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Thu. July 22.2004 12:00 AM EDT |
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Fantasia: Fantasy Becomes RealityAmerican Idol's third winner talks about the keeping her head straight onstage and jumping into Kill Bill 3 by VH1 Staff |
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(Fox) |
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When American Idol debuted, some shrugged it off as Paula Abdul's attempt to revitalize her career and Simon Cowell's attempt to start his. Yet somehow, lots of vocally-challenged hopefuls and a handful of talented amateurs have captured
Going into the third Idol finale, 19-year-old Fantasia Barrino and 16 year-old Diana DeGarmo were part of the fiercest competition yet. Viewers seemed divided between the two, with even Elton John having his say. But the call-in votes were the real deciding factor, and in the end Fantasia was chosen as the next Idol. Her home state of North Carolina rejoiced. So did her two-year-old daughter, Zion. With the success of previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard, the demands placed on participants seem to increase with every competition. But Fantasia wasn't sweatin' the pressure. She's been through too much in her life already. To her the stage is a place where she forgets about everything that bothers her. When you toss aside the judges, the competition, and the heel she broke right before her final performance, Fantasia is just a simple southern girl who happens to have been on a reality show. Being calm about it all has paid off – she's now got a high profile recording contract, a No. 1 single ("I Believe") and an album in the works. Fantasia spoke to VH1 Radio about how she wants to get along with everyone, thinks Simon Cowell is cute, and longs for a role in Kill Bill 3. VH1: Were you ever nervous while competing? That was my first competition and I didn't look at it as a competition. I just wanted to do my music. I would get a little nervous, but when I'm on that stage, if I'm going through something, it ain't on my mind when I'm out there. I'm just doing my music. VH1: What are you thinking when you perform? I always say to myself when I go out, "Somebody else might be going through the same thing that I'm going through. If this song can help me it can help somebody else." VH1: You sang "Summertime" from Porgy and Bess. Why did you choose that? I love that song. I'd never heard it and the guy that plays the keyboard for us was playing it. I was trying to find another song to sing, and it was hard. He started singing the words, and I was like "Oh! I can relate to it! I wanna sing that song!" VH1: Is it hard to find writers for your style? Not at all. Idol challenged me a lot. I did a lot of different music. I did a little Barbra Streisand. I did a little country. I didn't do rock, but I really wanted to do some of that. So now I'm gonna be working with a lot of pretty awesome people: Missy Elliot, Puff Daddy, Kanye West. I'm gonna do a song with Macy Gray just cause everybody thinks we're twins. It's gonna be really hot. VH1: What did you really think of Simon Cowell? I thought he was cute. I kid you not. He was real. I liked that about him. VH1: Of the Idol finalists, who were you closest with? Everybody. Me and Camile Velasco were really, really tight. She reminds me of a big [version of my daughter]. But, y'know, everybody from the South gets along with everybody. So they were all cool with me. VH1: You had your daughter when you were very young, but your family stuck by you and helped you through it. Oh yeah. My mom is very supportive. She's like an angel in my life. Before I went on [the show] I would go around telling people "I'm gonna go out and try for the Idol." They would say, "For what? You got a child." That's what a lot of our young mothers go through. They feel like because they have kids their life is over and they're just supposed to stop and sit at home all day. That's not true. We all have dreams. I said "I'm going out and I'm gonna show these people that young mothers can still be what they wanna." Everybody don't wanna be a singer. They might wanna be doctors, lawyers, teachers, wanna play some sports. Whatever it is they wanna do, it can be done. I'm a young mom. But I'm a hard-working young mom. And I'm going out to better myself. That's what I did. VH1: Is your daughter going to be the next American Idol? Yeah! She gonna blow momma out the frame. I already know it. I'm gonna go ahead and get mine in now. She's two years old. She can hardly talk but she can sing. I'll be like "Why don't you just sing what you're tryin' to tell me Zion? ‘Cause you can sing but you can hardly talk!" VH1: American Idol had a few celebrity judges, which ones were your favorites? I had two - [music mogul] Clive Davis and Quentin Tarantino. That was movie week when Quentin Tarantino was there and I wanna get in a movie. So I was like "I need to put my acting skills on, ‘cause Quentin Tarantino is here and I need to be in Kill Bill 3." VH1: Kill Bill 3 won't be out for a while, though. That's okay. Uma Thurman might kick my butt so I'm getting in my rehearsal a little early. VH1: Have you always wanted to act? I've been through a lot of things at a young age, and I have a lot of things to let out. So if somebody came to me and said, "We've got this movie that we wanna put you in about a young lady who's been through some things. Do you think you could do it?," I'd say "Oh yeah, I sure can," 'cause I've been through it. I've had my sad days and my good days. I'm pretty much a character. I would tell my mom "I'm gonna be an actor, mom." She'd be like "What do you wanna be?" and [I'd say] "Just everything, Ma. Just everything." |
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