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When we met Fantasia on American Idol around 2004, she introduced us to her daughter, Zion, who at the time, was only about three years old. As Fantasia’s career progressed, glimpses at her daughter were less and less, but every now and then she would appear, including while playing a younger version of her mom in the video for “When I Met You.”
If you were wondering how she’s been doing, Zion Quari Barrino turns 18 today, and the “Lose to Win” singer celebrated her baby girl with a few candid videos and photos, as well as a walk down memory lane.
“I can’t believe my Nugget is the Big 18th,” she wrote, “all week you have been reminding me that you’re about to be Legal and it only made me sad! Where did the time go Poo? You grew up to be such a Beautiful Young Lady. I remember the day my water broke-OMG!! It was the scariest feeling in the world. We lived in Winston Salem at the time and Papa Joe had left the house for a second and so I called the ambulance. Zi, I was terrified because I was so young and I wanted to give you the world but I didn’t know how I was going to do it. You came a lil early and at the time I was thinking it was because you were either nosey (lol) or you heard all my cry’s [sic] and felt you needed to come on out and protect me. Now I see it was the protection part and still to this day you go hard for Mommy!”
“August 8-8-01 was a Perfect Day. Now I want you to Go be Great for Mama and know I’ll move Many Mountains For You Baby Girl,” she added. “It’s a Real Ones Birthday Help me celebrate the one who changed my Life.”
Fantasia became pregnant with Zion when she was 16 with her ex-boyfriend, Brandel Shouse, and the two had a dysfunctional relationship. A big part of her story coming into the business was the struggle it was raising her alone, and Fantasia was actually inspired to do a song about her journey in “Baby Mama.”
“There was some controversy when I was on American Idol because I was a single mom,” she told the Baltimore Sun. Some people think ‘Baby Mama’ is promoting sex and all that. It is not, and it’s not saying it’s cool to be a single mom. I’m talking about what we go through to raise those kids: the sacrifices, those struggles to get diapers and everything else. Those child-support checks don’t be nothing when you got to feed those kids every day. I have had to get out here and work ’cause my child needs things. Fantasia has love for all the baby mamas out there struggling. [The song] is an anthem.”
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As you can see, all the struggle and sacrifices Fantasia made have paid off royally, as Zion, despite being a celebrity kid, has managed to stay grounded and now reached adulthood. Seriously, where did the time go?
