*This year celebrates the 20th anniversary of Fantasia Barrino’s victory on Season 3 of “American Idol” in 2004, where she stole hearts with her soulful performance of “Summertime.” The superstar has partnered with renowned music director and producer Adam Blackstone to reimagine the iconic track, now available for streaming on all platforms.
“For me, going back to ‘Summertime,’ it means a lot because that’s the song that made people change their mind on me. When I first was on ‘American Idol,’ you’re thinking someone who’s clean, polished, who has somewhat of a perfect story, and I do not have that,” Fantasia told AFROTECH. “I was already a young mom. I had already been speaking about how I got there.”
Blackstone added, “I think for both of us, it opened our eyes to show how we can get incredible music and incredible recordings done, not necessarily in the traditional way,” he explained.
“We were able to not only do ‘When I See You,’ but follow it up with ‘Summertime.’ I’m just so excited [because] I’ve been seeing people online just go crazy based off of her evolution of the song, my take on the arrangement, and producing the song,” he added “And it just fits so many so many idioms: R&B, soul, jazz, show tune. We can show our versatility on any stage.”
In addition to her recent musical endeavors, Fantasia enrolled at HBCU Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, in 2023 to pursue a business degree, Vibe reports. That same year, she earned her sommelier certification, recognizing her expertise in wine tasting, beverage knowledge, and sales for table-side service, according to AFROTECH.
“I got my sommelier certificate because I didn’t want people to think that I was just a Black girl putting my name on a wine to try to make money,” Barrino explained.
“I really love the process of it, and I also love to drink it because it’s good. I love the process of wine,” she added. “I fell in love with it when my husband took me to a winery and I felt like, this may sound crazy, but I kind of felt like my life was like what wine has to go through — the pressing. I wanted to know more about it. We’re coming out with a red wine; we’re coming out with a rosé.”
The singer-songwriter has also ventured into a candle line business and a swimwear collection under the Addie’s Place name, in honor of her late grandmother, Addie Collins.
“Now I’ve got to go in and master all my other businesses, which is my candles, my downline that I’m coming out with, the wine. I went to school. It took me three times to pass that test, but I needed to break that generational curse,” Barrino said.
“I needed to start with something that I was interested in, and that’s just what I did for myself so that I won’t just leave this earth and say, ‘She was gifted. She could sing.’ But what is my legacy, and what am I leaving behind, and what is the story that I’m telling? So that’s kinda how I got into other businesses.”
READ MORE FROM EURWBE.COM: Fantasia Launches Entertainment Company with Artist Manager Yvonne McNair
