Fantasia Barrino is walking into a new chapter.
The singer and “The Color Purple” actress shared a spirit of readiness at age 39, a feeling that she did not have when she entered the entertainment industry at age 19 as the ultimate winner of “American Idol.”
“This Tasia is different,” she told Elle. “It feels like Idol all over again, except that I’m a woman and I get it.”
She added, “I’m in a better state of mind. I’m ready for Hollywood now. I was not ready for Hollywood when I was 19.”
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With the right team by her side and new found confidence, Barrino is not only set to make her splash on the big screens alongside an illustrious cast, she has announced a new venture —a wine business, which follows receiving her sommelier certificate.
According to The Court of Master Sommeliers, the certification ensures an individual is qualified in “deductive tasting, wine & beverage theory, and both technical as well as salesmanship skills in table-side service.”
“I have a wine coming out. I went back to school, so I got my sommelier certificate because I didn’t want people to think that I was just a Black girl putting my name on a wine to try to make money,” Barrino explained. “I really love the process of it, and I also love to drink it because it’s good. I love the process of wine. I fell in love with it when my husband took me to a winery and I felt like, this may sound crazy, but I kind of felt like my life was like what wine has to go through—the pressing. I wanted to know more about it. We’re coming out with a red wine; we’re coming out with a rosé.”
