Fantasia (singer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fantasia
Barrino in The American Idol Experience motorcade at Walt Disney World in 2009
Born	Fantasia Monique Barrino (1984-06-30) June 30, 1984 (age 41) High Point, North Carolina, U.S.
Occupation	Singer actress
Years active	2004–present
Spouse(s)	Kendall Taylor ​ (m. 2015)​
Children	3
Relatives	Ricco Barrino (brother) K-Ci & JoJo (cousins) The Barrino Brothers (uncles)
Musical career
Genres	R&B pop Hip-hop soul gospel
Instruments	Vocals
Labels	J 19 RCA Concord Rock Soul Inc.

Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally as Fantasia, is an American singer and actress. She became famous in 2004 after winning the third season of American Idol. Her powerful performance of "Summertime" impressed everyone.

After her win, Fantasia's first song, "I Believe", went straight to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made her only the second artist ever to have a debut single start at the top. It was also the best-selling single in the United States that year.

Fantasia's first album, Free Yourself (2004), sold over a million copies. She later released popular songs like "When I See U" and albums such as Back to Me (2010) and Side Effects of You (2013). Both of these albums reached number two on the Billboard 200 chart.

She also became a successful actress. Fantasia starred as Celie Johnson in the Broadway musical The Color Purple from 2007 to 2008. She won a Theatre World Award for her amazing debut performance. She played Celie again in the 2023 movie version of The Color Purple, earning nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. She won an NAACP Image Award for her role.

Fantasia has had many top ten hits on the Adult R&B Airplay chart. Billboard magazine has recognized her as one of the top female artists of the 21st century. She has won two Billboard Music Awards and a Grammy Award for her song "Bittersweet". She also has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2024, Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Early Life and Music Beginnings

Fantasia was born to Diane and Joseph Barrino in High Point, North Carolina. She started singing when she was just five years old. Her cousins, K-Ci & JoJo, are a famous R&B duo. Her uncles, The Barrino Brothers, were also an R&B band in the 1970s.

She went to Andrews High School in High Point. She left high school early. At 16, she became a mother to her daughter, born in August 2001.

Fantasia's Music Journey

Becoming an American Idol

Fantasia's performance of "Summertime" on American Idol was very emotional. She cried while singing because she felt the song so deeply. The judges praised her, and it was called one of the greatest TV moments of 2004.

For the final performance, Fantasia sang "Summertime" again. Judge Simon Cowell said she was the best contestant ever on any Idol show. On May 26, 2004, over 65 million votes were cast in the finale. Fantasia won, beating Diana DeGarmo by 1.3 million votes. At 19, she was the youngest American Idol winner until Jordin Sparks won in 2007 at age 17.

After winning, Fantasia went on a U.S. tour with the other American Idol finalists. She also appeared in a 2004 Christmas TV special.

American Idol Performances

• : During the results show, Fantasia was in the bottom two but was declared safe when LaToya London was eliminated.

Debut Album and Early Success

After winning American Idol, Fantasia signed with J Records and started working on her first album. In June 2004, she released her first single, "I Believe". It debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made her the first artist in history to have a debut single reach number one. The single stayed at number one for eleven weeks, a record for an American Idol contestant. "I Believe" became the best-selling single of 2004 in the U.S. and has sold over two million copies. She also won three Billboard Music Awards for the song.

Fantasia released her first studio album, Free Yourself, in November 2004. It sold 240,000 copies in its first week and reached number eight on the Billboard 200 chart. The album has sold over two million copies worldwide and is certified Platinum in the U.S. The songs "Truth Is" and "Free Yourself" became big R&B hits. "Truth Is" spent 14 weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay chart. Fantasia was named the number-one artist in the Adult Urban Contemporary music style for 2005.

In 2005, Fantasia appeared on many TV shows to promote her album. She played Aretha Franklin in an episode of American Dreams, singing "Respect". She also voiced a character on The Simpsons and appeared as herself on the sitcom All of Us. She performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno three times. In March 2005, she performed at the NAACP Image Awards after winning the award for Outstanding Female Artist. In May 2005, Fantasia went on her first tour with her own live band. She also performed at music festivals like the Saint Lucia Jazz Festival and Reggae Sumfest. In October 2005, she was an opening act for Kanye West's Touch the Sky Tour.

Second Album and Broadway Debut

In 2006, Fantasia was nominated for three Grammy Awards for her first album. She performed at the 48th annual Grammy Awards with other artists in a tribute to Sly and the Family Stone. In August 2006, Fantasia played herself in a Lifetime Television movie based on her autobiography, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. The movie premiered on August 19, 2006, and was watched by 19 million viewers. It became the network's second most-watched program ever.

In 2006, Fantasia released her second album, Fantasia. It included the hit single "When I See U", which was number one on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for eight weeks.

Fantasia also collaborated with other artists in 2006. She remade "Endow Me" with Faith Evans, Lil' Mo, and Coko of SWV. She also sang "I Wish" with Patti LaBelle and Yolanda Adams for the Happy Feet movie soundtrack. Most notably, she recorded a duet with Aretha Franklin called "Put You Up on Game", released in 2007.

The Color Purple Broadway musical marquee in 2007

Her self-titled second album, Fantasia, was released on December 12, 2006. It featured songs produced by Missy Elliott, Swizz Beatz, and Babyface. The album was certified gold. "When I See U" was her first single to top the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It stayed at number one for eight weeks and was named number eight on the Billboard Best of The 2000s R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.

In February 2007, Fantasia performed on American Idol and announced she would join the Broadway musical The Color Purple. She took over the role of Celie from LaChanze. After her appearances on American Idol and The Oprah Winfrey Show, the musical's ticket sales increased by over two million in one week. Before her first performance on April 10, 2007, the play had $6.5 million in pre-ticket sales. Fantasia performed at the 61st Tony Awards in a tribute to the Alliance Theater. She won the Theatre World Award and the Best Replacement Star Broadway.com Award. Fantasia was supposed to perform for six months but extended her run until January 6, 2008. The Color Purple's box office sales jumped by $34 million after Fantasia joined the show. She had surgery for a tumor on her vocal cords, which was successfully removed.

Reality TV and New Music

Fantasia received two Grammy nominations for her second album, Fantasia. She started working on her third album in 2008. She said the new album would mix her American Idol and Broadway styles. She also wrote some songs and worked with Missy Elliott again.

Fantasia worked with producers Midi Mafia, Rock City, Rich King, KP, Eric Hudson, and Raphael Saadiq. By mid-2009, about 75 percent of the album was done. She recorded much of it with a live orchestra.

In June 2008, Fantasia left 19 Entertainment but stayed with 19 Recordings and J Records. She planned to release a gospel album after her third album. She performed with her mother, Diane Barrino, on BET's Bobby Jones Gospel. Fantasia also sang on Jennifer Hudson's album, on the song "I'm His Only Woman".

Fantasia also starred in a reality show called Fantasia for Real, produced by World of Wonder. It premiered on January 11, 2010, on VH1 and was very popular. The show's first season ended in July 2010, and the second began in September 2010. The album's first official single, "Bittersweet", was released on May 11, 2010. It reached number seven on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number seventy-four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fantasia's third studio album, Back to Me, was released on August 24, 2010. She was influenced by Tina Turner, Queen, and Aretha Franklin. She recorded with a live band, like musicians from their era. She promoted the album with appearances on Good Morning America and The Wendy Williams Show. On March 28, 2010, Fantasia performed "America the Beautiful" at WWE WrestleMania XXVI. She went on her first solo concert tour, Back to Me Tour, in the fall of 2010. Fantasia also appeared on Charlie Wilson's album Just Charlie. In the summer of 2010, she was a guest judge on RuPaul's Drag Race.

Grammy Win and Broadway Return

On February 13, 2011, Fantasia won her first Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Bittersweet". In 2011, she was cast in her first film role, playing gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in a biographical movie. The film was supported by the Mahalia Jackson estate. Fantasia was to receive a top salary and a percentage of the movie's earnings. Production was planned for October 2011 in New Orleans and Chicago.

In October 2011, RCA Music Group announced it was closing J Records. Fantasia and other artists from J Records would release future music under the RCA Records brand. On February 13, 2012, VH1 named Fantasia 32nd out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music. Fantasia was featured on a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors" with Kelly Price and Faith Evans for Evans' album R&B Divas, released on October 2, 2012.

On December 19, 2012, Fantasia released her new single, "Lose to Win". Her album was released on April 23, 2013. On April 19, 2013, Fantasia announced her next single would be "Without Me", featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott. In June 2013, Fantasia went on a five-date tour with Andrea Bocelli. She also announced her return to Broadway in October 2013.

Fantasia starred in the musical revue After Midnight, which opened on Broadway on November 3, 2013. Critics praised her performance. New York Post wrote that she "slid smoothly and intuitively into the vocal persona of a jazz singer." Fantasia was the first of several guest stars, including k.d. lang, Toni Braxton, and Babyface. She returned to the production for four weeks from May 13 to June 8, 2014. Fantasia performed with the cast and Patti LaBelle and Gladys Knight at the 68th Tony Awards. In August 2013, Fantasia co-wrote and recorded the theme song "In the Middle of the Night" for the movie The Butler.

Barrino performing in 2017

On October 16, 2014, Fantasia was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. She appeared on Dave Koz's Christmas album, December 25, released on September 30, 2014. In November 2014, Fantasia teamed up with Michelle Williams on a remix of Williams' "If We Had Your Eyes". She also announced she was working on her next album with R. Kelly. "No Time for It", the first single from the album, was released on January 7, 2016. Fantasia worked with music producer Ron Fair.

Fantasia toured with Anthony Hamilton starting on April 21, 2016. Her album The Definition Of... was released on July 29, 2016. It debuted at number six on the Billboard 200 Chart, selling 32,000 copies. The album also topped the Billboard R&B Albums Chart and was number two on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album's chart. This made it Fantasia's fourth top ten album. The album featured two top 10 singles on the Adult R&B Songs airplay chart: "No Time for It" and "Sleeping with the One I Love".

Recent Career Highlights

After leaving her longtime label RCA Records, Fantasia released Christmas After Midnight on October 6, 2017, through Concord. She promoted the album with the Christmas After Midnight Tour. On August 31, 2018, Fantasia performed at Aretha Franklin's funeral. On February 10, 2019, she paid tribute to Aretha Franklin at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards with Andra Day and Yolanda Adams. She also performed at Motown 60: A Grammy Celebration on April 21, 2019, honoring Mary Wells by singing "My Guy".

On March 9, 2019, Fantasia announced her sixth studio album, Sketchbook, was complete with 14 songs. The album featured Meghan Trainor, T-Pain, T.I., Jazmine Sullivan, and Brandy. The first single, "Enough", was released on May 3, 2019. It reached number nine on the Billboard Adult R&B Songs chart, her twelfth top ten hit. In September 2019, Fantasia recorded the theme song "Shine" for the talk show Tamron Hall. In October 2022, Fantasia shared that she was working on two new albums, including a gospel album.

Fantasia reprised her role as Celie in the 2023 movie musical adaptation of The Color Purple. The film was released on December 25, 2023. Critics praised her "stunning performance." She won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture. She also received nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a BAFTA Award. Fantasia and the cast received the Ensemble Award from the Critics' Choice Association. Fantasia will receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025.

In December 2023, Fantasia reunited with fellow American Idol winner Jennifer Hudson on her self-titled talk show. In July 2024, Fantasia sang the national anthem at the 2024 A Capitol Fourth concert.

Personal Life

In September 2005, Fantasia released her memoir, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale. In the book, she shared that she had difficulty reading. In 2006, her father sued her for $10 million, claiming parts of the book about him were false.

Fantasia married Kendall Taylor, a businessman, on July 18, 2015. In December 2011, she welcomed a son. In November 2020, Fantasia announced she was expecting her first child with Kendall Taylor. In May 2021, she gave birth to a daughter.

On November 29, 2022, the Sigma Gamma Rho sorority announced that Fantasia was made an honorary member. Fantasia has taken a break from her music and acting career to return to school. She is studying business at Central State University.

Fantasia's Artistic Style

Voice and Influences

Fantasia's voice is often described as raspy, gritty, and soulful. It reminds many of Tina Turner.

Fantasia has said that since childhood, she has been influenced by soul singers like Aretha Franklin, Patti LaBelle, and Chaka Khan. She also grew up listening to jazz singers such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, and Nina Simone. Many people compare Fantasia to her idols. Patti LaBelle lovingly calls Fantasia "baby Patti." LaBelle said, "Fantasia's just a baby me... she's like the Patti Labelle from back in the day and everything and she's so raw." Fantasia always credits her church upbringing and names The Clark Sisters as an influence. She also loves rock music and was influenced by Queen, Tina Turner, and Elton John. Her fourth album, Side Effects of You, introduced a new, edgier rock-inspired sound she calls 'rock soul'. Fantasia has said she wants to explore more of a rock direction in her music.

Fantasia has inspired other artists throughout her career. American Idol season eleven contestant Joshua Ledet was even nicknamed "Mantasia" by fans and Fantasia herself. Actress Amber Riley has said Fantasia is an "inspiration." In 2017, filmmaker Tyler Perry called Fantasia one of the greatest singers of all time.

Music Genres

Fantasia's music is mainly contemporary R&B, with strong roots in soul music and gospel music. Her songs often talk about love, pain, and strength. She also includes pop, funk, reggae, and hip hop in her music. Her album Side Effects of You showed how versatile her voice is. She introduced a new, rock-inspired sound she called 'rock soul'. Gerrick D. Kennedy from the Los Angeles Times praised the album as "sumptuous contemporary R&B dipped in vintage rock and soul." Andy Kellman from Allmusic called it "her finest album yet." Fantasia also showed her versatility by starring in Broadway musicals The Color Purple and After Midnight. She also toured with Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli.

Achievements and Legacy

Since winning American Idol in 2004, Fantasia has won many awards. These include a Grammy Award, two Billboard Awards, five NAACP Image Awards, and two ASCAP Awards. She has also been nominated for a Golden Globe Award and a British Academy Film Award. Music critics often call her "The Queen of Rock Soul". VH1 ranked her number 32 out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music in 2012. She has also been inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame. In 2024, Time magazine named Fantasia one of the most influential people in the world. She is set to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2025.

Her first single, "I Believe", debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. This made Fantasia only the second artist in history to achieve this with a debut single. She was named the number-one artist in the Adult Urban Contemporary music style in 2005. She was also the first artist to have two songs in the top three spots on the Billboard Hot Adult R&B Airplay chart at the same time. Her song "Truth Is" stayed at number one for fourteen weeks. Fantasia's American Idol performance of "Summertime" was named one of AOL's greatest television moments of 2004.

Fantasia received the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture for her role in The Color Purple (2023). She also earned nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical and the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her performance. She also shared a nomination for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.

Discography

• Free Yourself (2004)
• Fantasia (2006)
• Back to Me (2010)
• Side Effects of You (2013)
• The Definition of... (2016)
• Christmas After Midnight (2017)
• Sketchbook (2019)

Filmography

Films

Television

Stage

Biography

• Life Is Not a Fairy Tale (2005)

Tours

Headlining

• 2010–11: Back to Me Tour
• 2013: Side Effects of You Tour
• 2016: The Definition Of... Tour
• 2017: Christmas After Midnight Tour
• 2019: The Sketchbook Tour

Co-headlining

• 2004: American Idols LIVE! Tour 2004 (with the Top 10 finalist of American Idol 2004)
• 2005: Find Your Way Tour (with Kem and Rahsaan Patterson)
• 2016: Fantasia & Anthony Hamilton: Live in Concert (with Anthony Hamilton)
• 2016: Annual Summer Jam (with Maxwell and Ro James)

Opening act

• 2005: Touch the Sky Tour (for Kanye West)
• 2006: Unpredictable Tour (for Jamie Foxx)
• 2011: Intimacy Tour (for Kem)
• 2013: 2013 World Tour (for Andrea Bocelli)
• 2017: In It to Win It Tour (for Charlie Wilson)

See also

In Spanish: Fantasia (cantante) para niños

• List of Idols winners