Fantasia loves stardom but misses home
By Darla Atlas
Knight Ridder News Service
When you get so famous you no longer require a last name, you get the perks but also pay a price.
Associated Press library photo • June 2004
Fantasia, the artist formerly known as Fantasia Barrino, opted to drop her last name after her "American Idol" crowning in May. Unlike some stars who would rather forget fame and focus on their "craft," Fantasia is giddy from all the attention. This is the woman who, on the show's Web site, said her personal goal in life is "to be a star before I die." Done.
"American Idol" winner Fantasia has had no downtime since winning the competition in May, recording her single and being on a concert tour.
Right now she's getting her first taste of touring the country as a celebrity. The American Idols Live concert features the top 10 finalists singing songs they performed on the show as well as new material.
Although Fantasia has had no downtime since winning her title, recording her single "I Believe" (which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June) and now touring, she says the hard work is worth it.
But she also misses her old life at times — and especially Zion, her 3-year-old daughter.
"I'm going to see her for her birthday," says the singer, now 20. "She's not able to travel with me now, but on my own tour after this, I want her to be there."
Before winning the fame lottery on "Idol," Fantasia, a single mom, says her days typically revolved around her little girl.
"My grandmother had her own daycare, and me and Zion would go there a lot," she says. "We'd go home and watch movies — we did that all the time."
Life now is bit more hectic than hanging out on the couch with a toddler.
"It's a lot more different — I don't get to spend as much time with her," she says in a phone interview last week from Cleveland, where she was performing in concert with the "Idol" also-rans. "I miss her. I call my mom and say, 'Hi, can I speak to Zion, please?' I can hear from her voice how she's growing up."
There's no need to ask about the downside of fame, because it's clear that for Fantasia, this is it. "I'm away from her all the time, but I do have another child here, a big child, and that's Camile Velasco," she says of the 18-year-old "Idol" contestant from Hawai'i. "There are so many things Camile does that remind me of my baby at an older age. We're like best friends."
She says the singers on the tour get along, they're all supportive of each other and catfighting is kept at a minimum. And concertgoers shouldn't expect to simply see an extended version of "Idol" on TV, she adds.
"It's totally different," she says. They've had a lot more time to practice. "And you don't have to worry about people critiquing you, telling you that you're not good."
Fantasia's "Idol" victory has spawned other gigs, including a role on an upcoming episode of NBC's "American Dreams" as Aretha Franklin — not a big stretch, since she was compared to the legend by "Idol" judges. Her CD is set for release in November, and she's begun working with musical big shots such as Missy Elliott and Sean "P. Diddy" Combs. Fantasia's career is now the stuff of her fantasies.
When she's out in public, "people come up and say, 'I feel like I know you,' and I say, 'Well, you do!' "
They also know how much love she received from the judges on the show. Her performances made record-label legend Clive Davis gush and Simon Cowell forget to be rude.
"I always just kept a smile on my face, and I always thank God," she says. "I didn't want to take it to the head. The whole time on the show, I'd pray and say, 'Thank you for all the blessings going on in my life.' "
Those blessings include the first car she's ever owned, financial security for her family and extra toys for Zion.
"I used to like baby dolls, but she doesn't really play with them," she says, adding that Zion is getting a much-coveted Barbie Jeep for her birthday. "She likes movies, pocketbooks, microphones and cell phones. I have a kid that's totally different from how Mommy was."
Looking back on her leap to the top of the fame ladder, Fantasia says it wouldn't have happened had she listened to a few "negative thinkers" in her life. They told her she couldn't win the show, that she shouldn't even try, that she was, after all, a single mom.
"I don't know why people think that when you have kids at a young age, you might as well give up on your whole life," she says. "You want a better life for your child, too. I've fought for this."
