Anastacia

Infobox Musical artist
Name = Anastacia


Img_capt = Anastacia performing during her 2004 European tour
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Anastacia Lyn Newkirk
Alias = The Little Lady With The Big Voice,
The Queen Of Pop Soul
Born = birth date and age|1968|9|17
Chicago, Illinois, flagicon|USA U.S.A
Voice_type = Soprano
Genre = Soul, Pop rock, Pop, R&B, Funk
Occupation = Singer, Songwriter, Fashion designer, Producer, Philanthropist
Years_active = 2000 — present
Label = Daylight / Epic (2000–2006)
Mercury / Universal (2008–present)
URL = [http://www.anastacia.com/ The Official Site of Anastacia]

Anastacia (born Anastacia Lyn Newkirk on September 17, 1968 [Chrissy Iley (August 24, 2008). [http://www.fabulousmag.co.uk/celebs/celeb_anastacia_issue_030.php Anastacia Bares All] . "Fabulous Magazine UK". Prior to this she was represented as born in 1973 in mainstream media, eg [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2099-1825959,00.html Trials of Anastacia] at "Times Online" and [http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1765:2182/1/Anastacia.htm Anastacia] at The Biography Channel. Accessed 2008-08-24.] ) is a multi-platinum American singer and songwriter. Anastacia has been highly successful in Europe, Latin America, Oceania, Asia, South Africa and Australia but has not had as much success in her native United States. Despite the lack of American success, she had sold over 20 million albums by 2005.

Anastacia is world renowned for her edgy, soulful voice and is famous for her ability to hit powerful notes in a full voice range well into Soprano tessituras. Her small stature (160 cm or 5'3") has also led to her being nicknamed "The Little Lady with The Big Voice". She was also known for her trademark glasses (often darkly tinted), but she had surgery to correct her vision permanently in August 2005.

She made headlines when diagnosed in 2003 with breast cancer. On April 21, 2007 she married her bodyguard of three years, Wayne Newton, in Mexico.

Early life and career beginnings

Anastacia was born in Chicago, Illinois into a showbiz family: her late father Robert Newkirk was a club-singer and her mother Diane Hurley an actress in Broadway musical theatre. She also has Russian origins. After her father left the Newkirk family, they moved to New York City when she was a teenager. Then she enrolled at the Professional Children's School in Manhattan.

Anastacia soon became interested in dance despite being diagnosed with Crohn's disease when she was thirteen years old. She first gained prominence stealing the show from D. L. Hughley while he was hosting BET's "Comic View", singing Oleta Adams' "Get Here" in 1992. During the early 1990s, she appeared regularly on "Club MTV" and in a couple of videos for rappers Salt-N-Pepa.TheBiographyChannel.co.uk (September 2006). [http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biography_story/1765:2182/1/Anastacia.htm Anastacia Biography] , (accessed 2006-09-09)] In 1999, she attracted the interest of record labels after making the finals of MTV talent show "The Cut". Anastacia signed a contract with Daylight Records, a custom label of Sony BMG's Epic Records in March 1999."The Cut" was hosted by Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of R&B and hip-hop group TLC. A then-unknown Anastacia finished in second place, but impressed Lopes and the show's three judges so much that she scored herself a record deal anyway.

Recording career

Not That Kind: first steps

Her debut album "Not That Kind" was released in 2000. The album was a huge success, reaching the top ten in eight countries in Europe, Asia, and Oceania. It went quadruple platinum in Australia spurred by the success of her debut smash "I'm Outta Love" which was the most popular single of the year in that country for 2000. "I'm Outta Love" topped the charts in Australia, peaked at #2 in France and also reached number 6 in both the UK and Germany. In The US, it was only a minor radio hit. The second single "Not That Kind" reached number 11 in the UK and was a big hit all over Europe and the rest of the world. "Cowboys & Kisses" was released as the third single off the album, charting in the top 40 in some European countries. As the last single, the only promotional meant single "Made for Lovin' You" charted in the UK (27) and France (72).

While "I'm Outta Love" was a Top 10 song on the Hot Dance Club Play, "Not That Kind" did not chart high on the Billboard Hot 100.

Her second album, 2001's "Freak of Nature" achieved respectable sales although it did not match the level of international success of "Not That Kind". The album title derives from a nickname her mother called her.Fact|date=March 2007 The first single released was "Paid My Dues". The second single, "One Day in Your Life", reached number 11 in the UK and the top 10 in many European countries. The next single "Why'd You Lie to Me" reached the top 30 in the UK. "You'll Never Be Alone", the 4th single, reached #28 on the Adult Contemporary chart in the U.S. When the album was finally released in the United States in May 2002, she dedicated the album to Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes,Fact|date=February 2007 who had died in a car wreck the month before. Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes was partly responsible for Anastacia's success, since Lisa hosted MTV's "The Cut" where Anastacia got her first break. Soon after she released a double disc edition featuring two bonus hits, remixes for three of the tracks on the album and two live tracks taken from a Japan gig that was performed on the September 13, 2002.

Anastacia joined Celine Dion, Mary J. Blige, Cyndi Lauper, Shakira, Cher, Dixie Chicks and Stevie Nicks for "VH1's Divas Live" in 2002 and she also contributed the song "Love Is a Crime" to the "Chicago" soundtrack.MTV.com (January 21, 2003). [http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1459603/01212003/anastacia.jhtml Anastasia Diagnosed with Breast Cancer] , (accessed 2006-09-09)] The song peaked at #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart and enjoyed moderate airplay on Rhythmic/Dance format. Anastacia was selected to sing the theme from 2002 FIFA World Cup: "Boom".

Cancer diagnosis

In January 2003, Anastacia decided to have her breasts reduced because of back strain. From a routine mammogram for the surgery she discovered she had breast cancer. She immediately started and successfully completed surgery and radiotherapy.Reuters article (no longer [http://go.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=entertainmentNews&storyID=9560449&pageNumber=1 available] at reuters.com), used at
*Badger Herald (March 4, 2003). [http://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2003/03/04/pop_singer_anastacia.php Pop singer Anastacia undergoes cancer surgery] , (accessed 2006-09-09)
*WNDU-TV-16 (March 5, 2003). [http://www.wndu.com/entertainment/032003/entertainment_18844.php Pop singer Anastacia undergoes cancer surgery] , (accessed 2006-09-09)] Anastacia subsequently established a fund, the "Anastacia Fund",TimesOnline.co.uk (October 23, 2005). [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/article578429.ece Trials of Anastacia] , (accessed 2006-09-09)] to promote awareness of breast cancer amongst younger women.

She has attributed her health scare to being an inspiration for the sound and content of her third album. According to an interview she made in 2005 on a British music station The Box, her voice lost its power and she became unable to record and thus she spent a long time writing and trying to create a sound she would be finally happy with.

Anastacia: the creation of "sprock"

As she said on "Rove" (Australia) in 2004, she wanted to have more edge to her vocals as she felt there was something missing from her previous works. She brought in many rock instruments which brought a new atmosphere to her music. She also felt that she still needed the funkiness and the pop as the singer felt that too much edge would sound wrong with her voice. Out of this a new sound was formed. She describes her sound as "sprock" - a combination of soul, pop and rock. She named the album after herself.

Anastacia entered record studios in September 2003 to begin recording her next album, working with Glen Ballard, Dallas Austin, and Dave Stewart for release in 2004. On the album, Anastacia also collaborated with P.O.D. lead singer Sonny Sandoval on the socially-conscious track "I Do".

The first single, released in March, was "Left Outside Alone", which saw a change in direction for Anastacia."Anastacia" proved to be a smash hit reaching the top of the album charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the Netherlands, Australia, Greece, Germany, and Italy and number 2 in Portugal and Spain. "Left Outside Alone" proved to be equally successful reaching number 1 in Australia, Spain, Italy, Austria and Switzerland; number 2 in the Netherlands + Germany, number 3 in the UK and reaching the top 5 on the composite European chart. Strong airplay throughout Europe gave the song a Top 40 Charts world airplay ranking as one of the top five songs played on top 40 radio stations throughout the world in April 2004. Unlike her first two albums, which were released in her homeland of America, "Anastacia" was not, despite being scheduled for release on three occasions. "Left Outside Alone" was released twice, but failed to pick up heavy airplay. It only gained sporadic Adult Contemporary and Hot AC format airplay. Again, it sparked Rhythmic/Dance format airplay and the dance mix of "Left Outside Alone" peaked at #1 on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play. After the original version of "Left Outside Alone" failed to catch on because of lukewarm promotional pushes, especially on radio, the album was postponed and eventually cancelled after the release date of August 30, 2004 passed. It was the 10th best selling single of 2004, with points of over 4,500,000 millions copies sold [Cite web |title=United World Chart: Tracks - Countdown 2004 |url=http://www.mediatraffic.de/tracks-2004.htm |work=United World Chart |publisher=Media Traffic |accessdate=2008-03-05] . for breast cancer).

A small batch of "Anastacia" the album was released with a bonus DVD, Anastacia poster and slip case. The DVD includes "Making Of Anastacia", "2002 Europe Promo Tour" and a photo gallery.

Live At Last: hitting the road

From September 2004 to August 2005, Anastacia went on a "Live at Last Tour". By 2005 the tour was renamed the "Encore tour".

In late 2005, she released her first greatest hits collection, called "Pieces of a Dream", named after a track of the same name. The album spawned the hit singles "Pieces of a Dream" and the duet with Eros Ramazzotti "I Belong to You", which was a huge hit in Europe, charting and peaking in the top ten in almost all the European countries. Even though Sony BMG did force her to release this collection, Anastacia says she is happy now that it was created as it was like a "story book", or summary of the first five years of her career.

Not long after the release of "I Belong to You", Anastacia released her first live DVD "" on March 27, 2006 in Europe. The DVD contains footage from concerts in Berlin and Munich. It includes music videos to her four singles ("Left Outside Alone" [US version] , "Everything Burns" [with Ben Moody] , "Pieces Of A Dream" and "I Belong to You", with Eros Ramazzotti), five alternative videos (I Do, Rearview, Seasons Change, Underground Army and Time) to songs from her self named album, and a documentary about the tour.

Heavy Rotation: new beginning

Anastacia attended the memorial "Concert For Diana" on July 1, 2007, which would have been on Diana's 46th birthday. This was one of the first major events to take place in the new Wembley Stadium, and one of her first major appearances since she took a break from the industry. She opened the medley section of the show and she sang a rendition of "Superstar", from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Jesus Christ Superstar, with a gospel chorus behind her.

In August 2007, a video was put on the "Anastacia by S. Oliver" web site. During the video, when Anastacia was asked about her future plans, she confirmed that she was working on a new album as well as the clothing line. A specific month of release or title was not mentioned. [August 2007 video on the Anastacia section of the "Anastacia by s oliver" website: http://www.anastaciabysoliver.com/] In November 2007, her biography on the official Anastacia website [http://www.anastacia.com/bio.html Biography page] Official Anastacia web site.] was updated to say there will be a new album in 2008, with a tour to follow.

On July 24, Anastacia announced that her long awaited fourth studio album "Heavy Rotation" will be released October 27, 2008 in Europe and Asia (and elsewhere in 2009). The new album will feature collaborations with producers Ne-Yo, The Heavyweights, Lester Mendez, JR Rotem and Rodney Jerkins. The album's first single, called "I Can Feel You", began playing in some radio markets on August 25, 2008. [http://www.mtvasia.com/News/200808/21016468.html Anastacia Is Back With Fourth Studio Album 'Heavy Rotation'] . (August 21, 2008) MTV Asia. Accessed 2008-08-25.]

Entrepreneurship

Anastacia By s. Oliver

Anastacia by s. Oliver [ [http://www.anastaciabysoliver.com/ Anastacia by s. Oliver] .] is a clothes collection released in late 2006 by Anastacia and s. Oliver. She had said that she long wanted to release a clothing line: "I have had the idea of designing my own collection for a long time, but waited for the right partner. s. Oliver came along just at the right time. We got to know each other and found that we not only harmonize well together as a brand, but also have the same ideas about the look of 'Anastacia by s. Oliver'. There are many points that need to be considered when designing a collection: What trends are in, what colors, what fabrics, what styles ... That is why I am happy that my work with the s. Oliver design team is going so well and that we are implementing these themes together. For example, I think it is also very important that my clothes can be worn in different sizes." The collection reflects Anastacia's personal style and her versatility. The look of the line is designed to be "sensual, feminine and sexy". A Limited Edition CD named "Welcome To My Style" is available for free to costumers who spend 60 euros or more on the clothes in November. The CD includes the following already released tracks:
# Underdog (B-Side of "Cowboys & Kisses")
# Get Ready (B-Side of "Left Outside Alone")
# Boom (FIFA 2002 World Cup official song)
# Funk Medley (B-Side of "Paid My Dues").

Limited edition clothing line

Anastacia by s. Oliver has released a limited edition clothing line called "Limited Luxury", that was designed together with the famous brand "Swarovski". This clothing hit the stores on November 2, 2007 and was only sold in some countries. [ [http://www.anastaciabysoliver.com/index.php?radLang=de&radContentId=r3_16652079954693a4e1e1e4e0 "Limited Luxury"] ]

Perfume

Anastacia's official perfume, Resurrection, was released in January 2007.

Philanthropy

During her years of success, Anastacia has supported many charity events as Life Ball 2006 (Europe's largest annual AIDS charity event), Make a Difference and Challenge for the Children. Anastacia was one of the fifteen artists to record their take on a Disney song on the CD DisneyMania. Anastacia recorded "Someday My Prince Will Come" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It is also included on the Collector's Edition of her second album.

After being diagnosed with cancer, Anastacia created "The Anastacia Fund". The organization helps raises awareness about breast cancer and the importance of mammograms to women 35 and under. Anastacia began selling her stage clothing on eBay, donating a portion to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. The auctions were hosted by eBay Trading Assistant and Certified Business Consultant, Carolyn CJ Jacinto of XOXmas. The eBay Family, and others, made generous contributions for the next 6 months bidding on new listing that began every Friday.

Personal life

Anastacia was romantically linked to several men throughout her career. She had a relationship with Shawn Woods for 6 years and the singer claims he was the love of her life. She also dated Charles Ingram, and dated Patrice Bouédibéla for over a year before splitting up. She married her bodyguard Wayne Newton in Mexico on April 21, 2007. The wedding was in Huatulco, and was written and officiated by a shaman from California, Jon Rasmussen.

Anastacia has a tattoo below her neck, saying "Forever" in an unusual font. [ [http://www.funtrivia.com/en/Music/Anastacia-10071.html Anastacia - FunTrivia.com] ] She also has an Ankh on her lower back, which appeared on her first album. Since it represents "eternal life", it has come to symbolize her.

Anastacia took part in the charity event, 46664, organised by Nelson Mandela to raise awareness of AIDS. She sang with U2 and Queen, and also contributed to the song "Amandla", recording the song and providing some of the lyrics. Annie Lennox joined forces with Anastacia and 22 other female artists to raise awareness of the transmission of HIV to unborn children in Africa. [ [http://www.annielennoxsing.com : Sing: ] ] The single "Sing" was released on World Aids Day, December 1, 2007, in conjunction with Annie Lennox's appearance at the Nelson Mandela 46664 concert in South Africa.

Discography

Studio Albums

*2000: "Not That Kind"
*2001: "Freak of Nature"
*2004: "Anastacia"
*2008: "Heavy Rotation"

Tours

*2004 - 2005: "Live at Last Tour" / "The Encore Tour"
*2009: TBA

Awards

ee also

*List of number-one dance hits (United States)
*List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart

References

External links

* [http://www.anastacia.com/ Anastacia.com] Official Anastacia website.

"There are many Anastacia Fan Clubs and Fansites. [http://www.anastaciadreams.com/online/anastacialinks.html This page] provides a list."

Persondata
NAME= Anastacia
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= Newkirk, Anastacia Lyn
SHORT DESCRIPTION=musician
DATE OF BIRTH= September 17, 1968
PLACE OF BIRTH= Chicago, Illinois, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=