* Born: 30 June 1984
* Birthplace: High Point, North Carolina, USA
* Best Known As: 2004's American Idol winner

Fantasia Barrino was 19 years old when she became the 2004 winner of the TV talent show American Idol. Singing soulful classics week after week for a panel of judges led by Simon Cowell, Fantasia survived the competition to be named the winner on 26 May 2004. Like previous winners Kelly Clarkson and Ruben Studdard, her reward was a heavy dose of media exposure and a record deal. After a summer tour across the United States, she released her debut album, Free Yourself, in November of 2004. Fantasia was assisted on Free Yourself by hip-hop star Missy Elliott.

She may have won with her version of American Idol's 2004 single "I Believe," but it was her passionate take on George Gershwin's "Summertime" that had everyone talking weeks after she had performed. That she delivers teen pop and classics from the American songbook with equal conviction is a testament to the versatility of singer Fantasia Barrino. Confident to the degree you could consider her brash, Barrino seemed an unlikely candidate to take the teen-oriented show's title at first glance, but with her dynamic gospel-tinged voice that never failed her, she not only became the Idol judges' obvious favorite, but the American public's, too.

Born and raised in High Point, NC, Barrino fell in love with music through the recordings of Monica, Brandy, Aretha Franklin, Pink, and -- in keeping with her diversity -- Aerosmith. Being a 19-year-old single mother and an Idol finalist had some of the media mumbling and sneering, but the always-certain Barrino paid no mind. Becoming a mother at the age of 17 had focused Barrino and given her the strength and drive to audition for the show in Atlanta. Out of 70,000 hopefuls, Barrino earned her way to the top by adjusting her style to whatever genre was thrown at her. Upon beating runner-up Diana DeGarmo, Barrino's first words as American Idol 2004 were "I broke my shoe!" Numerous appearances on talk shows and a cameo on the television show American Dreams -- playing the role of her beloved Aretha Franklin -- followed. Barrino made history when she became the first artist in history to debut at number one with her first single, "I Believe" -- written by Idol alum Tamyra Gray. J-Records released her full-length debut, Free Yourself, in November of 2004.