Fantasia sings 'I'm Here' on Oprah

OMG. I just saw this in one of my favorite blogs, www.rickey.org. Fantasia is going to be playing the role of Celie in "The Color Purple" on Broadway starting April 10. She recently guested on Oprah and sang 'I'm here', the same song she performed in American Idol a couple of weeks ago.

Now I remember watching a video of that AI performance a couple of weeks ago and I thought to myself, 'Man, this woman really knows how to deliver such an emotionally charged performance, it's almost like she is putting everyone else on AI to shame.'

Then I saw her Oprah performance. The arrangement had been changed to make it even more stirring and heart-felt. And, my God, I was blown away even more!!!


(I didn't upload this video to youtube myself, it was uploaded by user peppa800)

I've re-watched and re-listened to this dozens of times already and it still moves me deeply each time. I read a comment that someone made on this video online that you watch it and you feel it in every fiber of your being. I couldn't agree more.

Kelly Clarkson may be the biggest-selling and most internationally successful Idol ever, and she may never be surpassed in that regard. Carrie Underwood's debut album is the highest-selling debut album by any Idol winner and she may end up being the most award-winning as well, with Grammys, Billboard, Country music and American Music awards trophies under her belt already. Jennifer Hudson has so much buzz attached to her name now with her role as Effie White in Dreamgirls, which earned her a Golden Globe and an Oscar award that you expect a lot more success to come her way. And Chris Daughtry's album has already sold 2 million copies (actually outselling winner Taylor Hicks by a mile) and selling more records than any other non-winner in AI history.

But for me, no one else in Idol history can dig as deep within themselves, deliver more emotion, bare more of their soul, and move people as much as Fantasia. There is an unmistakable truth to her performances that, to me, no one else can match.

I just hope that at some point in her career, she can come up with an album featuring songs like this one.