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{{Infobox musical artist 2
|Name = Fantasia
|Img =
|Img_capt =
|Background = solo_singer
|Birth_name = Fantasia Monique Barrino
|Born = {{birth date and age|1984|6|30}}
|Origin = [[High Point, North Carolina|High Point]], [[North Carolina]], [[United States]]
|Genre = [[Rhythm and blues|R&B]], [[soul music|soul]], [[pop music|pop]]
|Occupation = [[Singer]], [[actress]], [[author]]
|Years_active = 2004-present
|Label = [[J Records]]
|Associated acts =
|Notable_albums =
|URL = [http://www.fantasiabarrinoofficial.com FantasiaBarrinoOfficial.com]
}}{{cleanup-rewrite}}
'''Fantasia Monique Barrino''' (born [[June 30]], [[1984]]), or simply '''Fantasia''', is a multiple [[Grammy Award]]-nominated [[R&B]]/[[soul]] singer and award-winning [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] [[actress]] who rose to fame as the winner of the [[American Idol (Season 3)|third season]] of the television series ''[[American Idol]]'' in [[2004]]. Her first album, ''[[Free Yourself]]'', was certified double platinum and received four Grammy nominations. Her second album, ''[[Fantasia (Fantasia Barrino album)|Fantasia]]'', was certified gold, received three Grammy nominations and featured the 8-week #1 [[Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|Billboard Hot R&B]] hit "[[When I See U]]." On [[April 10]], [[2007]], Fantasia made her stage debut as Celie in the [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical, ''[[The Color Purple (musical)|The Color Purple]]''.

== Biography ==
=== Early life ===

Barrino was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina, to Diane and Joseph
Barrino. In her autobiography, ''Life Is Not A Fairytale'', Barrino explains that a family rumor suggests her father's family was of [[Afro Cuban]] descent, explaining the surname Barrino (during slavery ninety percent of the slaves were sent to the Caribbean and Latin America. The Spanish slave masters gave their black slaves their Spanish surnames.).<ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/story?id=1171519&page=1 http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/story?id=1171519&page=1] ''ABCnews.go.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> The Barrino Family travelled and performed in the Carolinas and elsewhere in the American South and recorded the CD ''Miracles'' for a local label. Fantasia's singing style was shaped by the example of gospel singers like [[Shirley Caesar]] and [[The Clark Sisters]]. R&B legends such as [[Patti LaBelle]], [[Aretha Franklin]], [[Gladys Knight]], and [[Chaka Khan]] also left a strong impact on young Fantasia.

She attended T. Wingate Andrews High School in [[High Point, North Carolina]]. After she was raped by a classmate{{Fact|date=November 2007}}, she was left feeling harassed and embarrassed and dropped out of high school. In a later relationship, she became pregnant and, at age 17, on [[August 8]], [[2001]], Fantasia gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari. She broke up with her ex-boyfriend prior to going to American Idol because he used to physically abuse her. <ref>[http://abcnews.go.com/2020/OnlyinAmerica/Story?id=1170655&page=2 http://abcnews.go.com/2020/OnlyinAmerica/Story?id=1170655&page=2] ''ABCnews.go.com'' Retrieved on 07-02-07 </ref>

=== ''American Idol'' ===
{{main|American Idol (Season 3)}}
Barrino made an immediate impression on ''American Idol'' with her stylized, [[gospel music|gospel]]-influenced sound, and her explosive stage presence. Her audition version of [[Tina Turner]]'s "[[Proud Mary]]" made her an early favorite in the competition. Her standout performance during the course of the show was a heartfelt staging, begun seated, of the ''[[Porgy and Bess]]'' standard "[[Summertime (song)|Summertime]]" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges, as well as landing her on the [[Emmy Awards]]'s 2004 list of greatest television moments. "Summertime" was also labeled by idol judge [[Randy Jackson]] as the best performance he had ever heard in the show's history.

Nevertheless, Barrino's rise to the final two on ''American Idol'' was plagued with controversies, including accusations of racism when she and two other well-praised [[African American]] female singers in the competition, [[LaToya London]] and [[Jennifer Hudson]], all landed in the bottom three of that week's voting. Guest artist [[Elton John]] labeled the outcome "racist" and did not address alternative explanations, such as the diluting effects of spreading the vote of R&B fans over three singers. Other concerns were raised over her as a single mother being a poor [[role model]].<ref>[http://www.beliefnet.com/story/157/story_15716_1.html http://www.beliefnet.com/story/157/story_15716_1.html] ''Beliefnet.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref>

In the final performance of the season that formed the basis upon which America voted, Barrino offered a second performance of "Summertime" that again drew enormous praise from the judges &mdash; including [[Simon Cowell]]'s remarks that she was the best contestant to ever compete in any competition. This would include the over seventy ''Idol'' champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show began its first global incarnations. On the finale, over sixty-five million votes were cast in order to determine the winner on [[May 26]], [[2004]], up from twenty-four million in [[2003]].<ref>[http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm19992_20040526.htm/1 http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm19992_20040526.htm/1] ''Freep.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> It was the highest finale vote in the show's history until the [[May 23]], [[2007]] [[American Idol 6]] finale. In the end Fantasia defeated runner-up [[Diana DeGarmo]] by 1.3 million votes.<ref>[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5060380/ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5060380/] ''MSNBC.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> At age nineteen, Fantasia 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 television special|Christmas special]], ''Kelly, Ruben and Fantasia: Home For the Holidays.

=== 2004–2005: ''Free Yourself'' ===
[[Image:Freeyourselffantasia.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Debut Album: Free Yourself]]
In [[June 2004]], Fantasia released her debut single, [[I Believe (Fantasia song)|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]] Awards for the single.

Barrino's debut studio album, ''[[Free Yourself]]'', was released in [[November 2004]]. It debuted at number eight on the [[Billboard 200]] pop album chart, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. To date, it has sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified double 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'' [[R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart]], while the controversial "Baby Mama" &ndash; which critics accused of romanticising single motherhood<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499983/20050412/fantasia.jhtml http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499983/20050412/fantasia.jhtml] ''MTV.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> &ndash; reached the top twenty. Barrino did even better on the Billboard [[Adult R&B Airplay]], where she was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously have two of the top three songs,<ref>[http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20050920/20sep20051919.html http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20050920/20sep20051919.html] ''News.corporate.findlaw.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> and "Truth Is" spent fourteen weeks at number one position. Barrino was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for [[2005]] according to the [[December 13]], [[2005]] ''[[Billboard Magazine]]''.

In [[2006]], Fantasia was nominated for four [[Grammy Award]]s. Fantasia performed with several well-known 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 Awards.

Through spring and winter of [[2005]], Barrino 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]]''. Barrino appeared three times as a musical guest on ''[[The Tonight Show]]'' with [[Jay Leno]]. On [[March 25]], [[2005]], Barrino 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]] and [[June 2005]] Barrino went on her first tour with her own live band, supporting soul singers [[Kem]] and [[Rahsaan 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.<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1511361/10122005/west_kanye.jhtm http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1511361/10122005/west_kanye.jhtm] ''MTV.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref>

In [[September 2005]], Barrino published her memoirs (which she dictated to a freelance writer), ''[[Life Is Not a Fairy Tale]]''. The book quickly became a ''[[New York Times]]'' Bestseller, reaching number seven on the list. In it she revealed that she was [[Functional illiteracy|functionally illiterate]]. She discussed this in an interview on [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]'s ''[[20/20]]'',<ref>[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051001/ap_on_en_mu/people_fantasia_barrino http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051001/ap_on_en_mu/people_fantasia_barrino] ''News.yahoo.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> saying she hadn't been able to read contracts, and she simply memorized the songs she was told to perform and sing on her records.

Barrino 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 Saturday, [[August 19]], [[2006]] at 21:00. 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.<ref>[http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060822/nytu132.html?.v=70 http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060822/nytu132.html?.v=70] ''Biz.yahoo.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref>

=== 2006–present: ''Fantasia'' and ''The Color Purple'' ===
[[Image:Fantasiacover.jpg|200px|right|thumb|Second Album: Fantasia]]
In summer [[2006]], Barrino discontinued work with 19 Management and fired all of her advisors from the ''American Idol'' company.<ref>[http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,206312,00.html http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,206312,00.html] ''Foxnews.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> The singer eventually found a new management team with [[Violator Management]], and soon released her album, ''[[Fantasia (Fantasia Barrino album)|Fantasia]]'', on [[December 12]] [[2006]]. The album involves production by [[Missy Elliott]], [[Swizz Beatz]], [[Dre & Vidal]], [[Diane Warren]], and others, and has since spawned the singles "[[Hood Boy]]","[[When I See U (song)|When I See U]]" and "[[Only One U]]". Though not released as a single, one of the most ear-catching songs on the album, "Baby Makin' Hips", was produced by the up and coming Philly team of Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry. In 2007, Barrino left her new management company and found new management back at 19 Management.

In 2006 Barrino was featured on [[Coko]] of [[SWV]] gospel album "Grateful". Barrino, [[Faith Evans]], [[Lil Mo]] and [[Coko]] did a remake of "Endow Me" (originally done by the Clark Sisters.) She also was featured on the Live version of the song, which was performed in January of 2007 on the annual "Celebration of Gospel".

On [[January 27]], Barrino was featured on the nationally televised [[United Negro College Fund]]'s ''An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin'' where she performed, "[[Baby, I Love You]]" and "Rock Steady" in front of Aretha.<ref>[http://www.dailynews.com/music/ci_4311533 http://www.dailynews.com/music/ci_4311533] ''Dailynews.com'' Retrieved on 05-08-07 </ref> In early [[2007]], Barrino was listed on [http://www.blender.com?src=fc Blender.com's] list of the hottest women in music.

In [[February 2007]], Barrino appeared and performed on American Idol, and announced that she would be starring in the ''[[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] musical [[The Color Purple (musical)|The Color Purple]]'' beginning [[April 10]], [[2007]].
After Barrino performed the song, "I'm Here", 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 Barrino's first performance the play garnered a total of 6.5 million in pre-ticket sales.

Fantasia earned rave reviews for her performance in The Color Purple, the hit musical based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by [[Alice Walker]]. She won the 2007 [[Theater World Award]], an honor given in recognition of an outstanding stage debut performance, and was invited to perform "I'm Here" from The Color Purple at the 2007 [[Tony Awards]]. Fantasia was initially scheduled for a limited six month engagement ending in October, 2007 but had her run extended until January 6, 2008. <ref>[http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/08/21/theater.fantasia.ap/index.html Idol winner becomes toast of Broadway]</ref> However, recent reports have claimed that Fantasia has missed up to 50 performances of the musical. Her management has reportedly stated that Fantasia can't keep up with the hectic scheduling of the performances.

Fantasia is featured on the first single of [[Aretha Franklin]]'s duet album ''[[Jewels In The Crown: All-Star Duets With The Queen]]'' on the song "[[Put You Up On Game]]" which hit radio on [[October 1]]. The duet became the number one most added song on [[Urban AC]] radio the following week.

==Family Ties==
Fantasia is the first cousin of music act [[K-Ci & JoJo]] of the group [[Jodeci]].

== Discography ==
{{mainarticle|Fantasia discography}}

== Awards ==
=== Wins ===
* 2004 Billboard Top selling single of the year, "I Believe"
* 2004 Billboard Top selling R&B/Hip-Hop single of the year, "I Believe"
* 2005 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist
* 2005 Billboard-American Urban Radio Networks Top R&B/hip-hop single, "I Believe"
* 2006 Groovevolt Music Awards - Best New Artist 2006
* 2006 ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop Awards - "Free Yourself"
* 2006 ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop Awards - "Truth Is"
* 2007 [[Theatre World Award]] Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance - "The Color Purple"
* 2007 Broadway.com Award for Favorite (Female) Replacement - "The Color Purple"

===Nominations===
*2008 [[Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance]] for "When I See U"
*2008 [[Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album]] for ''Fantasia''
*2007 [[American Music Award]] for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
*2007 [[NAACP Image Award]] for Outstanding Female Artist (as Fantasia)
*2007 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series, or Dramatical Special (as Fantasia Barrino)
*2006 [[Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance]] for "Free Yourself"
*2006 [[Grammy Award for Best R&B Album]] for ''Free Yourself''
*2006 [[Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance]] for "Summertime"
*2006 [[Soul Train Music Award]] for Best Female R&B/Soul Album, ''Free Yourself''
*2005 Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, "I Believe"
*2005 [[BET Award]] for Best Female R&B Artist
*2005 BET Award for Best New Artist
*2005 [[American Music Award]] for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist
*2005 American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Album, ''Free Yourself''
*2005 [[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]] Music Award for R&B Voice of the Year

==References==
<references />

==External links==
*[http://www.fantasiabarrinoofficial.com Fantasia Barrino's official site]
*[http://www.musicsnippet.com/RBArtistView.php?Name=Fantasia/ Musicsnippet Profile]
*[http://www.myspace.com/fantasiabarrino Fantasia's Myspace Page]
*{{imdb name|id=1568881|name=Fantasia Barrino}}
*[http://www.colorpurple.com/ "Color Purple" on Broadway Offcial Site]
*[http://www.lifetimetv.com/movies/originals/fantasia.html Official LINAFT Movie Website]
*[http://www.fan-tasia.net Fan-tasia.net]
*[http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=3388111 GMA Performance]

== Notes ==
* [http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/story?id=1171519&page=1 Excerpt: "Life Is Not a Fairy Tale", by Fantasia]

{{Fantasia Barrino}}
{{American Idol 3}}
{{American Idol}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barrino, Fantasia}}
[[Category:1984 births]]
[[Category:African-American singers]]
[[Category:American Christians]]
[[Category:American female singers]]
[[Category:American Idol participants]]
[[Category:American memoirists]]
[[Category:American pop singers]]
[[Category:American rhythm and blues singers]]
[[Category:American soul singers]]
[[Category:Baptists from the United States]]
[[Category:Performers of Christian music]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:North Carolina musicians]]
[[Category:People from High Point, North Carolina]]
[[Category:Idol series winners]]
[[Category:Reality show winners]]

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Revision as of 20:41, 8 January 2008

Template:Infobox musical artist 2

Fantasia Monique Barrino (born June 30, 1984), or simply Fantasia, is a multiple Grammy Award-nominated R&B/soul singer and award-winning Broadway actress who rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the television series American Idol in 2004. Her first album, Free Yourself, was certified double platinum and received four Grammy nominations. Her second album, Fantasia, was certified gold, received three Grammy nominations and featured the 8-week #1 Billboard Hot R&B hit "When I See U." On April 10, 2007, Fantasia made her stage debut as Celie in the Broadway musical, The Color Purple.

Biography

Early life

Barrino was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina, to Diane and Joseph Barrino. In her autobiography, Life Is Not A Fairytale, Barrino explains that a family rumor suggests her father's family was of Afro Cuban descent, explaining the surname Barrino (during slavery ninety percent of the slaves were sent to the Caribbean and Latin America. The Spanish slave masters gave their black slaves their Spanish surnames.).[1] The Barrino Family travelled and performed in the Carolinas and elsewhere in the American South and recorded the CD Miracles for a local label. Fantasia's singing style was shaped by the example of gospel singers like Shirley Caesar and The Clark Sisters. R&B legends such as Patti LaBelle, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, and Chaka Khan also left a strong impact on young Fantasia.

She attended T. Wingate Andrews High School in High Point, North Carolina. After she was raped by a classmate[citation needed], she was left feeling harassed and embarrassed and dropped out of high school. In a later relationship, she became pregnant and, at age 17, on August 8, 2001, Fantasia gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari. She broke up with her ex-boyfriend prior to going to American Idol because he used to physically abuse her. [2]

American Idol

Main article: American Idol (Season 3)

Barrino made an immediate impression on American Idol with her stylized, gospel-influenced sound, and her explosive stage presence. Her audition version of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" made her an early favorite in the competition. Her standout performance during the course of the show was a heartfelt staging, begun seated, of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" that left her in tears from "feeling the song" and earned praise from the judges, as well as landing her on the Emmy Awards's 2004 list of greatest television moments. "Summertime" was also labeled by idol judge Randy Jackson as the best performance he had ever heard in the show's history.

Nevertheless, Barrino's rise to the final two on American Idol was plagued with controversies, including accusations of racism when she and two other well-praised African American female singers in the competition, LaToya London and Jennifer Hudson, all landed in the bottom three of that week's voting. Guest artist Elton John labeled the outcome "racist" and did not address alternative explanations, such as the diluting effects of spreading the vote of R&B fans over three singers. Other concerns were raised over her as a single mother being a poor role model.[3]

In the final performance of the season that formed the basis upon which America voted, Barrino offered a second performance of "Summertime" that again drew enormous praise from the judges — including Simon Cowell's remarks that she was the best contestant to ever compete in any competition. This would include the over seventy Idol champions crowned nationally and internationally since the show began its first global incarnations. On the finale, over sixty-five million votes were cast in order to determine the winner on May 26, 2004, up from twenty-four million in 2003.[4] It was the highest finale vote in the show's history until the May 23, 2007 American Idol 6 finale. In the end Fantasia defeated runner-up Diana DeGarmo by 1.3 million votes.[5] At age nineteen, Fantasia 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.

2004–2005: Free Yourself

Debut Album: Free Yourself

In June 2004, Fantasia 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 Awards for the single.

Barrino's debut studio album, Free Yourself, was released in November 2004. It debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200 pop album chart, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. To date, it has sold over two million copies worldwide, and was certified double 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 R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart, while the controversial "Baby Mama" – which critics accused of romanticising single motherhood[6] – reached the top twenty. Barrino did even better on the Billboard Adult R&B Airplay, where she was the first artist of any kind to simultaneously have two of the top three songs,[7] and "Truth Is" spent fourteen weeks at number one position. Barrino was named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for 2005 according to the December 13, 2005 Billboard Magazine.

In 2006, Fantasia was nominated for four Grammy Awards. Fantasia performed with several well-known 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 Awards.

Through spring and winter of 2005, Barrino 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. Barrino appeared three times as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. On March 25, 2005, Barrino 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 and June 2005 Barrino went on her first tour with her own live band, supporting soul singers Kem and Rahsaan 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.[8]

In September 2005, Barrino published her memoirs (which she dictated to a freelance writer), Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. The book quickly became a New York Times Bestseller, reaching number seven on the list. In it she revealed that she was functionally illiterate. She discussed this in an interview on ABC's 20/20,[9] saying she hadn't been able to read contracts, and she simply memorized the songs she was told to perform and sing on her records.

Barrino 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 Saturday, August 19, 2006 at 21:00. 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.[10]

2006–present: Fantasia and The Color Purple

Second Album: Fantasia

In summer 2006, Barrino discontinued work with 19 Management and fired all of her advisors from the American Idol company.[11] The singer eventually found a new management team with Violator Management, and soon released her album, Fantasia, on December 12 2006. The album involves production by Missy Elliott, Swizz Beatz, Dre & Vidal, Diane Warren, and others, and has since spawned the singles "Hood Boy","When I See U" and "Only One U". Though not released as a single, one of the most ear-catching songs on the album, "Baby Makin' Hips", was produced by the up and coming Philly team of Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry. In 2007, Barrino left her new management company and found new management back at 19 Management.

In 2006 Barrino was featured on Coko of SWV gospel album "Grateful". Barrino, Faith Evans, Lil Mo and Coko did a remake of "Endow Me" (originally done by the Clark Sisters.) She also was featured on the Live version of the song, which was performed in January of 2007 on the annual "Celebration of Gospel".

On January 27, Barrino was featured on the nationally televised United Negro College Fund's An Evening of Stars: Tribute to Aretha Franklin where she performed, "Baby, I Love You" and "Rock Steady" in front of Aretha.[12] In early 2007, Barrino was listed on Blender.com's list of the hottest women in music.

In February 2007, Barrino appeared and performed on American Idol, and announced that she would be starring in the Broadway musical The Color Purple beginning April 10, 2007. After Barrino performed the song, "I'm Here", 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 Barrino's first performance the play garnered a total of 6.5 million in pre-ticket sales.

Fantasia earned rave reviews for her performance in The Color Purple, the hit musical based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by Alice Walker. She won the 2007 Theater World Award, an honor given in recognition of an outstanding stage debut performance, and was invited to perform "I'm Here" from The Color Purple at the 2007 Tony Awards. Fantasia was initially scheduled for a limited six month engagement ending in October, 2007 but had her run extended until January 6, 2008. [13] However, recent reports have claimed that Fantasia has missed up to 50 performances of the musical. Her management has reportedly stated that Fantasia can't keep up with the hectic scheduling of the performances.

Fantasia is featured on the first single of Aretha Franklin's duet album Jewels In The Crown: All-Star Duets With The Queen on the song "Put You Up On Game" which hit radio on October 1. The duet became the number one most added song on Urban AC radio the following week.

Family Ties

Fantasia is the first cousin of music act K-Ci & JoJo of the group Jodeci.

Discography

Main article: Fantasia discography

Awards

Wins

  • 2004 Billboard Top selling single of the year, "I Believe"
  • 2004 Billboard Top selling R&B/Hip-Hop single of the year, "I Believe"
  • 2005 NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Female Artist
  • 2005 Billboard-American Urban Radio Networks Top R&B/hip-hop single, "I Believe"
  • 2006 Groovevolt Music Awards - Best New Artist 2006
  • 2006 ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop Awards - "Free Yourself"
  • 2006 ASCAP R&B/Hip-Hop Awards - "Truth Is"
  • 2007 Theatre World Award Outstanding Broadway Debut Performance - "The Color Purple"
  • 2007 Broadway.com Award for Favorite (Female) Replacement - "The Color Purple"

Nominations

References

  1. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Books/story?id=1171519&page=1 ABCnews.go.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  2. ^ http://abcnews.go.com/2020/OnlyinAmerica/Story?id=1170655&page=2 ABCnews.go.com Retrieved on 07-02-07
  3. ^ http://www.beliefnet.com/story/157/story_15716_1.html Beliefnet.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  4. ^ http://www.freep.com/news/latestnews/pm19992_20040526.htm/1 Freep.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  5. ^ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5060380/ MSNBC.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  6. ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1499983/20050412/fantasia.jhtml MTV.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  7. ^ http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20050920/20sep20051919.html News.corporate.findlaw.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  8. ^ http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1511361/10122005/west_kanye.jhtm MTV.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  9. ^ http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051001/ap_on_en_mu/people_fantasia_barrino News.yahoo.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  10. ^ http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/060822/nytu132.html?.v=70 Biz.yahoo.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  11. ^ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,206312,00.html Foxnews.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  12. ^ http://www.dailynews.com/music/ci_4311533 Dailynews.com Retrieved on 05-08-07
  13. ^ Idol winner becomes toast of Broadway

External links

Notes

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fantasia_%28singer%29&diff=183023289&oldid=183021815

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