January 10, 2007 News & Views » Cover

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Fantasia 

The user-generated interview

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What have you learned about singing, performing and stage presence since recording your albums? -- Kelle Jolly

I've learned to figure out what the people like, what the people want to hear. They come out to have a good time. They want to hear good music. And I would say that music has changed from how it used to be. I'm 22, but I was raised up on a lot of old-school music. Me and my brothers, to this day, if we go to the store, we get DVDs of old-school singers and the shows they used to do back in the days; I watch and study up on that and see how they did their thing. I do an old school medley in my show -- we do Aretha Franklin, Chaka Khan and Prince. And people love to hear that old school! I guess from going on tour and seeing how people react to certain things, that teaches me a lot. And just knowing that I'm allowed to go out and be myself. I don't have to hold back. I was raised in the church, so whenever I hit the stage I like to take it "there." So now, I get out there and give people good music.

click to enlarge STRIKE A POSE: "Miss" Fantasia - RANDALL SLAVIN

How do you make new friends now that you are a celebrity? -- K.J.

Easy, because I talk to everybody. That's how I make a friend.

But do you only hang with celebs?

I mean, I don't hang with a lot of celebrities. I talk with Missy Elliott and Lil' Mo. But I still go home. I still live in Charlotte, so I still have my same friends there. At the end of the day, you never know what somebody's purpose is. So I hang with, roll with, people I used to roll with back in the day.

Do you think the stunt at last year's BET Awards -- where you and Jamie Foxx traded spit for a few long seconds -- went too far? -- LeRoy E.

No, I don't. Nope, I'm sorry sir, but I don't. Really, like, before I went he had told me he wanted to give me some sugar. And everybody was like, "Jamie wants to kiss you on the stage." I can say the kiss got a little intense. It was more than what we planned, but I enjoyed it.

If you didn't win "American Idol," what was your "Plan B"? -- L.E.

Oh, that's crazy -- because I didn't have a Plan B. So, I thank God the doors opened for me. Music was always everything. I sit down and talk to people who are still trying and they're not giving up. If you really love something you won't ever give up. They come up to me and they're like, "here's my CD. I've been singing for this long. I'm still grinding." That's all that's in your head. And that's all that was in my head: music, music, music. I probably would still be in Greensboro singing. Anytime somebody asked me to sing, I'd be there singing. Because that's all I know. I grew up on that. At the age of five, my Dad put me out there. I really didn't know much about it but as I kept singing, singing, singing, it became my love; it became my everything.

I heard you opened a day spa in Charlotte. Is that true? -- Chef Renee

I have a hair salon. It's called Imaj, and it's a hair salon/spa so you can, like, get your nails and feet done, and you can get a massage. You come there and you can get pampered. I went into partnership with one of the Panthers [Mike Minter].

Was it your idea to get braces? -- K.J.

Yep it was ... because I smile a lot. I smile a WHOLE lot. I have a big wide smile! At a young age, I always wanted to get them, but I could not afford them. So, after I won, I said "I want to have a pretty smile." People always told me I had a pretty smile, but I wanted to fix my teeth so it would be prettier. So it was my idea.

When handling the business side of your music, how do you deal with men who want to mix business with pleasure? -- Sabrina

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