Fantasia Barrino is “writing a new chapter” of her life. The singer and actress graced the cover of Elle magazine’s “Women in Hollywood“ edition Nov. 30. Inside, The Color Purple star opened up about the trials and tribulations that she has faced on her rocky climb to stardom.
Barrino feels like she’s been given a second chance at fame after battling an abusive relationship and almost losing her life following a suicide attempt.
“This Tasia is different,” the Grammy Award-winning star, who is gearing up to make her on-screen debut as Celie in The Color Purple, told Elle magazine writer Danielle James. “It feels like Idol all over again—except that I’m a woman, and I get it.”
This time around, Barrino is doing things “the right way” and “with the right team.” The Broadway star also gave a shout out to her “king,” Kendall Taylor, for supporting her along the way. “I’m in a better state of mind. I’m ready for Hollywood now. I was not ready for Hollywood when I was 19.”
After winning Season 3 of American Idol, Barrino was thrown into the musical spotlight full force, but the star grew overwhelmed by the intense work required to maintain her success.
“I gigged for 20 years straight. Can you imagine being onstage just about every day the way I perform? Why is it that I ended up broke twice, with nothing? They took it all, they took it all. And I was taking care of my whole family,” the “Free Yourself” artist told James of the money woes she endured during the early days of her career.
Barrino’s money misfortune came as she was battling through an abusive relationship. “I was out here vulnerable, thinking that every man that says they love me loved me. I’m in abusive relationships, getting my ass whooped. I’ve been spit on. My life is so much like Celie’s.”
Reflecting on the hardships of her life, Barrino revealed that she bawled her eyes out while practicing a scene from The Color Purple with her co-star Ciara and other film members. The scene led to an intense healing moment for the North Carolina native.
“I started asking them, ‘How would you all feel if you haven’t seen your sister in years? Matter of fact, you don’t even know if your sister is alive. You think your children dead; you done gave up all hope. And all of a sudden, girl, they show up.’ That’s like somebody just on the ground just hollering, balled up, thanking God,” she described of the emotional scene. “It happens in different ways for different people —especially in that time. It was hard back then. I said, ‘You guys need to just let us tap into what we need to tap into.’ So, for me, that moment there was a…I don’t know if you remember. I kind of cried out. It was like a wail.”
Barrino added, “That was the moment for me. That one wail, I just needed to let it out because I did get everything back that I lost. Look, if I could just let you into my world for a day, you’d be too tickled. I got everything back that I lost.”
Happier and wiser, Barrino has a lot of exciting projects that are coming down the pipeline. The star will release a new wine line and hopes to design gowns soon. “I’ve decided to put time into creating,” she told James during her interview with Elle.
Congrats to Fantasia Barrino!
RELATED CONTENT: Fantasia Seeks To ‘Break Generational Curses’ By Enrolling At HBCU Central State University
