FANTASIA STANDS TRIUMPHANT WITH THE #1 R&B ALBUM IN THE COUNTRY!

[New York, NY – May 1, 2013] Fantasia continues to win this week as her fourth studio album, Side Effects of You (19 Recordings/RCA Records), debuts at #1 on Billboard’s R&B Albums chart, #2 on the Top 200 Albums chart and #4 on the Top Digital Albums chart, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The selling success of Side Effects of You marks Fantasia’s second #1 R&B album  (Back To Me debuted at #1, Free Yourself at #2, Fantasia at #3) and her second #2 Top 200 album debut (Back To Me debuted at #2, Free Yourself at #8, Fantasia at #19).

Leading the way for the chart-topping debut is the hit single “Lose to Win” which currently claims the #4 spot on the Urban Adult Airplay chart.  Fantasia’s follow up single, “Without Me” featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott, is the most added single at Urban Mainstream this week.

Critics are championing Side Effects of You with rave reviews. The Los Angeles Times describes the new album as a “disc of sumptuous contemporary R&B dipped in vintage rock and soul,” while Billboard states “More international in flavor and more adventurous than earlier outings, Side Effects of You gives Fantasia the chance to fully show off her vocal versatility.” The Associated Press summarizes that Side Effects of You “reminds us exactly why she captured our hearts to win 2004’s ‘American Idol.’”

Since winning American Idol, Fantasia has proven to be one of the most engaging and exhilarating live performers of this generation. The 28 year-old Grammy Award winner captivated television viewers with recent performances on American Idol, Good Morning America, The View and Centric Live: Fantasia at the Fillmore; mesmerized radio listeners during her SiriusXM Heart & Soul “Up Close & Personal” performance; and left the sold-out audience awestruck at her New York City Beacon Theatre concert.

More about Fantasia: In 2004, the High Point, North Carolina native became the season three winner of Fox’s American Idol. Later that year, Fantasia released her platinum-selling debut album Free Yourself and became the first artist in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart to debut at #1 with her first single, “I Believe.” Fantasia’s second single, “Truth Is,” spent 14 weeks at #1, making her the first singer to simultaneously have two of the top three songs on the Billboard chart. Fantasia’s 2006 eponymous second album featured the #1 R&B single, “When I See U,” and reached gold status. In 2010, Fantasia released the critically acclaimed Back To Me, which featured the hit single “Bittersweet” that earned her first ever Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Song. Back To Me debuted at #1 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart and #2 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart, and marked Fantasia’s first #1 R&B album and her highest Billboard Top 200 chart ranking. In addition to being a mainstay in music, Fantasia adds author and actress to her growing list of accomplishments. In 2006, she released her New York Times bestselling memoir, Life Is Not a Fairytale, and starred as herself in the Lifetime movie of the same name. In 2007, Fantasia landed the coveted role of Celie in Broadway’s The Color Purple for which she won a Theater World Award.

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