Fantasia Barrino won the third season of American Idol in 2004. Since winning the prized title, Fantasia has made a name for herself in the R&B world, musical theater world, and has won many awards.

After winning American Idol, Fantasia released her debut CD, “Free Yourself,” which included the single “I Believe.” The single debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which made Fantasia the first artist in history to achieve this with a first single. “I Believe” then spent 11 consecutive weeks at number one on the sales charts, giving it the longest consecutive stay on top of that chart for an American Idol contestant. The CD single of “I Believe” was the top selling single of 2004 in the U.S. and went double platinum. Fantasia received four Grammy Awards for “Free Yourself.”

In 2007, Fantasia starred as Celie in the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.” Fantasia received rave reviews for her performance and even performed at the 2007 Tony Awards. In 2008, Fantasia returned to the American Idol stage to perform during a Season 7 results show.

Currently, Fantasia is working on a new album. She has also been cast by Oprah Winfrey to play Celie in the movie version of “The Color Purple.”

Happy Birthday, Fantasia!

Watch a video of Fantasia discussing her album and “The Color Purple.”