• Fantasia Barrino is an American R&B/soul singer and actress. She won season three of American Idol, beating out Diana DeGarmo on the series finale. She released her debut album, Free Yourself in November 2004. Her first single off of the album was "I Believe."

  In early 2010, Fantasia Barrino will appear in a VH1 documentary/reality series. The unscripted series will discuss the ups and downs of her personal and professional life. The producers of the show feel Barrino's "story has just begun" and want to share her story of success with the world.Daily News: Fantasia Barrino Lands New VH1 Reality Show (April 16, 1009)

• 1. Full name: Fantasia Monique Barrino
  2. Born: June 30, 1984
  3. Birthplace: High Point, North Carolina
  4. Appeared on season three on American Idol
  5. Placed: 1st
  6. Audition city: Atlanta, Georgia
  7. First cousin to K-Ci and JoJo of the group Jodeci
  8. Has one daughter, Zion Quari Barrino
  9. Committed to getting a GED at age 24
  10. Dropped out of high school in the 9th grade
  11. Was pregnant with her daughter at the time

• Return to School

  In February 2009 Barrino reported that she will return to the pursuit of a GED, an equivalent of a high school degree, after dropping out of high school in the ninth grade due to her pregnancy.E! Online: American Idol's Fantasia Reutrns to High School (February 5, 2009) She explains "I've been talking about it for so long. I have a lot of young people who look up to me, like my 15-year-old brother and 7-year-old daughter. It's something that I really need to do and that I want to do."E! Online: American Idol's Fantasia Reutrns to High School (February 5, 2009)

• Home Foreclosure

  One of Barrino's homes, located on Bevington Place, off Elm Lane in southeast Charlotte, was scheduled to be auctioned off on January 12, 2009, if the singer did not pay her past due mortgage payments. Barrino purchased the house in March 2007.The Charlotte Observer: 'Idol' Fantasia's house in foreclosure (December 9, 2008)

  The New York Post reported on January 12, 2009, that Barrino will keep her North Carolina home after entering into a deal with the Florida creditor, Broward Energy Partners. The lawyer representing the company, Larry Goldman, made the following statement, "Assuming the promised payments all get paid as indicated, we will be satisfied. I didn't want to take her house."NY Post: Idol Settles (January 12, 2009)

  On February 6, 2009, gossip blogger Perez Hilton reported that Idol judge Simon Cowell was the mysterious benefactor that helped stop Barrino's home foreclosure. According to reports, Cowell had hoped to keep his involvement in the good deed private.Perez Hilton: Simon Cowell... (February 6, 2009)

• The Color Purple

  Barrino most recently starred in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, as the lead role of Celie. On March 5, 2008, she announced that Oprah Winfrey had selected her to portray Celie in The Color Purple Movie Musical. It will begin production once Barrino completes her newest album, as yet untitled. It is slated to be released in early 2009.

• The Fantasia Barrino Story

  Barrino portrayed herself in Life Is Not a Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story, which aired on the Lifetime network on April 19, 2006. It was Lifetime's second highest viewed movie of all time. The movie was based on the book by the same name, which she dictated to a freelance writer. In it she revealed she was illiterate.

• Studio Albums

  • 2004: Free Yourself US#2
  • 2006: Fantasia US#19
  • 2009: As-yet-untitled

• Singles

  • 2004: "I Believe"
  • 2004: "Truth Is"
  • 2005: "Free Yourself"
  • 2005: "Baby Mama"
  • 2005: "Ain't Gon' Beg You"
  • 2006: "Hood Boy"
  • 2007: "When I See U"
  • 2007: "Only One U"

Categories