Fantasia

Fantasia Barrino captured the crown during season three of American Idol by delivering the eventual chart-topping pop single “I Believe” in 2004, yet her career truly ignited weeks before that victory when she unleashed a fiery interpretation of George Gershwin’s “Summertime.” Although her self-assured manner could have come across as bold, she initially appeared an improbable fit for the youth-focused program; nevertheless, her commanding, gospel-infused vocals carried her to victory as the judges’ and viewers’ clear choice. With the RIAA-certified releases Free Yourself in 2004 and Fantasia in 2006, the vocalist proved she stood apart from mere reality-show success, and further recognition arrived when she earned a Grammy for “Bittersweet” in the Best Female R&B Vocal Performance category in 2010. She continued championing classic soul across her next three Top Ten pop albums, among them The Definition Of… in 2016, before issuing her sixth studio effort, Sketchbook, in 2019.

Raised in High Point, North Carolina, Barrino—niece of the Barrino Brothers and cousin to K-Ci and Jojo Hailey—absorbed music from an eclectic array of influences such as Aretha Franklin, Brandy, P!nk, and Aerosmith. At nineteen, as both a single mother and an Idol contestant, she drew skeptical press coverage, yet she remained unfazed. Motherhood sharpened her focus and supplied the determination to try out for the series in Atlanta. From an initial pool of 70,000 aspirants, she advanced by adapting seamlessly to any style presented. After defeating runner-up Diana DeGarmo, her first public remark as the 2004 champion was “I broke my shoe!” A string of talk-show appearances and a guest role on American Dreams—portraying her idol Aretha Franklin—followed soon after.

She made history as the first solo artist to top the charts with a debut release when “I Believe,” the inspirational ballad co-written by former Idol participant Tamyra Gray, reached number one. J Records issued her debut full-length, Free Yourself, in November 2004. The platinum-certified project spawned two additional Top Five R&B/Hip-Hop singles and earned its lead track a Billboard Music Award for Top Selling Single of the Year, while Barrino herself received three Grammy nominations. In 2005 her memoir, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, was published and later adapted into a film directed by Debbie Allen that debuted on Lifetime in 2006. Her second album, simply titled Fantasia, arrived that December, opening at number 19 on the Billboard 200 before achieving gold status. Back to Me, released in August 2010, was propelled by a pair of Chuck Harmony productions: “I’m Doin’ Me,” which peaked at number 11 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop, and the Grammy-winning “Bittersweet,” which reached number seven on the same chart. Side Effects of You, her fourth album, surfaced in April 2013; featuring appearances by Big K.R.I.T., Kelly Rowland, and Missy Elliott, it drew momentum from the Commodores-sampling single “Lose to Win.” Following a joint tour with Anthony Hamilton, she dropped The Definition Of… in July 2016, marking her fourth Top Ten entry. The holiday collection Christmas After Midnight appeared the subsequent year. She concluded the decade with Sketchbook in September 2019, further developing her self-described “rock soul” approach. ~ David Jeffries