After storming the charts with her empowered single ‘I’m Outta Love’ in 2000, Anastacia became the toast of soulful dance pop.
Her distinctive voice, singular sass, never-say-die attitude and trademark look of crop tops and tinted glasses immediately offered her a seat at the table alongside the era’s defining divas. But her story has been one of comebacks and powering on against the odds.
Raised in New York City, Anastacia Lyn Newkirk took note from her parent’s careers as a club singer and Broadway star as she set her sights on stardom herself. While studying at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan, she was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease at the age of just 13. In the face of her illness, Anastacia was unwavering in her pursuit, carving out a career as a dancer from the age of 15 and featuring in two Salt-N-Pepa music videos in the 80s.
The next decade proved to be littered with setbacks. Anastacia later recalled: “For years, I had been told that I should get contacts and ditch the glasses, that I was too in-your-face, the list goes on.” Though, it was her idiosyncrasies that the music world would eventually embrace – and her singular talent.
‘I’m Outta Love’ became a global hit upon its release on 13 June 2000, topping the charts in Australia, Belgium and New Zealand, peaking at number six in the UK. Her equally emancipating follow-up ‘Not That Kind’, her debut album’s namesake, was also a major hit. Anastacia’s 2001 sophomore album, Freak Of Nature, harnessed the adoration she’d been grinding for all the years prior, laying bare her personal history with autobiographical singles such as ‘Paid My Dues’ and ‘One Day In Your Life’. She was even appointed to sing the official anthem for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, in dance pop rocker ‘Boom’, then asked to join peers Cher, Céline Dion, Shakira, Stevie Nicks and Mary. J. Blige for a one-off VH1 Divas Las Vegas concert that same year.
Then personal disaster struck once again: Anastacia was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 when her career touched the stratosphere. Though her harrowing experience inspired her rock-indebted comeback album in 2004. Led by single ‘Left Outside Alone’, Anastacia’s bravery and bullish attitude ensured her eponymous album became her most critically acclaimed and best-selling album ever.
The smokey, dark timbre and sheer power of Anastacia’s voice has solidified her place in the public consciousness ever since, releasing a total of eight studio albums – including 2014’s Resurrection after recovering from a second bout of breast cancer. Having strutted her stuff on Strictly Come Dancing in 2016, Anastacia later won the third season of The Masked Singer Australia in 2021.
Bringing it back to her breakthrough, Anastacia announced the ‘Not That Kind’ tour in 2025 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of ‘I’m Outta Love’, including dates across the UK at the London Palladium, the Royal Concert Hall in Glasgow, Manchester’s O2 Apollo and more.