Last summer, R&B dynamo Fantasia Barrino took to the Petrillo stage at the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park and put on a performance that was the talk of the town. This year, the “American Idol” winner was back, but this time on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion st
Last summer, R&B dynamo Fantasia Barrino took to the Petrillo stage at the Taste of Chicago in Grant Park and put on a performance that was the talk of the town. This year, the "American Idol" winner was back, but this time on the Jay Pritzker Pavilion stage in Millennium Park as part of Sunday’s Gospel Music Festival.
The 24-year-old singer and Broadway sensation told the Defender that there was no conflict at all with her performing as a secular star and as a gospel songbird.
She grew up in the church, and like many–if not most–recording artists, gospel and secular, that is where she got her start. At age 5, she was singing in the choir and were it not for the opportunity she landed with "American Idol," she could have easily been as stellar a gospel singer as she is a multi-award nominated rhythm and blues standout.
Regardless of the song or the genre, “I’m doing what I was raised up on. Even doing R&B, I’m doing gospel. I still try to minister to somebody (in my music),” she said during a backstage interview with the Defender just before she performed at the 25th annual gospel fest.
“Church is in me,” she explained. Her grandmother was a church pastor and her mother, Diane Barrino, is an evangelist. Mother and daughter performed together Sunday.
In fact, she said, everywhere she goes “church folk say ‘you know you supposed to be doing gospel.’”
The NAACP Image Award winner said she’ll have a gospel song on her next album, which she’s in the studio now producing and plans to put out a gospel album after that one.
______
To read the rest of this article, subscribe to our digital or paper edition. For previous editions, contact us for details.
Copyright 2009 Chicago Defender. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
