Anastacia Lyn Newkirk (/ˌænəˈsteɪʒə/ AN-ə-STAY-zhə; born September 17, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter, producer and former dancer. Her first two albums Not That Kind (2000) and Freak of Nature (2001) were released in quick succession to major success. Spurred on by the multi-platinum, global smash “I’m Outta Love”, Anastacia was awarded as the ‘World’s Best-Selling New Female Pop Artist’ in 2001. Her commercial success continued with international hits such as “Paid My Dues”, “One Day In Your Life” and the official song of the 2002 FIFA World Cup, “Boom”. After recovering from cancer, she returned with 2004’s Anastacia which deviated from previous albums into pop-rock. Peaking at number one in 11 countries, it became Europe’s second-biggest-selling album of the year. Its lead single “Left Outside Alone” remained at number one on the European Billboard chart for 15 weeks and helped Anastacia launch the most successful European tour by a solo artist that same year. The album also provided another three singles: “Sick and Tired”, “Welcome to My Truth”, and “Heavy on My Heart”.
In 2005, the multi-platinum compilation project Pieces of a Dream was released, which spawned the chart-topping duet with Eros Ramazzotti, “I Belong to You (Il Ritmo della Passione)”. Her fourth studio album Heavy Rotation (2008) produced the songs “Absolutely Positively”, “Defeated”, and “I Can Feel You”. Her cover album It’s a Man’s World (2012) was followed by a sixth studio album Resurrection (2014), which reached the top ten of several European charts. Her Ultimate Collection was released in 2015 and peaked in the top ten of the UK charts, giving the singer her sixth top-ten album in Britain. In 2017, Anastacia released the studio album Evolution and its lead single “Caught in the Middle”. Anastacia has established herself as one of the best-selling international female singers of the 2000s and 2010s. As of 2016, she has reported worldwide sales of more than 50 million. She has had five top ten singles on U.S. Billboard’s Dance Club chart and three albums on its Top Album Sales chart.
Known for her powerful mezzo-soprano voice and her small stature of 5 feet 2 inches (157 cm), she has been dubbed “the little lady with the big voice”. She underwent corrective LASIK surgery in August 2005, although she still frequently wears the glasses for which she became noted when she first became famous.
During her life Anastacia has battled many health problems. She was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she was 13, breast cancer at the age of 34, and supraventricular tachycardia aged 39. In 2013, Anastacia was diagnosed with breast cancer for a second time. In recognition of her decade-long charitable efforts in breast cancer awareness, Anastacia became the second woman ever to be presented with the Humanitarian Award at the GQ Men of the Year Awards in 2013.
Anastacia was born in Chicago, Illinois; her late father Robert Newkirk (of German descent) was a club-singer and her mother Diane Hurley (of Irish descent) an actress on Broadway. Her parents split up when she was five years old. After her father (who had bipolar disorder) left the Newkirk family, they moved to New York City when she was a teenager. She enrolled at the Professional Children’s School in Manhattan. After graduation, she worked jobs at restaurants and hair salons while pursuing a career in the music industry.
Anastacia was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she was thirteen. Despite her ongoing health problems Anastacia continued to pursue her ambitions for the next decade. Anastacia started her career in 1983 as a dancer for hire. Her first claim to fame was as a professional dancer (dancer for hire), making regular appearances in the mid-1980s and early ’90s on MTV’s Club MTV. She appeared in two videos for American hip hop trio Salt-N-Pepa (“Get Up Everybody (Get Up)” in 1988 and “Twist and Shout” in 1989). In 1990, she started her musical career as a backing vocalist. She sang back-up vocals on pop star Tiffany’s New Inside album in 1990. In 1991, she featured in music video My Fallen Angel of Dominican singer/actor Coro. In 1992 she gained her first break as a solo singer on BET’s ComicView, singing Oleta Adams’ “Get Here”.
In 1993 she moved to Los Angeles to record the song One More Chance for the producer OG Pierce, it resulted however in no record deal. That same year the singer recorded a collaboration with David Morales called “Forever Luv”. Throughout the mid 1990s producers claimed to be intrigued by her voice’s unusual tone, Anastacia would be continuously told that ‘her sound just didn’t quite fit into any category’. In 1994, she sang back-up vocals on Jamie Foxx debut album Peep This, and in 1995 Anastacia sang back-up vocals on Paula Abdul’s third studio album Head Over Heels. By 1997, Anastacia had become a member of a band called The Kraze which she remained a part of until 1999. In 1997 she also sung in the background choir for Kurt Carr’s gospel vocal ensemble called The Kurt Carr Singers on their album No One Else. She had two duet songs with Cuban composer Omar Sosa in 1998, performing “Mi Negra, Tu Bombón” and “Tienes Un Solo” in 1999. Eventually in 1998, before turning 30, Anastacia attracted the interest of record labels after making the finals of the short-lived MTV talent show The Cut hosted by rapper Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes . Anastacia signed a contract with Daylight Records, a custom label of Sony Music Entertainment’s Epic Records in March 1999.
Anastacia met Lisa Braude (who later became her manager) in 1997. She encouraged her to join MTV’s talent show The Cut in 1998. She made her way to be one of the ten finalists, performing her own composition entitled “Not That Kind”. Even though she did not win the contest, she had successfully impressed some notable artists, such as Elton John and Michael Jackson as well as the show’s judges that included David Foster and Faith Evans. This afterwards led her to sign with Daylight, one of Epic’s labels, by March 1999. Backed up by leading American producer/writers, she released her debut album, Not That Kind on June 13, 2000. The album reached the top ten in eight countries in Europe and Asia. It went four times platinum in Europe and triple platinum in Australia; her debut single “I’m Outta Love” was a global smash hit in 2000, topping the charts in Belgium, Australia and New Zealand, peaking at number two in France, Switzerland, Italy and Ireland as well as also reaching number six both in Germany and the UK. In the U.S., it was only a minor radio hit. The second single “Not That Kind” reached number 11 in the UK[29] and became a top 10 hit in Italy. It also entered the top 20 in Switzerland and France.[30] “Cowboys & Kisses” was released as the third single from the album, charting in the top forty in some European countries. As the last promotional only single, “Made for Lovin’ You” charted in the UK at number twenty-seven and in France at number seventy-two. While “I’m Outta Love” was a top ten hit on the Hot Dance Club Play chart in the United States, “Not That Kind” did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100; however by the end of the year Anastacia would go on to be the World’s Best Selling New Female Pop Artist at the 2001 World Music Awards.
Not That Kind is the debut studio album by American singer Anastacia. It was released on June 16, 2000, by Epic Records and Daylight Records. The album features production by Sam Watters, Louis Biancaniello, Ric Wake, Evan Rogers, Carl Sturken, Rickey Minor, and The Shadowmen.
Not That Kind failed to make an impact in the United States, where it peaked at number 168 on the Billboard 200. Nevertheless, it was commercially successful overseas, reaching the top 10 on the majority of the charts in Europe and Oceania. By May 2002, the album had sold over seven million copies worldwide. (wikipedia)
As revealed in the multiple pictures in the CD package and in the video featured as part of the disc’s multi-media content, Anastacia is, in appearance, yet another teen dream with cascades of blonde hair and an exposed navel (though perhaps her ever-present, and ever-changing, spectacles are supposed to signal a higher intellectual content). But her musical models aren’t Britney Spears or Christina Aguilera, they are Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, and Martha Wash. Anastacia possesses a big, expressive alto voice that her many co-writers and producers (primarily Rik Wake;Celine Dion, Mariah Carey) and the team of ex-Color Me Badd member Sam Watters and Louis Biancaniello, though Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, authors of ‘N Sync’s “God Must Have Spent a Little More Time on You,” have two tracks) use in updated R&B, dance, and funk tracks. “I’m Outta Love,” which just missed topping the dance charts, is an aggressive dancefloor item, and its follow-up, the title song, is in a funk style reminiscent of Aretha Franklin’s ’80s work.
“I Ask of You” is one of those slow, deliberate big ballads that recalls “And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going” as well as that song’s singer, Jennifer Holliday. And so it goes. The only real misstep on the album is the inevitable Diane Warren adult contemporary romantic ballad, “Late Last Night,” which forces the singer to rein in her voice, though even then she doesn’t really negotiate its lyrical complexity. Despite her toothsome appearance, Anastacia may be too old school to break through in the U.S., though this album has been a commercial success overseas. (The American version has been altered from the foreign one, with a couple of tracks added and dropped.) But Macy Gray demonstrated that a broad audience may respond to an older style if the singer herself is distinguished enough. Anastacia doesn’t have the kind of unique timbre that Gray does — in fact, the minute she opens her mouth she starts reminding you of other singers, especially Aretha Franklin — but she is clearly a big talent, and that should count for something. (by William Ruhlmann)
Personnel:
Anastacia (vocals)
Rob Bailey (guitar)
Tom Barney (bass)
Louis Biancaniello (drums, keyboards)
Vernon Black (guitar)
Chris Camozzi (guitar)
Kevin Cloud (drums)
Luis Conte (percussion)
Russ DeSalvo (guitar, keyboards)
Chris Goercke (guitar)
Rayford Griffin (drums)
Gary Haase (bass)
Loris Holland (organ)
Herman Jackson III (piano)
Paul Jackson Jr. (guitar)
Bashiri Johnson (percussion)
Richie Jones (drums)
Eric Kupper (guitar, keyboards)
Ricky Lawson (drums)
Diane Louie (keyboards)
Rickey Minor (bass)
Chieli Minucci (guitar)
John “Noodle” Nevin (bass)
Leon Pendarvis (piano)
Carl Potts (guitar)
Carl Sturken (all insruments on 04., 09. + 12.)
Sam Watters (drums, background vocals)
Steve Wolfe (drums)
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violin:
Ann Leathers – Belinda Whitney-Barratt – Joel Pitchon – Regis Iandiorio – Shirien Taylor
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background vocals:
BeBe Winans – Audrey Wheeler – Craig Derry – Cindy Mizelle – Evan Rogers, Katreese Barnes – Kevin Owens – Valerie Pinkston – Keith Fluitt – Nicky Richards – Rob Mathes- Sam Watters – Audrey Martells – Barbara Laurie – Angela Brusegar – Sharlotte Gibson -Lynn Davis – Lynne Fiddmont-Linsey – Valerie Pinkston – Katreese Barnes
Tracklist:
01. Not That Kind (Anastacia/Wheaton/Young) 3.21
02. I’m Outta Love (Anastacia/Watters/Biancaniello) 4.03
03. Cowboys & Kisses (Anastacia/Jive/Pennachio) 4.41
04. Who’s Gonna Stop The Rain (Rogers/Sturken) 5.00
05. Love Is Alive (Wright) 4.07
06. I Ask Of You (Anastacia/Watters/Biancaniello) 4.27
07. Wishing Well (Jive/Rich/Bieck) 3.58
08. Made For Lovin’ You (Anastacia/Watters/Biancaniello) 3.36
09. Black Roses (Anastacia/Rogers/Sturken/Ruffin) 3.37
10. Yo Trippin’ (Anastacia/Potts) 3.35
11. One More Chance (Anastacia/Pierce) 4.39
12. Same Old Story (Anastacia/Rogers/Sturken) 5.32
More from Anastacia:
The official website:
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