Where is ‘American Idol’ Season 3 Winner Fantasia Now?
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In 2004, Fantasia Barrino won Season 3 of American Idol. She’s since released several studio albums under the name Fantasia, as well as acting on stage and screen. A lot has happened since she was crowned the winner, both personally and professionally.
Fantasia Won Season 3 of ‘American Idol’
When Fantasia auditioned for American Idol, she was a 19-year-old mother, having gotten pregnant at 16. She told the judges that she’d been singing for a long time, and she was “determined.” Fantasia sang “Killing Me Softly” and “Proud Mary.”
Throughout the competition, Fantasia performed such songs as “Signed, Sealed, Delivered I’m Yours” by Stevie Wonder and “Summertime” from the musical Porgy and Bess. She made it all the way to the finale, where she earned America’s vote and was crowned the Season 3 winner.
Fantasia’s debut single was “I Believe,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was performed by both Fantasia and runner-up Diana DeGarmo in the finale, and Fantasia gave an emotional performance of the song after she was announced as the winner.
In November 2004, Fantasia released her debut album, titled Free Yourself. It was nominated for three Grammys. In 2006, the singer starred as herself in a Lifetime movie based on her 2005 autobiography Life Is Not a Fairy Tale.
In 2007, Fantasia made her Broadway debut as Celie in the musical The Color Purple. That same year, she released a duet with music legend Aretha Franklin, called “Put You Up on Game.” Fantasia had previous portrayed Franklin on an episode of the TV show American Dreams.
SEE ALSO: ‘AMERICAN IDOL’ WINNER FANTASIA SCORES ROLE IN MOVIE MUSICAL OF ‘THE COLOR PURPLE’
Where Is Fantasia Now?
In the years since her American Idol win, Fantasia has released seven studio albums, including a Christmas album called Christmas After Midnight in 2017. She’s been nominated for 12 Grammys and won Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Bittersweet” in 2011.
In 2010, Fantasia appeared in a reality show about her life called Fantasia for Real, which ran for two seasons on VH1. She also returned to the stage in a Broadway production of After Midnight in 2013. In 2018, she performed at Aretha Franklin’s funeral.
Fantasia released her most recent studio album, titled Sketchbook, in 2019. She also recorded the theme song for the talk show Tamron Hall. It was recently announced that Fantasia will reprise her role as Celie in an upcoming movie musical adaptation of The Color Purple.
The singer has three kids. Most recently, she gave birth to a daughter named Keziah with her husband Kendall Taylor, whom she married in 2015. Fantasia shared that the couple had faced fertility struggles.
The couple also hosts a video series called Taylor Talks in which they discuss topics such as faith and relationships. Their new book, No Crowns in the Castle, is out April 26.
I LOVE Fantasia. She a POWERFUL singer and I always say SHE (as well as Jennifer Hudson) should be singing GOSPEL. I hope she keeps a low profile and keeps RISING IN HUMILITY and she’ll WIN no matter what. 💗 LOVE YOU FANTASIA STAY HUMBLE ❤
As incredible as Jennifer is, I was upset that Fantasia did not portray Aretha in the wonderful movie. However, Jennifer was magnificent.