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First Edition: April 2022
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Taylor, Fantasia Barrino, author. | Taylor, Kendall, 1941- author. | Beard, Hilary, author.
Title: No crowns in the castle : building a strong relationship and a harmonious life / Kendall and Fantasia Taylor with Hilary Beard.
Description: First edition. | Nashville : Worthy, [2022] | Summary: Leave your crown at the door. Fantasia Barrino Taylor-American Idol, Grammy-winning vocalist, and chart-topping singer-and her husband businessman Kendall Taylor were both successful and living in their purpose when they met and married three weeks later. Their marriage has had its ups and downs, but the one thing that has sustained them through all of it is the practice of taking off their crowns-the accolades, their egos, the things the world tells you matter-and serving each other within the home. It doesnt matter who you are in the world-you need to humble yourself and serve your partner in order to put your marriage, your family, and your faith first. Seven years later, after facing a host of real-world challenges-from marital stress to professional and financial pressures, to their high-risk pregnancy and the premature birth of their daughter-Fantasia and Kendalls marriage has become a beacon of hope and love as they have opened up about their lives in their weekly Taylor Talks broadcast. Now, in their first book together, Fantasia and Kendall dish about their shared experiences and struggles, opening up about the challenges and triumphs theyve faced together and how they have come out stronger for them. They also share stories about how theyve made their relationship work against all odds and why they try to always treat each other like royalty. In their trademark no-nonsense, real-talk style, they discuss topics that affect all relationships, including the importance of submitting to one another, handling conflict, clearing the lines of communication, keeping the romance alive, navigating the challenges of blended family, and how to maintain healthy relationships when you havent seen them modeled before. Insightful, wise, and grounded in faith, Fantasia and Kendalls story offers hope and encouragement and gives straight-up advice about making your relationships lastProvided by publisher.
Identifiers: LCCN 2021047745 | ISBN 9781546012634 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781546012627 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: MarriageReligious aspectsChristianity. | Pride and vanityReligious aspectsChristianity. | SelfReligious aspectsChristianity.
Classification: LCC BV835 .T39 2022 | DDC 248.8/44dc23/eng/20211206
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2021047745
ISBNs: 978-1-5460-1263-4 (hardcover), 978-1-5460-0270-3 (signed edition), 978-1-5460-0262-8 (Barnes & Noble signed edition), 978-1-5460-1262-7 (ebook)
E3-20220404-JV-NF-ORI
This book is dedicated to our mothers, Diane Barber and Donna Bouie. Through their countless and unselfish examples of sacrifice, these incredible women showed us the pure love that became the foundation upon which weve built an even greater understanding.
FANTASIA
I was promoting my most recent album, Sketchbook, at the end of 2019, when I was invited onto the morning radio show The Breakfast Club. I was excited to talk about the single PTSD. Sketchbook is very different from my previous albums. My past songs hadnt been exactly positive about men. I had been in bad relationships, and I wrote songs that reflected that truth. One of my most popular albums was called Free Yourself, and it was written to empower women to walk away from bad relationships:
If you dont want me then dont talk to me
Go ahead and free yourself.
I had so many broken people following me, and this song healed a lot of hearts.
But Sketchbook was a different kind of album for me because Im in a very different kind of relationship now. As I sit down to write this book, I have been married for almost seven years. When I first met Kendall, my husband, I saw in him everything I had been asking God for. And the longer Im with him, the more I know why God sent him to me. Im also in a different relationship with my music. Sketchbook is the first album I produced independently. That means I can make the kind of music I want. No more people telling me what I can and cannot do. That made me stupid excited about promoting iteven more than Id usually be.
Id never been on Breakfast Club before. Real talk, I wasnt exactly looking forward to going on. I thank God for my gift and my ministry, but I dont exactly love the music industry. After winning American Idol at age nineteen, I had been performing for fifteen years straight and everyone had been making money but me. My contract was structured so other people were making money on songwriting royalties and album sales; if I wanted to get paid, I had to perform. That meant Id had to function like a workaholic. Id spent too much time away from my children and had missed so many special moments. Id blown out both my knees. By the fall of 2019 I was bone-tired and needed to rest.
I was also afraid that Id make a mistake in the interview and end up on MediaTakeOut or one of the other gossip publications or websites and get roasted. So, I was nervous about going on-air.
But I love this album, and they promised theyd play my music, so I figured Id take a chance and go. I was ready to defend myself and my art. Music is my ministry.
KENDALL
I recall well the conversation that I had with my Queen, when she was first asked to consider doing the Breakfast Club interview. The hesitancy that my wife expressed was natural and to be expected. Shes a true soul singer with a gentle spirit and didnt necessarily fit the model of a typical B. Club guest, which has more of a shock jock format. Normally, doing the Breakfast Club interview wouldnt make sense, but in this case it did because PTSD, the single being promoted, had crossover potential; the benefit of presenting it to the hip-hop audience was undeniable. I personally watch many
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