Fantasia Monique Barrino was born on June 30, 1984, in High Point, California, into a musical family. Her father, Joe Barrino, was a member of gospel group Little Godric and the Hailey Singers; his brothers Perry, Nate, and Julius sang for Motown label Invictus as The Barrino Brothers. Their father, Curtis Barrino, had achieved fame in the 60s with The Emanuel Harmonizers. Fantasia's brothers, Ricco and JoJo, went on to form the band Infinite Three before Ricco became one of her backup singers. Also, Fantasia’s cousins Cedric Hailey and Joel Hailey later became R&B singers K-Ci and JoJo, eventually forming Jodeci.
Fantasia's own early musical interest took the form of singing with the local church gospel choir, which she started at the age of five. The she subsequently traveled with her family to perform in various venues around the southern United States, recording the CD Miracles.
She dropped out of the performing life after becoming pregnant at the age of sixteen. Though Fantasia tried to make her new family work, her relationship with the father, Brandel Shouse, was abusive and short-lived. Fantasia was left struggling to cope on her own with only prayers from her devoutly religious family who had no money with which to support her. Unable to find paid work, she survived on welfare and volunteered at a day-care center. This helped Fantasia to work around difficulties in raising her daughter, Zion Quari' Barrino, caused by her own illiteracy, which she has since overcome.
In 2004, Fantasia decided to pursue her love of singing by joining the Atlanta auditions for season three of America Idol. There she made such an impression on judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, and Paula Abdul, singing John Fogerty and Tina Turner's "Proud Mary," that it was clear she was in with a serious chance of winning. Fantasia eventually moved to California to claim victory with a rendition of the Porgy and Bess song "Summertime."
The idol subsequently toured with the rest of the finalists and accepted a million dollar contract with Clive Davis's J Records. Her début album, Free Yourself, was an enormous success, turning platinum in just two months, winning four Grammy awards and releasing platinum-selling single "I Believe," co-written with season one finalist Tamyra Gray. Fantasia’s debut album became the best-selling single in America that year. She is currently putting the finishing touches to a follow-up, Young Girl, Old Soul, which will feature songs written by Missy Elliot, Ne-Yo, and Diane Warren, plus a duet with Aretha Franklin, whom Fantasia played in an episode of American Dreams.
Fantasia' greatest success has come as a live performer; she has gained a reputation for putting on tremendously energetic, exciting live shows, and has performed with artists including Kanye West, Kem and Rahsaan Patterson, Steve Tyler, Joss Stone, John Legend, and Ciara. She also performed with Lyfe Jennings on his single Hypothetically.
Fantasia has written (by dictation) an autobiography, Life Is Not A Fairy Tale: The Fantasia Barrino Story, which has been made into a film in which she played herself, alongside Julia Adams and Michael Arata. She has guest starred in the sitcom All of Us, with Duane Martin; has appeared as a musical guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and has provided a guest voice in The Simpsons.
YUDDY
