Fantasia Barrino on Her Personal Struggles After American Idol: ‘I Lost a Lot’ (Exclusive)

Fantasia Barrino talks about the tough times she went through after coming into the limelight.

After her victory in 2004 American Idol season three, Barrino, 39, faced financial difficulties and was sued by her father in 2006 over the way he was portrayed in her memoir Life is not a fairy tale. She also survived an aspirin and sleeping aid overdose in 2010.

“It wasn’t easy,” she tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue of the years since her win. The Grammy winner adds: “I lost a lot. I lost everything.”

Now, Purple star tells PEOPLE that it’s clear her early struggles stemmed from being “very, very green” when it came to navigating the music industry, Hollywood and fame.

Fantasia Barrino Says ‘Soulmate’ Husband Was ‘First Person To Call Me Beautiful’ (Exclusive)

“You have to become a business woman and connect with great business partners, but that has little to do with love. It took me a long time to understand that,” he admits.

“I didn’t know anything about contracts,” the mother of three continues. “I didn’t know anything about checking your money and making sure your stuff was where it should be every day. I simply believed and trusted everyone who came into my life.”

(Left to right:) Fantasia Barrino and Diana DeGarmo on “American Idol.” Photo by Frank Micelotta / Getty Images

Barrino — just 19 when she won a televised singing competition — describes herself at the time as “just a little girl from High Point, North Carolina, who loved to sing. She didn’t know anything about the industry. She didn’t know anything about, ‘Maybe should look like this, dress like this, talk like this, smile for the cameras in a certain way.’ ”

And, she says, “while I was singing for everyone else, I was actually singing my way and to some things.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Fantasia Barrino opens up about surviving an overdose: ‘I realized I had the spirit of an eagle’

However, Barrino adds, she sees that all those low points were “necessary.”

“I am grateful for that. … If I hadn’t gone through that, I wouldn’t be the woman I am today,” says the “I Believe” singer, who earlier this month was nominated for a Golden Globe for her lead role as Celia in Purple.

The latest take on Alice Walker’s 1982 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is an adaptation of the Tony-winning musical that premiered on Broadway in 2005. The Blitz Bazawule-directed film counts Oprah Winfrey and Steven Spielberg, star and director of the Oscar-nominated 1985 film, among its executive producers.

Fantasia Barrino in “The Color Purple”.

Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures

Color Purple It eclipsed box office predictions by earning the second biggest Christmas opening of all time

Barrino, who played downtrodden Celie in her 2007 Broadway debut, earned rave reviews for the film adaptation, which stars Taraji P. Henson, Colman Domingo and Golden Globe nominee Danielle Brooks.

“Celie and I have a lot in common when it comes to family situations, losing things, and feeling ugly and unseen,” Barrino tells PEOPLE.

“This looks like God’s promises, he will finally come to power,” she says. “I’m a fan of the Book of Job in the Bible. The business lost everything. Me too.”

For more on Fantasia Barrino, check out this week’s issue PEOPLEOut now.

Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education