Fantasia Says 'American Idol' Producers Told Her Not to Talk About Her Daughter on the Show
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Fantasia is recalling the days she was forbidden to talk about her daughter on American Idol. The singer revealed that the producers of the show convinced her to not mention her daughter during her time in the competition.
Fantasia Says Daughter Talks Made Her Lose Votes on American Idol
During her interview with USA Today, Fantasia revisited her journey on season three of American Idol. Apparently, while she won the show, the singer revealed that her views didn’t always coincide with the producers input regarding the image she must portray on television.
For those who may not know, Fantasia was already a mother when she joined the singing competition show. This was something she didn’t want to hide, but she was warned not to share about so much. As per the producers, it would allegedly cause her to lose votes.
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“They would come to me and say, ‘Hey, maybe don’t speak so much about your daughter,’ because I was young. I wasn’t quite giving off the Idol vibe,” she said.
Fantasia’s journey ahead of Idol was nothing less than traumatic. Hailing from High Point, North Carolina, The Color Purple star was sexually violated when she was 14. Following, she had to quit her studies, and when she turned 17, she got pregnant. At the time, Fantasia didn’t think someone would bet on her.
“I was the girl who could sing and was supposed to grow up and do something with my life,” she said. “But when I moved out, started hanging out with the wrong people, and got pregnant, people were like, ‘She ain’t goin’ nowhere now.’ I’d lost myself.”
While she felt like everybody had given up on her, she nonetheless refused to give up on herself. She headed to Atlanta to join American Idol, became the last person to have auditioned at the Georgia Dome, and eventually won the competition.
Her Journey on the Show Wasn’t Easy
Fantasia knew that her background wasn’t ideal. However, she didn’t believe she should conceal some aspects of her life from the camera.
“I had a hard time in the beginning of the show,” she said. “Some of the voters didn’t like the fact that I had dropped out of school and had a baby out of wedlock. How could I be a role model for their kids?”
Despite so, the singer thought it was injustice to her daughter if she was excluded from her Idol story.
“I wanted people to see me,” she said. “Yes, I had a child at a young age. Yes, I dropped out of school. I’m here with my gift and my future looks bright – maybe you can’t see it, but I can.”
Now, Fantasia is already a mom of three to Zion, Dallas, and Keziah. She’s also navigating a successful career, being the lead of musical drama The Color Purple.
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