FANTASIA BARRINO
Name: Fantasia Monique Barrino
Born: June 30, 1984 High Point, North Carolina, United States
Fantasia Monique Barrino (born June 30, 1984), or simply Fantasia, is a multiple
Grammy Award-nominated R&B/soul singer and award-winning Broadway actress who
rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the television series American
Idol in 2004. Her first album, Free Yourself, was certified double platinum and
received four Grammy nominations. Her second album, Fantasia, was certified gold,
received three Grammy nominations and featured the 8-week #1 Billboard Hot R&B
hit "When I See U." On April 10, 2007, Fantasia made her stage debut as Celie in
the Broadway musical, The Color Purple.
Barrino was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina, to Diane and Joseph
Barrino. In her autobiography, Life Is Not A Fairytale, Barrino explains that a
family rumor suggests her father's family was of Cuban and Trinidadian descent,
explaining the surname Barrino (a rare surname for African Americans in North
Carolina). The Barrino Family travelled and performed in the Carolinas and
elsewhere in the American South and recorded the CD Miracles for a local label.
Fantasia's singing style was shaped by the example of gospel singers like
Shirley Caesar and The Clark Sisters. Rhythm and Blues singers such as Patti
LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan also left a strong impact on young
Fantasia.
She attended T. Wingate Andrews High School in High Point, North Carolina. After
she was raped by a classmate , she was left feeling harassed and embarrassed
and dropped out of high school. In a later relationship, she became pregnant and,
at age 17, on August 8, 2001, she gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari. She
broke up with the father for claims that he physically abused her.
Name: Fantasia Monique Barrino
Born: June 30, 1984 High Point, North Carolina, United States
Fantasia Monique Barrino (born June 30, 1984), or simply Fantasia, is a multiple
Grammy Award-nominated R&B/soul singer and award-winning Broadway actress who
rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the television series American
Idol in 2004. Her first album, Free Yourself, was certified double platinum and
received four Grammy nominations. Her second album, Fantasia, was certified gold,
received three Grammy nominations and featured the 8-week #1 Billboard Hot R&B
hit "When I See U." On April 10, 2007, Fantasia made her stage debut as Celie in
the Broadway musical, The Color Purple.
Barrino was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina, to Diane and Joseph
Barrino. In her autobiography, Life Is Not A Fairytale, Barrino explains that a
family rumor suggests her father's family was of Cuban and Trinidadian descent,
explaining the surname Barrino (a rare surname for African Americans in North
Carolina). The Barrino Family travelled and performed in the Carolinas and
elsewhere in the American South and recorded the CD Miracles for a local label.
Fantasia's singing style was shaped by the example of gospel singers like
Shirley Caesar and The Clark Sisters. Rhythm and Blues singers such as Patti
LaBelle, Aretha Franklin and Chaka Khan also left a strong impact on young
Fantasia.
She attended T. Wingate Andrews High School in High Point, North Carolina. After
she was raped by a classmate , she was left feeling harassed and embarrassed
and dropped out of high school. In a later relationship, she became pregnant and,
at age 17, on August 8, 2001, she gave birth to her daughter, Zion Quari. She
broke up with the father for claims that he physically abused her.