Fantasia Barrino

R&B singer and American Idol vet Fantasia blames a tumor on her throat for a series of missed dates and cancelled appearances during her stint on Broadway in September's issue of Sister 2 Sister. "The tumor that was on my throat would make me very tired," says Fantasia who recently sat down with Sister 2 Sister magazine's Jamie Foster Brown for a candid interview. After well received performances in the Broadway adaptation of ‘The Color Purple' Fantasia says she began to feel tired, worn out and even endured performing with blood in her mouth, unbeknownst to the singer – she had tumor in her mouth. "I kept telling them that I'm getting very tired. It was like I couldn't get enough sleep. And sometimes onstage, I could taste blood. I had braces on, so [I thought] maybe I'm biting my lip or I'm biting something in my gums or something. But I would taste blood every now and then." Speaking candidly with Brown about her ordeal during and after the Color Purple Fantasia says "I had to have a surgery. I had a tumor--he said it was a cyst, and before I went under the knife, he came out and told my mother--he said, "The joker was bigger than I thought it was ... ." No talking, no singing, but after that six weeks I had so many things that I had so much time to sit and think and I had so many ideas." With the tumor gone and with new management, Fantasia says she is ready to take the next step – acting. "I was like, give me some scripts so that I can read [for] the movies." The singer has already been tapped for one of OprahWinfrey's upcoming projects and is reading for others. For more on Fantasia's story check out Sister 2 Sister Magazine's September issue where Fantasia talks more about the tumor, her deal with 19 recordings, relationship with Young Dro and more. In related news, Fantasia will join Dionne Warwick and Joss Stone next month for "UNCF Evening With The Stars: A Tribute To Patti Labelle."