Acclaimed ‘queen’ of #RockSoul and R&B, and multi Grammy Award-winning recording artiste Fantasia Barrino jetted into Kingston last week for the 24th staging of the United States Embassy marquee cultural event, Blues on The Green, which celebrates African-American history month and the contribution of African-Americans to US society and the global community. Fantasia is in fine mettle as we catch up with her at Strawberry Hill, Jamaica Luxury Resort, Irish Town.

How does it feel to be in Kingston, Jamaica?…Feels really good to be here; it’s an honour to be here I’ve always wanted to come to Kingston. My first time in Jamaica was Montego Bay, but I’d always hear people say, you know, you gotta go to Kingston, taste the food there, the music and the clubs, so I’m honoured to be here and I can’t wait to perform.What are the three must-dos on your agenda?

How does it feel to be in Kingston, Jamaica?

…Feels really good to be here; it’s an honour to be here I’ve always wanted to come to Kingston. My first time in Jamaica was Montego Bay, but I’d always hear people say, you know, you gotta go to Kingston, taste the food there, the music and the clubs, so I’m honoured to be here and I can’t wait to perform.

What are the three must-dos on your agenda?

One is to go to the water, ’cause I think the water is beautiful; two is to eat great food; and three would be to drink a Red Stripe.

One is to go to the water, ’cause I think the water is beautiful; two is to eat great food; and three would be to drink a Red Stripe.What are we to expect from you at Emancipation Park?Expect honesty and truth and vulnerability. I go so deep into the music, and from my soul I sing what I feel and I don’t hold back. It’s not really a routine performance, it’s just the feeling, and because I’m in Jamaica and it’s so beautiful here, I think it’s gonna be taken to a whole ‘nother level, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m looking forward to taking the people with me on a musical journey, so I can’t wait.It’s a good 12 years since you won American Idol. If you knew then what you know now, what advice would you give yourself?

One is to go to the water, ’cause I think the water is beautiful; two is to eat great food; and three would be to drink a Red Stripe.

What are we to expect from you at Emancipation Park?

Expect honesty and truth and vulnerability. I go so deep into the music, and from my soul I sing what I feel and I don’t hold back. It’s not really a routine performance, it’s just the feeling, and because I’m in Jamaica and it’s so beautiful here, I think it’s gonna be taken to a whole ‘nother level, and I’m looking forward to that. I’m looking forward to taking the people with me on a musical journey, so I can’t wait.

It’s a good 12 years since you won American Idol. If you knew then what you know now, what advice would you give yourself?

Stand for what you really believe in musically, and always keep a team of people around you who will be honest, and tell you when you’re wrong and when you’re right. But I would have to say it’s being true to who you are, not letting people change you to what they want you to be and what they think you should be. It’s something that’s very, very, very important. I’m not gonna say I don’t love and enjoy the music that I’ve done, because I do, and they all mean something to me, it’s just something that, you know, when you’re an artiste, you hear certain things, you like certain things, and when you get with a label sometimes, you can’t do it the way you want to do it, so you just have to fight and stand for what you believe in so that everything you put out there is something that is dear to you and you can live with forever and ever.

What advice would you give to a burgeoning singer?

What advice would you give to a burgeoning singer?

Stay true to yourself and fight for what you really want. Stand for what you really want, and have a thick skin, you gotta have thick skin, ’cause you’re coming into a business where you’re wide open and people have the right to say how they feel, what they think, and you have to just, you know, have a thick skin and stand on what you believe in and not try to change yourself constantly because of what people want and what people think. You have to be hungry for it, you know because it’s not gonna come when you want it, it’s not gonna come as soon as you think it should be, but you can’t give up. I started singing when I was five years old, and I sang in the church, and after that I would go sing at weddings and different places where people would ask me. I wanted to sing before many people had the dream when I was little that I was on stage in front of thousands of people, and so I kept chasing after that dream. You have to keep chasing and be hungry for it and never give up.

How is married life? How are the children?

How is married life? How are the children?

Married life is great, especially when you’ve married your best friend. I went through many, many relationships that were not good for me, but I would have to say I’m grateful that I did, because now I know what real love is, and what it looks like, what to do and what not to do. It’s a job, you have to be patient and know that you and that person are different. The most important piece is when you have children, you have to make sure that that person will love those children as if those kids were his or hers, and that’s what he (Kendall) does. My kids, they’re getting big, Zion is 14 now, Dallas is four and I raise a niece, Asia, who is 16, and they keep me right where I need to be. They bring me joy when I’m out on the road too long and I need to get a filling or ‘re-up’ of joy and of peace and I go home and they give that to me. So I’m grateful and I thank God for my family, because I wouldn’t be able to do what I do now without my family.