Fantasia Barrino

Fantasia Monique Barrino, or simply Fantasia (born June 30, 1984 in High Point, North Carolina), is an African-American rhythm and blues singer, who came to fame as the winner of the third season of the television series American Idol.

Post-Idol career

Now billed as just Fantasia, she released her first single in June 2004 on the RCA record label. The single includes "I Believe", which Fantasia performed on the finale of Idol, the Aretha Franklin hit "Chain of Fools" (released before on an American Idol compilation), and her signature version of "Summertime". The single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number one, the first female artist to do so with her first record. http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20050920/20sep20051919.html On the sales chart, the single spent 11 consecutive weeks at number one (10 weeks in Canada), giving it the longest consecutive stay at #1 for an American Idol contestant.

Related Topics:
June - 2004 - RCA - I Believe - Aretha Franklin - Signature - Billboard Hot 100

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She released an album, Free Yourself, in November 2004. It debuted at #8 on the Billboard 200 pop album chart, selling 240,000 copies in its first week. Just two months after its release, it sold over one million copies and went platinum. To date, it has sold over 1.8 million copies in the U.S. The singles "Truth Is" and "Free Yourself" became huge R & B hits, reaching #2 and #3 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart, while "Baby Mama" reached the top 20. Fantasia 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 http://news.corporate.findlaw.com/prnewswire/20050920/20sep20051919.html, and where "Truth Is" set a record stay at #1 by a female with 14 weeks. However, none of these singles has repeated "I Believe"'s success on the more-pop-oriented Hot 100, where "Truth Is" reached the highest at #21.

Related Topics:
Free Yourself - November 2004 - Billboard 200 - R & B - R&B/Hip-Hop Tracks chart - Adult R&B Airplay

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In Winter and Spring 2005 Fantasia made many television appearances to promote her album. She played Aretha Franklin in an episode of the series American Dreams, singing "Respect", and guest voiced on The Simpsons episode "A Star is Torn". Fantasia appeared three times as a musical guest on Jay Leno's The Tonight Show.

Related Topics:
Aretha Franklin - American Dreams - The Simpsons - A Star is Torn - Jay Leno - The Tonight Show

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In May and June 2005 Fantasia 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 on Jamaica. In Fall 2005 Fantasia will be touring with Kayne West's "Touch the Sky" tour.

Related Topics:
Kem - Rahsaan Patterson - Saint Lucia Jazz Festival - Reggae Sumfest - Kayne West

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In the late summer of 2005, Fantasia collaborated with Lyfe Jennings on his single "Hypothetically".

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In September 2005, Fantasia published her memoir (which she dictated to a freelance writer), Life is Not a Fairy Tale. In it she reveals that she is, in fact, functionally illiterate. She discussed this in an interview on ABC's 20/20 http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20051001/ap_on_en_mu/people_fantasia_barrino: she hadn't been able to read contracts, and she simply memorized the songs she was told to perform and sing on her records. She also revealed that she was raped when she was in ninth grade. The boy who raped her was suspended from school.

Related Topics:
Life is Not a Fairy Tale - Illiterate - ABC - 20/20 - Raped

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As of 2005, she is being taught to read by tutors, so she can read to her daughter and read contracts. http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=1175991

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She is also pursuing her GED. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/10/03/earlyshow/leisure/books/main900960.shtml

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Barrino has recieved critical lauds from a variety of respected and noted individuals including Donna Summer, Dallas Austin, India Arie, Anita Baker, Ellen Degeneres, Elton John, The Pointer Sisters, Patti Labelle and Ghostface Killah.

Related Topics:
Donna Summer - Dallas Austin - India Arie - Anita Baker - Ellen Degeneres - Elton John - The Pointer Sisters - Patti Labelle - Ghostface Killah

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