She may have won with her version of American Idol’s 2004 single I Believe,” but it was her passionate take on George Gershwin’s “Summertime” that had everyone talking. That she delivers teen-pop and classics from the American songbook with equal conviction is a testament to the versatility of singer Fantasia Barrino. Confident to the degree you could consider brash, Barrino seemed an unlikely candidate to take the show’s title at first glance, but with her dynamic gospel-tinged voice that never failed her, she not only became the Idol judges’ obvious favorite, but the American public’s too. Being a 19-year-old single mother and an Idol finalist had some of the media mumbling, but the always-certain Barrino paid no mind. Becoming a mother at the age of 17 had focused Barrino and gave her the strength and drive to audition for the show in Atlanta. Out of 70,000 hopefuls, Barrino earned her way to the top by adjusting her style to whatever genre was thrown at her. Numerous appearances on talk shows and a cameo on the television show American Dreams followed. Barrino made history when she became the first artist in history to debut at Number One with their first single, “I Believe.” J-Records released her full-length debut, Free Yourself, in 2004. A year later, her autobiography, Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, appeared and was turned into a film directed by Debbie Allen and premiered on Lifetime in 2006. Her sophomore effort, Fantasia, landed at the end of the year. More recently, in 2016, she released The Definition of…. Fantasia Barrino continues to perform all over the world to enthusiastic audiences.
