CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Fantasia Barrino's journey to the big screen started in nearby High Point, North Carolina. She started singing in a church led by her grandmother and mother at a young age.
At just 14 years old, she dropped out of high school, and when she was 17, she found out she was expecting a child. Two years later, struggling to make ends meet, she auditioned for American Idol and ended up winning it all in 2004.
Not long afterward, she released her debut album "Free Yourself," and she wrote a New York Times bestselling memoir entitled "Live Is Not a Fairytale."
“I think that God gifted her," Barrino's mother Diane said. "He put a call on her life to be able to bless others through the gift that he has given her."
However, things were far from rosy. In an interview with Variety Magazine in November 2023, she said, "my life was in shambles."
In 2007, she played the character Celie in the Broadway production of "The Color Purple," and the role forced her to deal with her own trauma which included violence and sexual abuse.
"I could let go of every man that's ever put his hands on me," she told Variety. "I freed myself from that."
Sixteen years later, she's now a wife, a mother and a Grammy Award-winning singer who is playing the same character on the big screen. She said she hopes her performance can be an inspiration to others.
“The healing that takes place in the end, Celie forgives Mister," Barrino shared. "When you watch the movie, you'll see why I said that. I want people to leave this movie and call people they haven't talked to in a long time. Life is short."
She brought that sentiment home on Dec. 23, 2023. The stars were out when she hosted a screening for her family and friends in Charlotte for her new movie.
“It means more to me than to be in LA, Miami, Atlanta, New York," Barrino explained. "We are right here in the Queen City."
Her friends were beaming at the event.
“I’m proud of her, man," singer and songwriter, K-Ci told WCNC Charlotte. "She deserves it. All the flowers she's getting. God just keeps blessing her and blessing her, man."
“Winning [American Idol] to here, this is another one of those big milestones,” record producer Jazze Pha shared.
As she walked down the purple carpet, a few tears of joy streamed down her face.
“To bring this back home, sharing this with all my friends and my family means the world to me," Barrino admitted. "I’m trying not to cry my makeup off."
At this point at 39 years old, Barrino said life is good.
“I want them to see [that] baby, you can be whatever you want to be,” she said.
"The Color Purple" stars many recognizable faces, including Taraji P. Henson as Shug Avery, Colman Domingo as Albert "Mister" Johnson, H.E.R. as Mary "Squeak" Agnes, Jon Batiste as Grady, Deon Cole as Alfonso and David Alan Grier as Rev. Samuel Avery. It's already won multiple awards, including four African-American Film Critics Association Awards and nine Black Reel Awards. Danielle Brooks, who plays Sofia, is also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Contact Nick Sturdivant at nsturdiva1@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
If you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, help is readily available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Resources for help are available in both North Carolina and South Carolina.
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