Fantasia Barrino, winner of the 2004 season of “American Idol,” opened up about how her life fell apart at the seams after she rose to fame.
Barrino said she faced significant financial stress following her big win on “American Idol” season three, according to an interview People published Thursday. The famous singer admitted her own father sued her in 2006 over how he was portrayed in her memoir, “Life Is Not a Fairy Tale.” The artist also revealed she survived an overdose after combining aspirin and a sleep aid in 2010.
“I lost a lot. I lost everything,” she told People.
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Barrino admitted to being “very, very green” when she became the show’s winner and admitted her rise to fame came with a number of struggles.
Navigating the music industry and entering her new world proved to be tough for the star.
“It wasn’t easy,” she said. “You have to become a businesswoman and you link up with great business partners, but it doesn’t have a lot to do with love. It took me a long time to figure that out.”
“I didn’t know anything about contracts. I didn’t know anything about checking your money and making sure every day your stuff was where it was supposed to be,” she told People.
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Barrino was only 19 years old at the time of her win and described herself as being “just a little girl from High Point, North Carolina that liked to sing.”
Speaking of her younger self, she noted, “she didn’t know nothing about the industry. She didn’t know anything about, ‘Maybe you should look this way, dress this way, talk this way, smile for the cameras a certain way.'”
Her sudden launch to fame was followed by some harsh life lessons.
“I just trusted and believed everybody that came into my life,” Barrino said.
Fantasia Barrino singing “I’m Here” during a table read for ‘THE COLOR PURPLE.’
In theaters from today. pic.twitter.com/jCJDSroT1x
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) December 25, 2023
The songwriter overcame the many challenges and seems to have now found her footing in the industry. (RELATED: ‘Suddenly, I Felt Free’: Former Child Star Admits To Addiction Issues Starting At Age 17)
“I’m grateful for it … If I did not go through that, I wouldn’t be the woman that I am today,” she said.
Barrino has recently been nominated for a Golden Globe award for her leading role as Celie in “The Color Purple,” according to People.