Fantasia Sings Gospel Music at the White House

On July 9, 2009, Fantasia Barrino performed gospel music at a White House reception hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama.

Introduction

Fantasia Barrino, an American Idol winner and Grammy-nominated R&B singer, gave a special performance of gospel music at the White House on Sunday.

The event was held in honor of Black History Month and featured several other musical guests, including Barrino’s cousin Shanice Williams, who stars in the Broadway musical “The Color Purple.”

In addition to performing two songs, “He’s All Over Me” and “The Blood”, Barrino also spoke about the importance of gospel music in her life and how it has helped her through difficult times.

“Gospel music is so powerful,” she said. “It’s always been there for me when I needed it the most.”

What is gospel music?

Gospel music is a genre of Christian music. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is composed and performed for many purposes, including aesthetic pleasure, religious or ceremonial purposes, and as an entertainment product for the marketplace. Gospel music usually has dominant vocals (often with strong use of harmony) with Christian lyrics. Gospel music can be traced to the early 17th century, with roots in the black oral tradition. Hymns and sacred songs were often repeated in a call and response fashion. Most of the churches relied on hand clapping and foot stomping as rhythmic accompaniment. Cheering also occurred during worship services. However, these rhythmic responses were eventually subsumed by other more educated musical responses within the black church.[1]

Node source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_music

Fantasia’s performance

Fantasia Barrino-Taylor, known simply as Fantasia, is an American R&B and soul singer-songwriter, television personality, actress and author. She rose to fame as the winner of the third season of the reality television series American Idol in 2004.Following her triumph, she released her debut single, “I Believe,” which debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fantasia has since released four studio albums, two of which received Grammy Award nominations. Her first album, Free Yourself (2004), went on to be certified Platinum by the RIAA selling over two million copies in the United States and spawned eight singles, including “Free Yourself,” “Truth Is,” and “Baby Mama.” Barrino’s sophomore album, Back to Me (2010), debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and featured the single “Bittersweet” which peaked at number one on the Hot Dance Club Play chart.

Reactions to Fantasia’s performance

The response to Fantasia’s performance was overwhelmingly positive, with many people calling it a “powerful” and “inspiring” moment. President Barack Obama even took to Twitter to praise the singer, writing that she “brought the house down” with her voice.

Conclusion

Fantasia put on an electrifying and inspiring show that unanimous earned her a standing ovation from the crowd. It was a moment that proved music really can transcend any situation or circumstance. It was also a moment that was a stark contrast to the current state of politics in America.