heard It through the Grapevine "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" is a landmark song in the history of Motown. Written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1966, the single was first recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles... " |
Marvin Gaye Marvin Gaye Marvin Pentz Gay, Jr. , better known by his stage name Marvin Gaye, was an American singer-songwriter and musician with a three-octave vocal range.... |
9 | Safe |
| Top 9 | Elton John Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor... |
"Something About the Way You Look Tonight Something About the Way You Look Tonight "Something About the Way You Look Tonight" is a song by Elton John, released in 1997 as the first single from The Big Picture. The song and its video were dedicated to the memory of Gianni Versace, murdered that year.... " |
Elton John | 1 | Safe |
| Top 8 | Cinema Soundtrack A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the... |
"Summertime Summertime (song) "Summertime" is an aria composed by George Gershwin for the 1935 opera Porgy and Bess. The lyrics are by DuBose Heyward, the author of the novel Porgy on which the opera was based, although the song is also co-credited to Ira Gershwin by ASCAP.... " |
Abbie Mitchell Abbie Mitchell Abriea "Abbie" Mitchell , also billed as Abbey Mitchell, was an American soprano opera singer who sang the role of "Clara" in the premier production of George Gershwin's Porgy and Bess in 1935.... |
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| Top 7 | Barry Manilow Barry Manilow Barry Manilow is an American singer-songwriter, musician, arranger, producer, conductor, and performer, best known for such recordings as "Could It Be Magic", "Mandy", "Can't Smile Without You", and "Copacabana ."... |
"It's a Miracle It's a Miracle (Barry Manilow song) "It's a Miracle" is a 1975 single by Barry Manilow and was the second release from his album, Barry Manilow II. "It's a Miracle" went to number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Manilow's second number one in a row on the Easy Listening chart, spending one week at number one in April 1975.... " |
Barry Manilow | 7 | Bottom 2 |
| Top 6 | Gloria Estefan Gloria Estefan Gloria María Milagrosa Fajardo García de Estefan; known professionally as Gloria Estefan is a Cuban-born American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known as the "Queen Of Latin Pop", she is in the top 100 best selling music artists with over 100 million albums sold worldwide, 31.5 million of those... |
"Get on Your Feet Get on Your Feet "Get On Your Feet" is a single by Gloria Estefan. It was released in 1989 in U.S., Japan and UK and in 1990 in Europe as the second single from the album Cuts Both Ways.... " |
Gloria Estefan | 1 | Safe |
| Top 5 | Big Band | "Crazy Little Thing Called Love Crazy Little Thing Called Love "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" is a song by the rock band Queen. Written by Freddie Mercury in 1979, the track featured on their 1980 album The Game, and also appears on the band's compilation album, Greatest Hits... " "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life? "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" is a song with lyrics written by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman and original music written by Michel Legrand for the 1969 film The Happy Ending in which Bill Eaton sings it under the opening credits... " |
Queen Queen (band) Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor... Barbra Streisand Barbra Streisand Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,... |
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Safe |
| Top 4 | Disco | "Knock on Wood Knock on Wood (song) "Knock on Wood" is a hit 1966 song written by Eddie Floyd and Steve Cropper and originally performed by Eddie Floyd. The Eddie Floyd version peaked at number twenty-eight on the Hot 100, and spent one week at number one on the soul singles.... " "Holding Out for a Hero Holding Out for a Hero "Holding Out for a Hero" is a song written by Jim Steinman and Dean Pitchford, originally recorded by Bonnie Tyler. It was released in 1984 on the soundtrack to the film Footloose. It later appeared on Tyler's Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire album. It hit #96 for the first time in UK in 1984,... " |
Eddie Floyd Eddie Floyd Eddie Lee Floyd is an American soul/R&B singer and songwriter, best known for his work on the Stax record label in the 1960s and 1970s and the song "Knock on Wood".-Biography:... Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler Bonnie Tyler is a Welsh singer, most notable for her hits in the 1970s and 1980s including "It's a Heartache", "Holding Out for a Hero" and "Total Eclipse of the Heart".-Early life:... |
3 7 |
Bottom 2 |
| Top 3 | Idol's Choice Judges' Choice Clive Davis Clive Davis Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975... 's Choice |
"Chain of Fools Chain of Fools (song) "Chain of Fools" is a song written by Don Covay. Aretha Franklin first released the song as a single in 1967 and subsequently it appeared on many of her albums. It reached number one on the U.S... " "A Fool in Love A Fool in Love " A Fool in Love" is a soul single released as the debuting single for Ike & Tina Turner, released in 1960 on the Sue Records label.-Production history:... " "Greatest Love of All Greatest Love of All "The Greatest Love of All" is a song written by Michael Masser and Linda Creed and originally recorded by George Benson for the 1977 Muhammad Ali biopic The Greatest. The song was later popularized by Whitney Houston. Creed wrote the lyrics in the midst of her struggle with breast cancer... " |
Aretha Franklin Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All... Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American rock & roll and soul duo, made of the husband-and-wife team of Ike Turner and Tina Turner in the 1960s and 1970s. Spanning sixteen years together as a recording group, the duo's repertoire included rock & roll, soul, blues and funk... George Benson George Benson George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist.... |
2 4 6 |
Safe |
| Finale | Contestant's Choice | "All My Life All My Life (K-Ci and JoJo song) "All My Life" is a song recorded by American R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo. The track was produced and written by Joel "JoJo" Hailey and Rory Bennett for K-Ci & JoJo's debut studio album, Love Always . The song was released physically as from January 6, 1998 as the third single from the album through MCA... " "Summertime" "I Believe I Believe (Fantasia song) "I Believe" is the debut single released by singer and American Idol season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino. The song significantly helped Fantasia rise to fame. The song was co-written by former American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray.-History:... " |
K-Ci and Jo-Jo Abbie Mitchell Fantasia (Idol Single) |
2 4 6 |
Winner |
2004–2005: Free Yourself
After winning American Idol, Fantasia signed to J RecordsJ Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
with 19 Entertainment and began work on her debut album. In June 2004, she released her debut single, "I Believe
I Believe (Fantasia song)
"I Believe" is the debut single released by singer and American Idol season 3 winner, Fantasia Barrino. The song significantly helped Fantasia rise to fame. The song was co-written by former American Idol contestant Tamyra Gray.-History:...
", which later debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. This number-one debut made Fantasia the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. On the sales chart, the single spent eleven consecutive weeks at number one, giving it the longest consecutive stay on top of that chart for an American Idol contestant. The CD single
CD single
A CD single is a music single in the form of a standard size Compact Disc, not to be confused with the 3-inch CD single, which uses a smaller form factor. The format was introduced in the mid-1980s, but did not gain its place in the market until the early 1990s...
, "I Believe", went on to become the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S., and has since been certified double platinum by the CRIA
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
. Barrino also won three Billboard Music Award
Billboard Music Award
The Billboard Music Award is an honor given by Billboard magazine, the preeminent publication covering the music business. The Billboard Music Awards show had been held annually in December until it went dormant in 2007, but it returned in May 2011...
s for the single.
Fantasia released her debut studio album, Free Yourself
Free Yourself
Free Yourself is the debut album by American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, which was released on November 23, 2004. The album was a great success for Barrino, selling over 240,000 units in its first week, and reaching number eight on the United States Billboard 200 chart...
, in November 2004. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. To date, it has sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified Platinum in the U.S. The singles "Truth Is
Truth Is
"Truth Is" was the second single single released by Fantasia from her debut album, Free Yourself. The song peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 and had great success on the U.S. R&B 100 chart, peaking at No. 2 and setting a record for the longest stay at No. 1 for a female artist on the...
" and "Free Yourself
Free Yourself (song)
"Free Yourself" was the fourth single and is the title track of Fantasia's debut album Free Yourself. The song peaked at #41 on The Billboard Hot 100 and like "Truth Is" was a major success on the R&B charts. The single reached number three on the US R&B/Hip Hop chart, and peaked at number one on...
" became R&B hits, reaching number two and number three respectively on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
, while the controversial "Baby Mama" - which critics accused of romanticizing single motherhood - reached the top twenty. Barrino did even better on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay, where she was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously hold the top two spots of the top three, and "Truth Is" spent fourteen weeks at the number one position. Barrino was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for 2005 according to the December 13, 2005 issue of Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine.
Through the spring and winter of 2005, Fantasia made many television appearances to promote her album. She played Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
in an episode of the series American Dreams
American Dreams
American Dreams is an American television comedy-drama program broadcast on the NBC television network, produced by Once A Frog and Dick Clark Productions in association with Universal Network Television and NBC Studios...
, singing "Respect", guest voiced on The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
episode "A Star Is Torn
A Star Is Torn
"A Star Is Torn" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons sixteenth season. The episode first aired on May 8, 2005. Fantasia Barrino guest stars as Clarissa Wellington.-Plot:...
", and guest starred as herself in a cameo role on the sitcom All of Us
All of Us
All of Us is an American sitcom that premiered on the now-defunct UPN network in the United States on September 16, 2003, where it aired for its first three seasons. October 1, 2006, the show moved to The CW, a new network formed by the merger of UPN and The WB All of Us is an American sitcom that...
. She appeared three times as a musical guest on The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show
The Tonight Show is an American late-night talk show that has aired on NBC since 1954. It is the longest currently running regularly scheduled entertainment program in the United States, and the third longest-running show on NBC, after Meet the Press and Today.The Tonight Show has been hosted by...
with Jay Leno
Jay Leno
James Douglas Muir "Jay" Leno is an American stand-up comedian and television host.From 1992 to 2009, Leno was the host of NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Beginning in September 2009, Leno started a primetime talk show, titled The Jay Leno Show, which aired weeknights at 10:00 p.m. ,...
. On March 25, 2005, Fantasia performed at the thirty-sixth NAACP Image Awards in honor of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
Senator Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
after winning the award for Outstanding Female Artist. In May 2005, Fantasia went on her first tour with her own live band, with soul singers Kem
Kem (singer)
KEM Owens , professionally known as "'KEM'", is an American R&B/soul singer, songwriter, and producer...
and Rashaan Patterson. She also appeared as a headliner at several music festivals including the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival
Saint Lucia Jazz Festival
The St. Lucia Jazz Festival is an annual internationally-known event which takes place on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. The event brings together international as well as local musicians...
and the Reggae Sumfest
Reggae Sumfest
Reggae Sumfest is the largest concert festival in Jamaica, taking place each year in mid-July in Montego Bay. Sumfest, started in 1993, is officially sponsored by Red Stripe....
in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. In October 2005, she received good notices as an opening act for Kanye West
Kanye West
Kanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
's Touch the Sky Tour.
2006–2007: Fantasia and The Color Purple on Broadway
In 2006, Barrino was nominated for three Grammy AwardGrammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s for her debut album. Though she did not win any awards, she performed at the 48th annual telecast with several artists including Aerosmith
Aerosmith
Aerosmith is an American rock band, sometimes referred to as "The Bad Boys from Boston" and "America's Greatest Rock and Roll Band". Their style, which is rooted in blues-based hard rock, has come to also incorporate elements of pop, heavy metal, and rhythm and blues, and has inspired many...
, Joss Stone
Joss Stone
Jocelyn Eve Stoker , better known by her stage name Joss Stone, is an English soul singer-songwriter and actress. Stone rose to fame in late 2003 with her multi-platinum debut album, The Soul Sessions, which made the 2004 Mercury Prize shortlist...
, John Legend
John Legend
John Roger Stephens , better known by his stage name John Legend, is an American singer, musician, and actor. He is the recipient of nine Grammy Awards, and in 2007, he received the special Starlight award from the Songwriters Hall of Fame.Prior to the release of his debut album, Stephens' career...
, Maroon 5
Maroon 5
Maroon 5 is an American pop rock band from Los Angeles, California. While they were in high school, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Adam Levine, keyboardist Jesse Carmichael, bass guitarist Mickey Madden, and drummer Ryan Dusick formed a garage band called Kara's Flowers and released one album...
, and Ciara
Ciara
Ciara Princess Harris , known mononymously as Ciara, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress and fashion model. Born in Austin, Texas, she traveled around the world during her childhood, only to land in Atlanta, Georgia where she met music producer, Jazze Pha...
in an all-star tribute to Sly and the Family Stone during the Grammy Award show.
In August 2006, Fantasia played herself in a Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television
Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks...
film based on her autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. The film was directed by Debbie Allen
Debbie Allen
Deborrah Kaye “Debbie” Allen is an American actress, dancer, choreographer, television director, television producer, and a member of the President's Committee on the Arts and Humanities...
and debuted on the women’s cable network on August 19, 2006. The movie received nineteen million viewers throughout its debut weekend. Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story
Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
Life Is Not a Fairy Tale is a book describing the life of American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino, and her rise to national prominence...
has also become Lifetime's second most viewed program of all time.
Fantasia had many musical collaborations during the fall of 2006 including a remake of The Clark Sisters' "Endow Me" which featured Faith Evans
Faith Evans
Faith Renée Evans is an American singer-songwriter, recording artist, record producer, actress and author. Born in Florida and raised in New Jersey, Evans relocated to Los Angeles during 1993 for a career with the music business. After working as a backing vocalist for Al B...
, Lil' Mo
Lil' Mo
Cynthia Loving , also known by her stage name Lil' Mo, is an American R&B singer, Washington, D.C. radio personality, songwriter & record producer. She is best known for collaborating with artists such as Ja Rule, Angie Martinez, Sacario, Missy Elliott, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Fabolous, and for her...
, and Coko
Coko
Cheryl Elizabeth "Coko" Clemons is an American gospel and R&B singer, and lead singer of R&B group Sisters With Voices .-Musical career:...
of SWV
SWV
Sisters with Voices, better known as SWV, is an American female R&B trio from New York. Formed in 1990 as a gospel group, SWV became one of the most successful R&B groups of the 1990s. They had a series of hits, including "Weak", "Right Here/Human Nature", "I'm So Into You", and "You're the One"....
, a remake of Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder
Stevland Hardaway Morris , better known by his stage name Stevie Wonder, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, record producer and activist...
's 1976 song "I Wish
I Wish (Stevie Wonder song)
"I Wish" is a hit song by Stevie Wonder. It was released in 1976 as a single and included on the album Songs in the Key of Life. Written and produced by Wonder, the song focuses on his childhood...
" with Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle
Patricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
and Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams
Yolanda Adams is an American Grammy- and Dove-award-winning Yolanda Adams is an American [[Grammy Awards|Grammy]]- and [[Dove Awards|Dove]]-award-winning...
for the soundtrack
Happy Feet: Music from the Motion Picture
Happy Feet is the lyrical soundtrack album from the 2006 animated film, Happy Feet. As of March 2007, the OST has sold over 272,627 copies in the US.-Track listings:# "Song of the Heart"#:Written and performed by Prince...
to the 2006 computer-animated film Happy Feet
Happy Feet
Happy Feet is a 2006 American-Australian computer-animated family film with music, directed and co-written by George Miller. It was produced at Sydney-based visual effects and animation studio Animal Logic for Warner Bros., Village Roadshow Pictures and Kingdom Feature Productions and was released...
, and most notably her duet with Aretha Franklin which was recorded at that time and later released in 2007.
She released her self-titled second effort, Fantasia, on December 12, 2006. The album involved production by Missy Elliott
Missy Elliott
Melissa Arnette "Missy" Elliott , is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actressA five-time Grammy Award winner, Elliott, with record sales of over seven million in the United States, is the only female rapper to have five albums certified platinum by the RIAA, including one...
, Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
, Babyface, Diane Warren
Diane Warren
Diane Eve Warren , is a US songwriter. Her songs have received six Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, including one win and seven Grammy Award nominations, including one win. She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2001...
, and others, and has since spawned the singles "Hood Boy
Hood Boy
"Hood Boy" is the first single from Fantasia Barrino's second album, Fantasia . Produced by Tone Mason, it features a guest appearance from Big Boi from OutKast and has peaked at #21 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at #3 .The song was written by R&B singer...
" produced by Tone Mason
Tone Mason
Tone Mason is a Grammy-nominated Canadian hip-hop and R&B production team from Toronto, Ontario. The group is composed of Aloysius Brown, Don D., and Mellenius...
, "When I See U
When I See U
"When I See U" is a Grammy-nominated R&B song recorded by Fantasia, written by Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Kevin Risto, Waynne Nugent, Janet Sewell and Erika Nuri, and produced by Midi Mafia and Mzmeriq. It is the second single from Fantasia's second album, Fantasia . The song reached #1 on...
", and "Only One U
Only One U
"Only One U" is the third and final single off R&B singer Fantasia’s second album, Fantasia . The single entered the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs at number seventy-six, just one week after its release. The song peaked at number thirty-six on the same chart. A music video for the song was never...
" and went on to be certified gold.
"When I See You" became her first single to top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, remaining at the number one spot for eight consecutive weeks. The single stayed on the chart for over a year and was named #8 on the Billboard Best of The 2000s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
In February 2007, Fantasia appeared and performed on American Idol, and announced that she would be starring in the lead role of Celie in the Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
musical The Color Purple
The Color Purple (musical)
The Color Purple is a Broadway musical based upon the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It features music and lyrics written by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, with a book by Marsha Norman. It ran on Broadway in 2005 and has been touring throughout the US...
, the hit musical based on the Pulitzer Prize
Pulitzer Prize
The Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
-winning 1982 novel of the same name
The Color Purple
The Color Purple is an acclaimed 1982 epistolary novel by American author Alice Walker. It received the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction...
by Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Alice Malsenior Walker is an American author, poet, and activist. She has written both fiction and essays about race and gender...
. After appearing on American Idol and The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
, the musical received a boost of over two million in pre-ticket sales in one week. Leading up to her first performance on April 10, 2007 the play garnered a total of 6.5 million in pre-ticket sales.
While playing the role, Fantasia earned rave reviews for her performance. New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
critic Clive Barnes
Clive Barnes (critic)
Clive Alexander Barnes, CBE was a British-born American writer and critic. From 1965 to 1977 he was the dance and theater critic for the New York Times, the most powerful position he had held, since its theater critics' reviews historically have had great influence on the success or failure of...
said, "... there is some elemental quality to Fantasia that is either greatness or something close to it." Upon her warm welcome to the stage Fantasia was asked to perform at the 2007 Tony Awards
61st Tony Awards
The 61st Annual Tony Awards were held on June 10, 2007 at Radio City Music Hall, with CBS television broadcasting the ceremony live. As at the 2006 Tony awards, there was no host and the show was emceed by the presenters...
in a tribute to Atlanta's Alliance Theater in which The Color Purple got its start. In recognition of an outstanding stage debut performance, Fantasia was given the Theatre World Award
Theatre World Award
The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:...
and the Best Replacement Star Broadway.com Award. Fantasia was initially scheduled for a limited six-month engagement ending in October 2007 but had her run extended until January 6, 2008. The Color Purple box office saw a thirty-four-million-dollar jump in sales since Barrino started in the show, a third of the play's 100 million dollar earning since its debut in 2005. The New York Post reported that Barrino missed nearly fifty performances in the show, causing the producers to give back tens of thousands of dollars in refunds. In the September 2008 issue of Sister 2 Sister
Sister 2 Sister
Sister 2 Sister is a US four-color magazine that is published monthly devoted to the world of African-American entertainment. Jamie Foster Brown is the publisher....
magazine, Barrino revealed that the reason for her absences in The Color Purple was because of the development of a cyst on her vocal cords
Vocal folds
The vocal folds, also known commonly as vocal cords, are composed of twin infoldings of mucous membrane stretched horizontally across the larynx...
. She was ordered to immediately undergo surgery which later revealed that she in fact had a tumor on her vocal cords. She now reports that after a successful surgery, the tumor was completely removed and she is now well.
2008–2010: Back to Me and Fantasia for Real
Fantasia received two Grammy nominations for her sophomore release, Fantasia and subsequently began work on her third studio album in 2008. She stated on the red carpet of the 2008 Grammy Awards that the style of the new album would be a blending of the avenues she has touched musically, which include American Idol and Broadway. She also revealed that she would be writing some of the album's songs and would collaborate again with Missy Elliott, The UnderdogsThe Underdogs (duo)
The Underdogs is an R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.-Biography:Harvey Mason, Jr. is the son of Harvey Mason, Sr., a noted session drummer...
, and Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia
Midi Mafia is a hip hop/R&B production duo consisting of American Bruce Waynne from Brooklyn, New York and Canadian Dirty Swift from Ottawa, Ontario...
, who produced one of her biggest hits, "When I See U".
Midi Mafia produced the majority of Fantasia's third studio album. Also, hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
duo Rock City were confirmed to be writing for the new project. At the time, they had recorded four songs together. She also worked with songwriter/producer Rich King (Brandy "1st and love", Randy Jackson Music club vol.1, John Legend's "Quickly"), which spawned two songs with for her third release. KP, Eric Hudson and Raphael Saadiq are a few people that also became involved on the project. Fantasia confirmed that about 75% of the album was complete by mid-2009, and that fans should've expected a new single by the fall of 2009, with the album due to be released in early 2010. This was later delayed, and while recording her new album, Fantasia decided to do a great deal of it the "old fashioned way," inviting a live orchestra to record in the studio with her.
Fantasia was then cast by Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
as Celie in the film adaptation of The Color Purple musical, which began production after the release of her third album, as Fantasia confirmed to MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
on March 5, 2008.
In June 2008, Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
reported that Fantasia was dropped from 19 Entertainment because of creative differences, however, she will remain with 19 Recordings and J Records. She also revealed that after the release of her third album, she plans to release a gospel album. She performed with her mother, Diane Barrino, in a Thanksgiving special on BET
Black Entertainment Television
Black Entertainment Television is an American, Viacom-owned cable network based in Washington, D.C.. Currently viewed in more than 90 million homes worldwide, it is the most prominent television network targeting young Black-American audiences. The network was launched on January 25, 1980, by its...
's Bobby Jones Gospel. Fantasia also appeared on Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
's self-titled album
Jennifer Hudson (album)
Upon its release, Jennifer Hudson received mixed reviews from music critics. Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe said that, "Despite its flaws, Hudson's debut comes on much like her Dreamgirls character, with admirable self-assurance and real-girl sensuality." Chris Willman of Entertainment Weekly...
, on the song "I'm His Only Woman", which was nominated for a 2009 Grammy Award, though it did not win.
Fantasia reprised the role of Celie in the national tour of The Color Purple during its Washington D.C., Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Atlanta, and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
stops.
Fantasia also stars in a reality show produced by World of Wonder. Titled Fantasia for Real
Fantasia for Real
Fantasia for Real is a reality show on VH1 which premiered on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 10:00 pm . The reality television show is about former American Idol season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino and her struggle to regain control of both her career and personal life.-Cast:*Fantasia Barrino*Brian...
, it premiered on January 11, 2010, on VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
to rave reviews and ratings. The show's first season ended in July 2010 with its second began on September 19, 2010.
On February 2, 2010, "Even Angels", produced by The Stereotypes
Stereotypes (producers)
Stereotypes are a R&B/hip hop/dance production team created in 2003, composed of Jonathan Yip, Ray Romulus and Jeremy Reeves. They were listed as Top 10 Songwriters and Producers to Watch in the June 5, 2010 Billboard magazine. The first artists on their production company/label is Far*East...
and written by Heather Bright, was never released to radio from Fantasia's third studio album. She performed the song on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
on February 3, 2010. The album's first official single, "Bittersweet
Bittersweet (Fantasia song)
"Bittersweet" is a song performed by American singer Fantasia from her third studio album, Back to Me. The song was released on May 11, 2010 as the lead single from the album....
", was released on May 11, 2010 and has gone on to reach number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart as well as number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100.
Fantasia's third studio album, Back to Me
Back to Me (Fantasia album)
Back to Me is the third studio album by American singer Fantasia Barrino. It was released by J Records on August 24, 2010. The album is her first studio album in four years since 2006's Fantasia. The album's title was suggested to her by comedian Steve Harvey, when Barrino visited his morning radio...
, was released on August 24, 2010. Fantasia cited Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
, Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
and Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
as influences, and like musicians she admired from their era, she recorded with a live band. The album has been promoted by appearances on Good Morning America
Good Morning America
Good Morning America is an American morning news and talk show that is broadcast on the ABC television network; it debuted on November 3, 1975. The weekday program airs for two hours; a third hour aired between 2007 and 2008 exclusively on ABC News Now...
and The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show
The Wendy Williams Show is a syndicated talk show hosted by Wendy Williams that premiered on July 14, 2008, as six-week sneak peek, in Detroit, Dallas, Los Angeles, and New York City. The test run was picked up for a full season that began its run on July 13, 2009 in over 70% of the country in...
among others. On March 28, 2010, Fantasia also performed "America the Beautiful
America the Beautiful
"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....
" at WWE WrestleMania XXVI. To promote the album, Barrino embarked on her first solo concert tour, Back to Me Tour
Back to Me Tour
The Back to Me Tour is the first headlining concert tour by American recording artist, Fantasia Barrino. Primarily visiting North America, the tour will support her third studio album, Back to Me. Previously, Fantasia toured with Kanye West on his "Touch The Sky Tour" in 2005...
in the fall of 2010.
Barrino appeared on Charlie Wilson's album Just Charlie
Just Charlie
-Release history:...
, on "I Want to Be Your Man."
In the summer of 2010, she appeared as a guest judge alongside Wayne Brady, on episode 11, of RuPaul's Drag Race.
2011-present: Grammy Award and film
On February 13, 2011, Fantasia won her first Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Bittersweet".In 2011, Barrino was cast in her first film role, playing gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
singer Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson
Mahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
in a biopic based on the 1993 book Got to Tell It: Mahalia Jackson, Queen of Gospel. It was later reported that the film was fully endorsed by the Mahalia Jackson estate. Fantasia also would receive not only the top salary in the project but a percentage of the box office revenue the film creates. Production is said to begin in October 2011 in New Orleans and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, and will be released late 2012. It will also premiere at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
. It was however reported later that Fantasia may have lost the film role after she announced her pregnancy in August 2011. Members of Mahalia Jackson’s estate are not happy that Brrino got pregnant by a married man and producers are mad that she did not disclose her pregnancy. Additionally, scheduling conflicts have arisen due to Barrino’s pregnancy, which may force the director to drop from the project. Double Dutch Productions LLC, the production company behind Mahalia!, released a statement, which read it "extends apologies to Fantasia Barrino for the inaccurate, non-factual and disparaging statements of Ms. Barrino’s reputation, character and image."
During an interview with CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin
Aretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
has expressed interests in casting Barrino to play her in an upcoming biopic.
On October 7, RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group
RCA Music Group was an umbrella group of labels distributed by Sony Music Entertainment that existed between March 2004 and 2009 and for a short period of time between July 2011 and October 2011 until all RCA Music Group labels were merged with RCA Records....
announced it was disbanding J Records
J Records
J Records was an American record label, owned and operated by Sony Music Entertainment, and was distributed through the RCA Music Group.-Company history:...
along with Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
and Jive Records
Jive Records
Jive Records was a record label based in New York City, operating under RCA Music Group. Jive was primarily known for a string of successes with hip hop artists in the 1980s, and in teen pop and boy bands in the late 1990s. The word "jive" was inspired by Township Jive, a form of South African...
. With the shutdown, Barrino (and all other artists previously signed to these three labels) will release her future material on the RCA Records
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
brand.
Personal life
In September 2005, Barrino published a memoir, dictated to a freelance writer, titled Life Is Not a Fairy TaleLife Is Not a Fairy Tale
Life Is Not a Fairy Tale is a book describing the life of American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino, and her rise to national prominence...
. The book became a New York Times best-seller, reaching number seven on the list. In it, she revealed she is functionally illiterate
Functional illiteracy
Functional illiteracy is a term used to describe reading and writing skills that are inadequate "to manage daily living and employment tasks that require reading skills beyond a basic level." Functional illiteracy is contrasted with illiteracy in the strict sense, meaning the inability to read or...
and was unable to read the text of contracts she signed or to read to her then four-year-old daughter. In 2006, following the release of her autobiography, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
Life Is Not a Fairy Tale is a book describing the life of American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino, and her rise to national prominence...
, Barrino's father sued her for $10 million after she said unflattering things about him in the book that he claimed were false.
On December 9, 2008, The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer
The Charlotte Observer, serving Charlotte, North Carolina and its metro area, is the largest newspaper, in terms of circulation, in North Carolina and South Carolina...
reported that Barrino's 6600 square feet (613.2 m²), lakefront home in Charlotte
Charlotte, North Carolina
Charlotte is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the seat of Mecklenburg County. In 2010, Charlotte's population according to the US Census Bureau was 731,424, making it the 17th largest city in the United States based on population. The Charlotte metropolitan area had a 2009...
's Glynmoor Lakes at Piper Glen
South Charlotte
The Arboretum refers to the general area of Charlotte which surrounds the eponymous mixed-use , apartment community, office complex and medical park which opened in 1989. The shopping center is home to Charlotte's first Wal-Mart store, and the area's name comes from the abundance of trees in the...
community was in foreclosure
Foreclosure
Foreclosure is the legal process by which a mortgage lender , or other lien holder, obtains a termination of a mortgage borrower 's equitable right of redemption, either by court order or by operation of law...
and would be up for auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
. Her 4500 square feet (418.1 m²) home, also in Piper Glen, is unaffected. On January 8, 2010, an agreement was reached to not auction Barrino's home.
Her uncles, The Barrino Brothers
The Barrino Brothers
The Barrino Brothers was a soul music group formed in North Carolina, U.S. in 1973. The group released only one album on the Invictus label in 1973, entitled Livin' High Off the Goodness of Your Love. Despite production by the legendary Motown team Holland-Dozier-Holland, The Barrino Brothers never...
, were a 1970s R&B band.
An August 2010 divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
filing in Mecklenburg County
Mecklenburg County, North Carolina
-Air:The county's primary commercial aviation airport is Charlotte Douglas International Airport in Charlotte.- Intercity rail :With twenty-five freight trains a day, Mecklenburg is a freight railroad transportation center, largely due to its place on the NS main line between Washington and Atlanta...
District Court alleges that Barrino has had a year-long relationship with Antwaun Cook, who was married. Barrino claimed the two began dating after Cook and his wife separated.
On August 9, 2010, Barrino was hospitalized in Pineville, North Carolina
Pineville, North Carolina
Pineville is a suburban town in the southernmost portion of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina situated in the Waxhaws district between Charlotte, North Carolina and Rock Hill, South Carolina....
, due to overdosing on aspirin
Aspirin
Aspirin , also known as acetylsalicylic acid , is a salicylate drug, often used as an analgesic to relieve minor aches and pains, as an antipyretic to reduce fever, and as an anti-inflammatory medication. It was discovered by Arthur Eichengrun, a chemist with the German company Bayer...
and an unknown sleep aid. Dickens said, "'Her injuries are not life threatening … she was dehydrated and exhausted at the time." The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is the police department of the City of Charlotte & Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. With over 1,716 officers and 530 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 713,455.-Organization:...
classified the incident as a suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempt
Failed suicide attempts comprise a large portion of suicide attempts. Some are regarded as not true attempts at all, but rather parasuicide. The usual attempt may be a wish to affect another person by the behaviour. Consequently, it occurs in a social context and may represent a request for help....
. In transcript segments released the day before an August 24, 2010, interview on the VH1
VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
series Behind the Music
Behind the Music
Behind the Music is a television series on VH1. It originally ran from 1997 to 2006, before it was stopped and only aired new episodes sporadically. The series places its generality on documentation of musical artists or groups who are interviewed and profiled, and discuss how their careers became...
, Barrino confirmed the incident was a suicide attempt, saying, "I didn't care about anything. I just wanted out. At that moment I wanted out. I wanted it to be over with...." Barrino denied rumors that the incident was a publicity stunt.
Afterward, Barrino said, "Music saved me. When I went in the hospital, I went into the computer room, and I looked up artists who've been through things, artists who sing from their soul. I took my cues from them, and I just put my mind and everything into music." She also relied on her family, something she had not done earlier in her career. Barrino testified in court that she aborted her and Cook's fetus around the time of her failed suicide attempt.
In late August 2010, the ex-wife of Antwuan Cook, Paula Cook, accused Barrino of knowingly pursuing a relationship with her husband despite knowledge of their existing marriage. In December 2010, a North Carolina judge ruled in Barrino's favor stating the Cooks' separation date was September 14, 2009, and not June 2010 as Paula previously claimed. No information was given yet as to how the decision of the court will affect Paula's original plan to sue Fantasia under North Carolina's Alienation of affections
Alienation of affections
At common law, alienation of affections is a tort action brought by a deserted spouse against a third party alleged to be responsible for the failure of the marriage...
Law which allows the abandoned spouse to file a suit against the individual(s) responsible for the failure of the marriage.
On August 1, 2011, Barrino announced a second pregnancy during a charity concert event in Jacksonville, Florida. She did not reveal the name of the father. On September 13, 2011 it was confirmed that the singer would be having a boy. She is expected to deliver the baby in later December or early January 2012.
Filmography
Films- Life Is Not a Fairy TaleLife Is Not a Fairy TaleLife Is Not a Fairy Tale is a book describing the life of American Idol winner, Fantasia Barrino, and her rise to national prominence...
(2006) as herself - Mahalia! (2012) (as Mahalia JacksonMahalia JacksonMahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
; lead role in the film) - For My Girls: The Clark Sisters (2012) as Denise Clark Bradford
Theatre
- The Color PurpleThe Color Purple (musical)The Color Purple is a Broadway musical based upon the novel The Color Purple by Alice Walker. It features music and lyrics written by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis and Stephen Bray, with a book by Marsha Norman. It ran on Broadway in 2005 and has been touring throughout the US...
(2007) as Celie - Soul Kitten's Cabaret (2010) (Good Conscience)
Television appearances
- American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
(2004) (Contestant/Winner in 2004 and has made numerous musical guest appearances on seasons afterwards) - The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
(2005) She plays Clarissa Wellington in the episode A Star Is TornA Star Is Torn"A Star Is Torn" is the eighteenth episode of The Simpsons sixteenth season. The episode first aired on May 8, 2005. Fantasia Barrino guest stars as Clarissa Wellington.-Plot:...
. - An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha FranklinAretha FranklinAretha Louise Franklin is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Although known for her soul recordings and referred to as The Queen of Soul, Franklin is also adept at jazz, blues, R&B, gospel music, and rock. Rolling Stone magazine ranked her atop its list of The Greatest Singers of All...
(2007)(Herself; tribute performer singing "Rock SteadyRock Steady (Aretha Franklin song)"Rock Steady" is a song written and performed by Aretha Franklin and released in 1971, from the album Young, Gifted and Black. The single reached the #9 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. It also peaked at #2 on the Best Selling Soul Singles chart...
" & "Baby I Love YouBaby I Love You (Aretha Franklin song)"Baby I Love You" is a popular song by R&B singer Aretha Franklin. It was the only single release from her Aretha Arrives album in 1967, the song was a huge hit. It peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart and spent two weeks at number-one on the Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles chart...
") - An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Patti LaBellePatti LaBellePatricia Louise Holte-Edwards , better known under the stage name, Patti LaBelle, is a Grammy Award winning American singer, author and actress who has spent over 50 years in the music industry...
(2009) (Herself; tribute performer singing "Lady MarmaladeLady Marmalade"Lady Marmalade" was also covered by Italian pop star Sabrina. It was released in 1987 as the album's second single by Baby Records. In some countries, including France and the Netherlands, the song was known as "Voulez-vous coucher avec moi? " and was released in 1988.-Track listings:7" maxi#...
" and "Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)Somebody Loves You Baby (You Know Who It Is)"Somebody Loves You Baby " is one of Patti LaBelle's signature songs released as a single in 1991 on the MCA Records label. The song was the second single to be released from LaBelle's acclaimed gold-selling CD, Burnin. The song was co-written by LaBelle's friend and former Philadelphia...
") - Soul Train Awards (2009;Tribute to Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
singing "Tell Me Something GoodTell Me Something Good"Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, released in 1974. It was a big hit peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, though it didn't chart in the United Kingdom. Written by Stevie Wonder, the song is among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The single...
") - Celebration of Gospel (Appeared in numerous years singing)
- Fantasia for RealFantasia for RealFantasia for Real is a reality show on VH1 which premiered on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 10:00 pm . The reality television show is about former American Idol season 3 winner Fantasia Barrino and her struggle to regain control of both her career and personal life.-Cast:*Fantasia Barrino*Brian...
(2010–present) - Wrestlemania 26 (2010) (singing America the BeautifulAmerica the Beautiful"America the Beautiful" is an American patriotic song. The lyrics were written by Katharine Lee Bates and the music composed by church organist and choirmaster Samuel A. Ward....
) - Black Girls Rock (2010) (Herself, singing "A Brand New DayA Brand New Day (The Wiz song)"A Brand New Day" is a song from the 1975 Broadway musical The Wiz written by Luther Vandross. The song is about African Americans finally achieving the freedom they had been waiting and hoping for. It was later featured in the 1978 film version, sung by cast members Diana Ross, Michael Jackson,...
" and "I'm Every WomanI'm Every Woman"I'm Every Woman" is a hit song recorded by Chaka Khan in 1978. It was Chaka Khan's first hit outside of her recordings with funk band Rufus; the song was included on her platinum debut solo album Chaka. Produced by Arif Mardin and written by successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie...
") - An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Chaka KhanChaka KhanChaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
(2011) (Herself; tribute performer singing "Tell Me Something GoodTell Me Something Good"Tell Me Something Good" is a song by Rufus and Chaka Khan, released in 1974. It was a big hit peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, though it didn't chart in the United Kingdom. Written by Stevie Wonder, the song is among the earliest hits to use the guitar talk box. The single...
") - RuPaul's Drag RaceRuPaul's Drag RaceRuPaul's Drag Race is an American reality television series produced by World of Wonder for Logo. RuPaul plays host, mentor and inspiration for this series, which details RuPaul's search for "America's next drag superstar."...
(2011) (Celebrity Guest Judge on Season 3RuPaul's Drag Race (season 3)RuPaul's Drag Race Season 3 is the third season of RuPaul's Drag Race, which began airing on January 24, 2011. Thirteen drag queens compete for the title of "America's Next Drag Superstar", a headlining spot on the Absolut Tour, a lifetime supply of Kryolan makeup and a $75,000 cash prize.This...
) - American IdolAmerican IdolAmerican Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
(2011) (guest performer Season 10American Idol (season 10)The tenth season of American Idol premiered on January 19, 2011 and concluded on May 25, 2011, on Fox. The show underwent a number of changes from season nine, including the reduction of the judging panel to its original number of just three judges , a returning executive producer, a new music...
)
Discography
- Free YourselfFree YourselfFree Yourself is the debut album by American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino, which was released on November 23, 2004. The album was a great success for Barrino, selling over 240,000 units in its first week, and reaching number eight on the United States Billboard 200 chart...
(2004) - Fantasia (2006)
- Back to MeBack to Me (Fantasia album)Back to Me is the third studio album by American singer Fantasia Barrino. It was released by J Records on August 24, 2010. The album is her first studio album in four years since 2006's Fantasia. The album's title was suggested to her by comedian Steve Harvey, when Barrino visited his morning radio...
(2010)
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Billboard Music Awards | Top Selling Single of the Year ("I Believe") | |
| Top Selling R&B/Hip-Hop Single of the Year ("I Believe") | |||
| 2005 | NAACP Image Award NAACP Image Award An NAACP Image Award is an accolade presented by the American National Association for the Advancement of Colored People to honor outstanding people of color in film, television, music, and literature.... |
Outstanding Female Artist | |
| Billboard American Urban Radio Networks | Top R&B/Hip-Hop Single ("I Believe") | ||
| Vibe Music Award | R&B Voice of the Year | ||
| American Music Awards American Music Awards -Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC... |
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | ||
| Favorite Soul/R&B Album (Free Yourself) | |||
| BET Awards BET Awards The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET... |
Best Female R&B Artist | ||
| Best New Artist | |||
| Soul Train Music Award | Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist | ||
| 2006 | Grammy Awards | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("Free Yourself") | |
| Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance ("Summertime") | |||
| Best R&B Album ("Free Yourself") | |||
| ASCAP Rhythm and Soul Awards | Most Performed Song ("Free Yourself") | ||
| Most Performed Song ("Truth is") | |||
| Groovevolt Music Awards | Best New Artist | ||
| Soul Train Music Award | Best Female R&B/Soul Album (Free Yourself) | ||
| 2007 | American Music Awards American Music Awards -Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC... |
Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist | |
| Theatre World Award Theatre World Award The Theatre World Award, first awarded for the 1945-46 season, is an American honor presented annually to actors and actresses in recognition of an outstanding New York City stage debut performance, either on Broadway or off-Broadway.-History:... |
Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance - "The Color Purple" | ||
| Broadway.com Award | Favorite (Female) Replacement - "The Color Purple" | ||
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Female Artist | ||
| Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatical Special (as Fantasia Barrino) | |||
| 2008 | Grammy Awards | Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("When I See U") | |
| Best Contemporary R&B Album ("Fantasia") | |||
| Greensboro sit-ins Organization Greensboro sit-ins The Greensboro sit-ins were a series of nonviolent protests which led to the Woolworth's department store chain reversing its policy of racial segregation in the Southern United States.... |
Founder's Appreciation Award | ||
| NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Duo or Group Collaboration ("Put You Up On Game Put You Up on Game "Put You Up On Game" is a duet recorded between R&B/soul singers Aretha Franklin and Fantasia. The song is the lead and only single released from Franklin's Jewels In The Crown: All-Star Duets With The Queen. When released as a single on U.S. Urban AC radio on October 1, 2007, the song became the... ") |
||
| 2009 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Duo or Group (with Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place... ) |
|
| Grammy Awards | Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal ("I'm His Only Woman") | ||
| 2010 | Barbados Music Awards | International Award of Excellence | |
| Soul Train Awards | Best R&B/Soul Female Artist | ||
| Record of the Year (Songwriter's Award) ("Bittersweet") | |||
| Grammy Awards | Best R&B Album ("Back to Me") | ||
| Best Female R&B Vocal Performance ("Bittersweet") | |||
| 2011 | NAACP Image Award | Outstanding Song ("Bittersweet") | |
| NAACP Theater Award | Distinguished Honoree |
External links
- Official Fantasia Barrino official website
- Official You Tube
- Excerpt, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale
- "Fantasia's Memoirs Reveal Experiences With Illiteracy, Rape", ABC News, September 30, 2005