Fantasia
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Fantasia Monique Barrino-Taylor (born June 30, 1984), known professionally by her mononym Fantasia, is an American singer and actress. She rose to prominence in 2004 for her performance of the Porgy and Bess standard "Summertime" during the third season of American Idol, and eventually became that season's winner. Following her victory, Barrino became the second artist after Lauryn Hill to have a debut single enter the Billboard Hot 100 at number one, when her song "I Believe" launched atop the chart. It went on to become the best-selling single in the United States that year.
Barrino's debut album Free Yourself (2004), was certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The album garnered three Grammy Award nominations, including Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for her recording of "Summertime". She went on to release the hit single "When I See U", from her eponymous second album (2006), recorded the duet "Put You Up on Game" with Aretha Franklin in 2007, and released later albums Back to Me (2010) and Side Effects of You (2013), with both peaking at number-two on the Billboard 200.
Barrino released her New York Times best-selling autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale (2005), which was adapted into a 2006 television film starring her. She portrayed Celie Johnson in the Broadway musical The Color Purple from 2007 to 2008, which earned her a Theatre World Award for Best Debut Performance. She reprised her role in the 2023 film adaptation, for which she earned nominations for a Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actress and won an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Motion Picture.
She has earned over a dozen top ten hits on the Adult R&B Airplay chart, with Billboard ranking her among the top female artists of the 21st century. Her accolades include two Billboard Music Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her single "Bittersweet", along with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2024, Time named her one of the 100 most influential people.
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