Fantasia Barrino rose to fame with the third season of American Idol in 2004, winning the title. Since then, she has been the first artist to debut at number one, has been nominated for eight Grammy Awards and is currently touring with the musical version of The Color Purple. Windy City Times discussed how her life really is a fairy tale.
Windy City Times: Hi, Fantasia. I am excited about The Color Purple tour coming to a few select cities—and Chicago is one of them! Tell our readers about your road to playing the role of Celie.
FB: Miss Celie—I speak about her because she has become a friend of mine, you know. She's close to me now. I have been playing her for going on two years. First of all, I had never done Broadway. I had never seen a Broadway play. I used to ride by when I was doing live shows or going in and out of J Records. I was so curious because they would show parts of it outside on the screen and I loved the movie.
One day, when I was going up to see Clive Davis, he invited me to the show. I got on my new pumps and went to see it. I was blown away! The singing, the acting, the production—it was just like the movie and beautiful. Afterwards, Scott, the founder of the show—his group took me out to eat, and they were cool, Jerry, they were bubbly and they were nice. Him and Gary Griffin, who worked with me on acting, sat me down and after dinner they pulled out this paper. And the picture on the paper was a big marquee with my name on it. And I go, "This is so pretty. Can I have this?" And Scott said, "Yes, you can have it if you be my Celie."
WCT: How did you feel?
FB: I thought, "Why did they pick me?" I have never done Broadway. I had only acted in my Lifetime Channel movie where I played myself. I thought, "Why me?" I said, "Are you serious?" And they said, "Yes, we think that you are our next Celie." I told them to give me a couple of days because I don't like to jump into anything. I went home and thought about it. After reading the script, I knew why they wanted me to play it. I related so much to the part.
WCT: Do you see Celie in yourself with your struggle against education?
FB: The thing that I found out about Celie and about me is something I have to clear up. Once I put my life story out there I knew there were going to be people that say some things or crack some jokes. When you put your business out there in the streets, there will be people that don't agree with some things or think they are funny. I put it out there to be a testimony to so many people's lives that have been through the same things that I went through, including Celie. It's been going on for years. However, I am not a dummy. I dropped out of school in the ninth grade. That was a decision that I made—a poor decision, but something I chose to do. With Celie, she was not a complete dummy, either; her sister taught her some things before she left. Her sister wanted to be a missionary so she sent her letters, Celie could read her letters because Nettie had taught her. Celie learns a lot through her journey. I can relate to her so much. I can go into her shoes and speak to what she would say. I know it sounds crazy, but she is me.
WCT: Well, what about the whole lesbian aspect? [ Barrino laughs. ]
FB: You like it better in the play?
WCT: Well, it is much more [ closer ] to Alice Walker's book in the musical version, as opposed to the Steven Spielberg version, don't you think?
FB: They don't speak that much about the whole relationship. I don't think [ Celie ] was a lesbian—it was that Shug Avery was the first one who showed her what real love was. She experienced love through this woman. [ It was ] her first kiss that meant something. Even if it had even been a man, Celie would have been blown away by that: "Oh my God! This is love? This is what I have been hearing about? This is why Mister has been running around the house trying to look all clean for Shug because he loves her!"
WCT: Are you going to be in the musical movie version?
FB: Well, there's a lot of talk about it. I pray and hope. I would be honored to do it. We have had a lot of great Celies, including Miss LaChanze, who was the founder of it, won a Tony and blew everyone's socks off. It would be a challenge. I've been doing the part this long. She's become my sister, doggone it, so I might as well!
WCT: Has Whoopi Goldberg seen you in the role?
FB: No, she hasn't. I would probably be nervous and tell them not to tell me if she came.
WCT: Your third CD is coming out in 2010, correct?
FB: Yes. I miss my music so much. That's, of course, my first love. I am ready to put out my album. I have so many things to talk about. I have been away for a while. I will always be an open book with my life, but I sing from my soul. I sing what I go through and I put it all out there. There are so many people that love that, who want to hear some encouraging stuff. They want to hear the real deal. This album will have nothing but the real stuff on it. How I am as an artist now and how I have grown. I guess that's what makes us artists.
WCT: What can you tell our readers about it—any special guest stars or producers?
FB: I have worked with a lot of great people [ such as ] KP, which is the young guy who did "Green Light" with John Legend. I have got some Cee-Lo on my album, whom I loved right away.
WCT: I also heard Missy Elliott is on the CD.
FB: Yes! I always have to work with Missy because she gets me all the way. It's going to be good, it's going to be different. It's going to be a new Fantasia, who has grown. I have become 25. Yes, that's young, but I have been through some things. I have a daughter that's about to be eight years old. I am enjoying my time on Broadway but I am ready to get back to my music.
WCT: And you are doing a reality show surrounding this new album?
FB: Yes, I call it a VH-1 documentary. It's about my family and my life. What happens when the lights go off, me being a mother, going back to school to get my diploma—I want everyone to see that. I want that to reach a lot of young people. School right now is my biggest message because I dropped out and it was a silly mistake that I made. I want to be an example for people's lives. Before you know it, I am going to be a Delta. That's my goal to pledge Delta, after getting my diploma and going to college.
WCT: I don't know how you do it all.
FB: I don't, either! But I am an Energizer Bunny. My voice is being heard and people are listening. I am doing everything that I have ever wanted to do. I am a rebel; when you say, "no," I am going to say "yes." You say, "blue," I say "green."
WCT: Well, now you say "purple." [ Laughs ]
FB: Before I did The Color Purple, I did gay Pride in LA, the biggest one. I had so much fun and I left the message. The message was live your life. Let nobody stand in the way of your destiny and control who you are. We all are different people. We all love different. We all see it different. So I believe in living my life and going after everything that God has for me.
WCT: I just got goosebumps. Well, you have tons of gay fans here as well.
FB: Heyyy. Make sure you tell everyone that I said, "What's the T, baby?"
"Shug Avery ( is ) Comin' to Town" along with the Celie and the rest of the cast to the Arie Crown Theater, 2301 S. Lake Shore, Wed.-Sunday, Sept. 2-6. Tickets are $49.50 to $85 each; call 800-745-3000 or visit www.ticketmaster.com .
