From the outside looking in, it may seem that celebrities live lavishly with cooks, drivers and handlers at their disposal. But according to Fantasia, that’s a huge misconception, and people can look at her lifestyle as an example.
The singer stopped by “The Tammi Mac Show” on Monday and said she takes care of her own daily tasks. It was right after Mac commented on her fit appearance and asked if having money makes it easier to live a healthy lifestyle.
“Do you think it’s easier being a celebrity having access to chefs and cooks and money to be able to buy the things you need?” she asked.
“No, ’cause I’m regular. I don’t like the whole celebrity thing,” Fantasia replied. “A lot of artists that you see, they look like they have it and we smile and we come out and we put on a good show, but in real life some of them are struggling and we don’t have it. I’m just now building myself back up.”
“I lost everything twice,” she added. “So I cook my own food. I don’t need no chef. I’m from North Carolina, my grandma and my mama taught me how to cook. I cook my own food, I don’t have a chef. I go get my own groceries. I don’t have a driver, I drive my own car.”
Last month the “American Idol” alum dropped her new single “Enough” from her forthcoming album “Sketchbook” that she’ll release on her own record label. She also performed the cut at the BET Awards on Sunday night.
Tyler Perry, whom Fantasia called a good friend, attended the award show as well and was honored with the Ultimate Icon Award.
During his speech, the writer and filmmaker encouraged everyone to “Own your stuff, own your business, own your way,” and Fantasia said the message really resonated with her.
The 34-year-old also said Perry was there for her when she was financially down and out.
“Tyler Perry’s actually a good friend of mine,” she revealed. “He would call and check up on me. He was one of the ones, when I lost everything, he came and blessed me. And I thank him for that.”
“Everything he said last night is true,” she added. “You look around and you could be working for 10 years, you’ve got all these people on your team, you’re paying this person, that person, and you look up, and you don’t have no money in the bank because you’ve given it to everybody else.”