Fantasia's fantasy comes true as the new 'American Idol'

Jet, June 14, 2004 by Marti Yarbrough

A day after she was named FOX network's new "American Idol," Fantasia Monique Barrino is exhausted and running on fumes following whirlwind of endless media attention. The self-assured singer, who normally has high energy, says that the overnight success is a fantasy come true, but admits that it is a bit overwhelming.

"It hasn't hit me yet," Barrino tells JET of her recent fame. "I haven't been able to just sit back and think, 'Gosh, I am the American Idol.' I've been so busy. I haven't stopped running since they told me [that I won.] But, it's cool. It's a good busy.

"I'm happy everybody likes me for being me."

Just two nights prior the High Point, NC, native beat 16-year-old Diana DeGarmo of Snellville, GA, in a vocal duel at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood that kept the nation on edge.

Barrino wowed the judges and the audience with her signature performance of Summertime. a composition by George Gershwin, which contrasted her shaky performance of All My Life, by R&B duo K-Ci & JoJo. She capped it all with I Believe, written by first-season "Idol" contestant Tamyra Gray.

The three judges of the contest, Paula Abdul, Randy Jackson and Simon Cowell, showered Barrino with accolades throughout the season. Cowell, the cynic, summed it up perfectly when he told Barrino: "I think you are, without question, the best contestant we've had in any competition."

In anticipation of high caller volume, FOX added additional phone lines and extended voting time. The action came in part after the call system received negative media attention from legendary performer Elton John, who labeled the w)ting audience for the TV show "incredibly racist," and after frustrated viewers complained of continually getting busy signals (JET, May 17).

A record 65 million viewers phoned and text-messaged their votes for their new "Idol." Previous "Idol" winners are Kelly Clarkson, whose debut CD Thankful has sold 2 million copies, and "Velvet Teddy Bear" Ruben Studdard, whose CD Soulful has sold 1.7 million.

Within 24 hours the final show revealed that Barrino had a 1.3 million vote edge over her competition and secured for her the grand prize of a recording contract, a new Ford Focus and a shot at stardom.

I Believe, the song that Barrino sang to close the third season finale, will be the first single she releases.

"I've always said I've been through some things, but I've worked hard to get where I am," Barrino said during her tear-stained victory speech. "Thank you all so much!"

At age 19 Barrino is the single mother of a 2-year-old daughter, Zion. and a high school dropout who doesn't make any excuses for her past. Instead she focuses on her future and hopes that her story serves as a positive example for others.

"I'm proud of myself. I've accomplished this and I'm soon to get my diploma," she said. "The school I'm in now lets you work at your own pace, and I don't have that much longer. I've always wanted my high school ring."

The unapologetic teen encourages women to stay optimistic about their situation, no matter what it may he. "If a young mom or a single mom Or anybody-period can look at me and say, 'Gosh, she did it. I feel like I can do it,' then I've accomplished what I wanted to do.

"Whatever your dream is: If you want to be a singer, teacher, doctor, lawyer or an artist, you can do it."

During the taping of "Idol," Barrino's mother, Diane, a minister, cared for Zion, and she will continue to do so while her daughter and fellow "Idol" contestants hit the road for a summer tour.

Grounded in gospel music as her only formal training, Barrino began singing at the age of 5 at Mercy Out reach Church of Deliverance, the church of her grandmother, Addle Collins, in Archdale, NC. It was there she learned to praise God in dance. Now she does the "Bobo"--known as her "victory dance."

A few years later she joined her father, Joe, a truck driver, her mother, brothers Ricco and Joseph, and a cousin as a member of the touring gospel group, the Barrino Family.

Despite recording demos and releasing CDs, the family singing group never reached star status. Instead of giving up, Barrino kept the faith and continued to pursue her singing career.

"I was singing at weddings, at funerals, wherever people asked me to sing," she explains. "I was a real mom struggling to make it so that my child could have the best."

After her "Idol" victory Barrino told reporters that she "always had a dream, always wanted to sing, and it seemed I couldn't get my foot in the door."

Those doors flew open from the moment she sang a few bars of Proud Mary at the "Idol" audition in Atlanta. This young woman who proudly proclaims she has "big lips and even bigger talent" had a soulful sound that made her stand out from 70,000 other contestants. But it is her distinctive voice and unique style that producers are banking on to separate her from other artists in the music industry.

This Southern girl is now where she always wanted to be. Soon she will begin working on her debut CD, which she hopes will be a "mixture of songs" that will appeal to everybody.