# Anastacia
**Anastacia** (born Anastacia Lyn Newkirk, 1968) is an American singer-songwriter known for a powerful, soul-influenced voice who became a major pop star across Europe in the 2000s while achieving only limited success in her home country. Her debut album *Not That Kind* (2000) and its single "I'm Outta Love" launched a career that has since produced eight studio albums, and her health history, including two battles with breast cancer, shaped several of her later records.
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1968; raised in Chicago and New York City[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2) |
| Breakthrough | Debut album *Not That Kind* (2000), Top Ten in eight European and Far East countries, over two million copies sold[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography) |
| UK chart run | 12 Top 40 hits in the UK between 2000 and 2005[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2) |
| US performance | "I'm Outta Love" stands as her only American pop hit, scraping the bottom of the Billboard Hot 100[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2) |
| Health | Breast cancer in 2003 and again in 2013; she chose a double mastectomy after the second diagnosis[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/cried-about-breast-cancer-didnt-throw-pity-party-anastacia-hardship-hits-humour) |
| Studio albums | *Not That Kind* (2000) through *Our Songs* (2023), her eighth[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia) |
| Sales | Her own site cites over 30 million records sold; BestSellingAlbums.org counts over 11.4 million albums[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia) • [5](https://bestsellingalbums.org/artist/614) |
| Next release | *Symphonic Revolution*, hits reworked with a full symphony orchestra, due November 2026[6](https://www.anastacia.com/) |
## Early life and start in performance
Anastacia was raised in Chicago and New York City by a Broadway actress mother; her estranged relationship with her lounge-singing father later inspired the 2004 hit "Left Outside Alone"[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2). She was diagnosed with the chronic intestinal illness [Crohn's disease](https://www.edgepedia.org/crohns-disease) at age 13[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography).
Before singing professionally, she worked as a dancer, appearing on Club MTV and in music videos including Salt-N-Pepa's "Twist and Shout" and "Everybody Get Up"[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2) • [2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography). She also sang backup for Tiffany, Paula Abdul, and [Jamie Foxx](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-foxx)[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2).
Her break came through television. She entered the MTV talent-search series *The Cut* in 1998, telling producers she was 24 when she was actually 30, and became a finalist; the exposure led to a deal with Daylight, a custom label of [Sony Music](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-music)'s Epic Records[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/cried-about-breast-cancer-didnt-throw-pity-party-anastacia-hardship-hits-humour). She came clean about her age when she turned 40[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/cried-about-breast-cancer-didnt-throw-pity-party-anastacia-hardship-hits-humour).
## Breakthrough and 2000s success
*Not That Kind*, released internationally in 2000, reached the Top Ten in eight European and [Far East](https://www.edgepedia.org/far-east) countries and sold over two million copies; a revised version followed in the United States in March 2001[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography). Her own account states that "I'm Outta Love" became the biggest selling single of the year from that debut album[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia). In the US the song was a dance hit rather than a pop one: it began a run of five Top 10 hits on Billboard's Dance Club Songs chart, with "One Day In Your Life" and "Love Is a Crime" both reaching No. 1 there[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2).
Her second album, *Freak of Nature* (2001), followed, and she joined [Mary J. Blige](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-j-blige), Cher, and Shakira for VH1's Divas Live showcase in May 2002[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography). The self-titled third album (2004) topped the charts in a dozen European countries, carried by "Left Outside Alone" and "Sick and Tired"[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography) • [7](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/40059280346). In the UK she accumulated 12 [Top 40](https://www.edgepedia.org/top-40) hits between 2000 and 2005[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2). She has described her sound as a fusion of soul, pop, and rock[8](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-anastacia-567615.html).
Later releases in this period included the compilation *Pieces of a Dream: Best Of* (2005), a clothing line in 2006, and the album *Heavy Rotation* (2008)[2](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography). Apple Music's discography also lists the covers album *It's a Man's World* (2012)[9](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942).
## Illness and the Resurrection period
Anastacia was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2003 and again in April 2013, ten years after the first battle[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2) • [4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia). After the second diagnosis she chose a double mastectomy, and in the period before the operation wrote a journal of songs that became the basis of new material[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia). On the day she received the news she was in a writing session with producer Jamie Hartman and insisted on continuing to work; the song "Stay" came out of that session[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia).
The resulting album, *Resurrection* (2014), was written during her second bout with cancer; *Evolution* followed in 2017 and she has called it her personal favorite[1](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2) • [3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/cried-about-breast-cancer-didnt-throw-pity-party-anastacia-hardship-hits-humour). In 2015 she returned to Sony Music for the compilation *Ultimate Collection*, which included the new single "Take This Chance"[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia).
## Recent work: Our Songs and beyond
At the end of 2019 Anastacia made her musical theater debut as the [Killer Queen](https://www.edgepedia.org/killer-queen) in *We Will Rock You*[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia). Her eighth studio album, *Our Songs* (2023, on the Stars by Edel label), is a set of German songs recorded in English, including her version of Peter Maffay's "So bist du" as "Just You"; Maffay joined her for a new duet version[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia). The album entered the German charts at No. 2, Austria at No. 5, and Switzerland at No. 8[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia). A Gold Deluxe Edition with three additional covers, of songs by Nico Santos, Michael Schulte, and Zoe Wees, followed on June 21, 2024[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia).
Touring has remained central. In the summer of 2024 she was special guest on Peter Maffay's Farewell Tour, playing stadiums across Germany to a total audience of around 350,000 people, and in July 2024 she announced her own 2025 European and UK tour, NKT25, of 36 dates playing to over 100,000 people[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia). Her next album, *Symphonic Revolution*, reworks her hits with a full symphony orchestra for the first time and is scheduled for release in November 2026[6](https://www.anastacia.com/).
## The American paradox
Anastacia's commercial geography is unusual for an American pop singer: albums that went platinum in the UK, Germany, or Australia barely charted in the US, and she has never toured her home country[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/cried-about-breast-cancer-didnt-throw-pity-party-anastacia-hardship-hits-humour). She has reflected that US success might have made her a different person, and describes herself as "a continual working girl in her job"[3](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/cried-about-breast-cancer-didnt-throw-pity-party-anastacia-hardship-hits-humour). Sales figures differ by counting method: her official site cites more than 30 million records sold, while the BestSellingAlbums.org archive, which tracks albums only, counts over 11.4 million and ranks *Not That Kind* as her best seller at 4.25 million copies[4](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia) • [5](https://bestsellingalbums.org/artist/614).
## References
1. [Anastacia – Apple Music artist page](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942?uo=2)
2. [Anastacia Biography – AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/anastacia-mn0000031442/biography)
3. [Anastacia interview, The Guardian (March 11, 2025)](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/mar/11/cried-about-breast-cancer-didnt-throw-pity-party-anastacia-hardship-hits-humour)
4. [ANASTACIA – official biography, anastacia.com](https://www.anastacia.com/anastacia)
5. [ANASTACIA album sales and chart history – BestSellingAlbums.org](https://bestsellingalbums.org/artist/614)
6. [HOME – anastacia.com (Symphonic Revolution announcement)](https://www.anastacia.com/)
7. [Anastacia – Universal Music France](https://universalmusic.fr/artistes/40059280346)
8. [Album: Anastacia – The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/album-anastacia-567615.html)
9. [Anastacia – Apple Music (albums listing)](https://music.apple.com/us/artist/anastacia/85942)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Pop and R&B singer-songwriters › Pop singers, 2000s to present › Mainstream pop singers, 2000s–2010s › Surnames A to H*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license