Many remember Fantasia as the winner of the third season of American Idol and a talented R&B artist. The singer is about to make a major career move, though—Fantasia is starring in the upcoming movie adaptation of The Color Purple.
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Fantasia’s Music Career
Fantasia competed on American Idol, impressing the judges and viewers with her singing talent. At age 19, she was the youngest American Idol winner the show had seen to date (a 17 year-old Jordin Sparks later took the title in 2007).
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She released her debut album, Free Yourself, in 2004, which scored three Grammy nominations. Fantasia continued to make music, working with big names like Aretha Franklin and Missy Elliott.
Her History With ‘The Color Purple’
In 2007, Fantasia joined the cast of Broadway musical The Color Purple as Celie, the lead character. The musical is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1982 novel of the same name. It was also made into a movie in 1985, starring Whoopi Goldberg and directed by Steven Spielberg.
Fantasia received rave reviews for her performance as Celie, and in 2008, she revealed that she had been asked to reprise her role for a movie version of the musical. As discussions continued about the movie’s production, the singer stayed busy.
She played Celie in the traveling production of The Color Purple, starred in her own reality show, Fantasia For Real, and won her first Grammy award in 2011 for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Bittersweet.”
The Upcoming Movie Will Be Her Movie Debut
Fantasia was offered another movie role in 2011, playing legendary gospel singer Mahalia Jackson in a biopic. However, the project fell through, and the singer did not get to make her big screen debut.
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Many had forgotten that the musical version of The Color Purple was still in talks to get made into a movie, but it was recently announced that Fantasia would reprise her role as Celie in the upcoming film.
This marks Fantasia’s first movie role, and it’s expected to launch the singer into a new level of fame. The movie is slated to hit theaters in December of next year, and the cast boasts big names like Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Jon Batiste, Ciara, and Halle Bailey. Longtime fans of Fantasia are excited to see her make her movie debut—and ready for the rest of the world to recognize her talent!