Fantasia Barrino Drops New Album That Features 'All Genres Of Music'

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Fantasia Barrino has dropped her seventh studio album, titled Sketchbook, along with her new single Bad Girl. The American Idol winner says that “everything is different” on this album because it features “all genres of music” and she is feeling “pretty damn good” about life right now.

Barrino spoke with People Magazine, and revealed that her desire to cover different genres came from growing up with her family and her American Idol experience, plus her new found independence.

“I came from a musical family and a lot of people don’t know that my first cousins are K-Ci and JoJo from Jodeci,” explained Barrino. “They introduced us to great music at a young age. Then I went off to do Idol, we were allowed to do all genres. I was so here for it because that’s how I grew up. So my new thing is being independent and not having anybody standing in the way telling me what I can and cannot do.”

Sketchbook features 12 different songs, and Barrino says that each song is different, and they all have “a bop” to them. She explained that it is a “feel good album,” and it’s something her fans have never heard from her before. The 35-year-old took this route because she didn’t want people putting her in a box.

Barrino reached a point in her career where she decided that if she couldn’t do what she wanted to do, she was going to quit. She desired more creative freedom, so she walked away from her record label and decided to release her new album independently.

The singer has learned that she has to take full control of her destiny instead of putting it in someone else’s hands. When she was letting others control her, Barrino says she lost a lot. She explained that she would be away from her kids and out working with a tired voice and blisters on her feet, and when she came home she would discover that the people who were controlling things at home were taking “little pieces” from her.

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Now, Fantasia Barrino knows what she wants, and that includes a headlining tour, and she says she put everything together herself. The first show is on October 17th in Columbia, South Carolina, and the tour runs through December. Supporting acts include Robin Thicke, The Bonfyre and Tank.

Sketchbook is now available online and in stores.