Fantasia Monique Barrino was born on June 30, 1984, or simply Fantasia, is an American pop, R&B, soul singer and Broadway / television 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 a commercial success, earning her four Grammy nominations and selling over 2.1 million copies. Barrino was also named the number-one artist of the Adult Urban Contemporary format for 2005 according to the December 13, 2005 Billboard Magazine.

Her second album, Fantasia, was released on December 12, 2006. On April 10, 2007, Fantasia began starring as Celie in the Broadway musical, The Color Purple.