Fantasia (singer)

Fantasia Barrino
Barrino in The American Idol Experience motorcade at Walt Disney World in February 2009.
Background information
Birth name	Fantasia Monique Barrino
Also known as	Fantasia
Born	(1984-06-30) June 30, 1984 (age 32) High Point, North Carolina, United States
Genres	R&B soul hip hop soul gospel
Occupation(s)	Singer songwriter actress author
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2004–present
Labels	J 19 RCA
Associated acts	Missy Elliott, Jennifer Hudson, Anthony Hamilton, Kelly Rowland, Michelle Williams
Website	fantasiaofficial.com

Fantasia Monique Barrino (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004. Following her victory, she released her debut single, "I Believe," which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Subsequently, she released her debut album, Free Yourself, which went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA and garnered Barrino three Grammy nominations in 2006.

In 2006, she released her second album, Fantasia, which featured the single "When I See U" which topped the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for eight weeks. The album was certified Gold by the RIAA and received three Grammy nominations in 2008. She then played the part of Celie in the Broadway musical The Color Purple, for which she won a 2007 Theatre World Award. Her third studio album, Back to Me, was released worldwide on August 24, 2010 and features the single "Bittersweet," which peaked in the top ten on the R&B chart. The single won her a Grammy for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. As of February 2012, Barrino has sold 2,842,000 albums and 1,425,000 tracks in the United States. In 2012, VH1 ranked her number 32 out of the 100 Greatest Women in Music.