Fantasia Barrino - Barrino Boycotted Grammys Over Franklin Snub

The former American Idol winner won her first Grammy for Best Female Vocal Performance but wasn't there to pick up the honour.

Barrino called in to BET's 106 & Park show on Monday (14Feb11) to explain her reasons for staying away from music's big night.

She said, "They were honouring someone who is my idol, Aretha Franklin, and there is no way I could have sat there and not got the happy feet and wanting to jump on the mic because she is my favourite, so I felt like, you know, at the end of the day I should have been on that stage, so, I kind of did my own little thing last night."

But she was thrilled to win a Grammy after 11 nominations: "Actually I scared my daughter because I just bust out and started crying, and she thought something was wrong with me. You know it's been a long time coming."

Christina Aguilera, Yolanda Adams and Jennifer Hudson were among the divas who saluted an absent Franklin at the Grammys.