Readers of That Grape Juice know what avid music lovers we are – especially of hits past.
So, as our retrospective features ‘From the Vault’ and ‘TGJ Replay’ allow us the chance to re-spin the gems and jams of yesterday of one artist, our newest feature Chart Rewind – a variation of our current Retro Rewind assay – accedes salutes to an entire era of music history.
This week we’ll jet back to ‘I Believe’ – the inspirational inaugural release of 2004 ‘American Idol’ winner Fantasia Barrino (known mononymously today). Launched this week 12 years ago, the tune made an impressive debut at #1 on the Hot 100 – standard fare at the time for winners of the juggernaut reality singing competition. Temporarily disrupting the reign of the year’s biggest success story – Usher (and the hits found aboard his blockbuster album ‘Confessions’) – ‘Believe’ only lasted atop the singles chart a week before the Grammy winning crooner reclaimed the spot.
To date, the soaring single may be songbird’s only flight to the Hot 100’s perch, but in 2016 it’s clear the purpose it served: to introduce the world to the magnificent vocalist that is Fantasia. Today, unlike many of her fellow ‘Idol’ alums, the world is still singing her songs (and her praises).
Rewind with us back to 2004 where it all began for the North Carolina-born beauty:
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