Fantasia Barrino Gets Emotional as She Celebrates 39th Birthday with Oprah Winfrey and 'The Color Purple' Cast

Fantasia Barrino celebrated her 39th birthday in a very special way — and with some very special people!

The actress and singer was surprised with a cake and serenaded by her The Color Purple costars Oprah Winfrey, Taraji P. Henson and Danielle Brooks while the trio attended the 2023 Essence Festival in New Orleans. Winfrey, 69, shared a video of the touching moment on her Instagram page Friday.

Barrino could be seen beaming and clapping as Brooks, 33, and Henson, 52, walked toward her carrying the cake while dancing and singing a rousing rendition of "Happy Birthday." As the song went on, the American Idol alum got visibly emotional, with tears running down her face, especially when Winfrey stepped into the frame and embraced her.

"We love you. We love you so much," said a voice from off camera as Barrino blew out her candles.

"Our Celie in the new @thecolorpurple, turned 39 today — so we had to celebrate it while part of the Purple family is at @essencefest 🥳🎂🎉 @daniebb3 @tarajiphenson @essence," Winfrey wrote.

Barrino is making her feature film debut Celie in the upcoming new movie musical adaptation of the Alice Walker novel. Brooks portrays Sofia and Henson plays Shug Avery.

Halle Bailey, David Alan Grier and Louis Gossett Jr. also star in the film, which is produced by Winfrey, who starred as Sofia in the 1985 movie opposite Whoopi Goldberg as Celie.

Warner Bros. released the first trailer for the film back in May, offering the first glimpse of Barrino in character. A press release for the trailer called the movie a "bold new take on the beloved classic" about "the extraordinary sisterhood of three women who share one unbreakable bond."

At CinemaCon 2023 in April, Winfrey described overseeing the new production as a "full-circle moment" that "holds great personal meaning" to her.

"The Color Purple in 1985 was the biggest and most important thing that ever happened to me and continues to be," she said on stage. "Now we're doing a brand-new version that could only come because of the most perfect director" in Blitz Bazawule, who made his directorial debut with 2018's The Burial of Kojo.

Winfrey and her friend Gayle King, 68, visited the movie's Georgia set in April and recounted how emotional the experience was for the pair in a post for OprahDaily.com.

"I unexpectedly burst into happy tears at the very first sight of the gifted Danielle Brooks, who played Sofia on Broadway and now in this reincarnation. It felt like the baton was truly being passed on in one of the most special moments in my life. We both hugged and ugly cried together," Winfrey wrote.

"When Gayle and I saw the cast perform the finale, we couldn't help but give a standing ovation," she added. "We nearly ruined the scene with our clapping and screaming, but they were so incredible, it felt like we were at a concert."

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

The Color Purple hits theaters Dec. 25.