b. Anastacia Newkirk, 17 September 1973, USA. This Los Angeles, California, USA-based soul diva was raised in Chicago but relocated to New York as a teenager. She enrolled at Manhattan's Professional Children's School at the age of 14, but before too long was immersing herself in the city's dance music scene at Club 1018. Her first claim to fame was as a dancer for hire, making regular appearances on MTV's Club MTV and featuring in a couple of videos for urban duo Salt-N-Pepa. A frustrating spell as a session vocalist followed, before an appearance on the MTV talent show The Cut brought her to the attention of several major labels. A recording contract with the Epic Records subsidiary Daylight followed in March 1999. The singer collaborated with leading American producer/writers on her 2000 debut Not That Kind, but the album's highly commercial blend of soul, dance and pop proved more popular in Europe than her homeland. Both "I'm Outta Love" and the title track became huge club and pop hits, with particular attention being paid to the singer's remarkably powerful vocals. Reminiscent of Chaka Khan and Tina Turner at their peak, many people were astonished to discover that Anastacia was only in her late twenties and white.
The vocalist quickly followed up with 2001's Freak Of Nature, but her career was put on temporary hold when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. After battling the disease for over a year, she entered the recording studio to complete work on her third album. This self-titled set was released internationally in March 2004, spawning the major club and chart hit "Left Outside Alone".
