There was just something special about Fantasia Barrino when I first saw her on American Idol. It was her spirit, her soul. She left everything on that stage when she sang. I thought, who is this girl? I voted for her again and again.

When I met her years later, I learned that she’s a Cancer—sweet and sensitive but with a quiet strength. You can feel it in her presence, and you can hear it in . When she sings, she transcends. It’s like she goes somewhere else and you just have to go with her.

Fantasia is a living testimony that we’re all going to go through storms. But at the end of a storm, what happens? The sun comes out. Whatever comes next for her will be so beautiful. She deserves everything. I see such big things for Fantasia—the sky’s the limit. Well, beyond the sky for her. It’s her time.

Henson is an Oscar-nominated actor

Order your copy of the 2024 TIME100 issue