Anastacia isn’t the kind of woman who shrinks to fit a mould – and she never has been.
“I like me,” she says simply, near the end of our chat. “I like the me I’ve been, and I don’t want to be a different me.” It’s this kind of self-assurance, radiating from her in an easy, grounded way, that’s carried her through 25 years in the music industry, multiple health battles, and a career that defied expectations from the moment she exploded onto the charts.
Now, the pint-sized powerhouse with the unmistakable voice is heading back to Australia to celebrate a milestone: the 25th anniversary of her debut album Not That Kind, which spawned global hits like “I’m Outta Love” and “Cowboys & Kisses”. The tour promises not just a nostalgic look back, but a reintroduction – especially to the many fans who’ve never seen her live.
“I’m grateful,” Anastacia says of the landmark anniversary. “Grateful that I can say I’ve been a working artist for the majority of that time. And I still love it.”
But make no mistake, she’s not here to simply ride the wave of Y2K nostalgia – even if her fashion sense is suddenly on-trend again. “I literally am back in fashion!” she laughs. “I’m so grateful.”
What sets this tour apart, Anastacia says, is that it feels more like a beginning than a retrospective. “I feel like a new artist introducing myself to new people. I’m creating all these new amazing memories in different countries. And, I don’t have an ego about it; my job is to make you enjoy the concert whether you’ve seen me 20 times or never. That’s the fun of it.”
Anastacia has never been one to let expectations box her in. “I call my music ‘Sprock’ – soul, pop, rock – because I don’t fit into one category,” she explains. “I like to write catchy songs, but I’m not going to give you an album of hits just for the sake of it. I’m… not that kind of girl.”
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The upcoming tour will feature all the anthems fans know and love, but one surprise addition is a deep cut she’s never performed live before. Originally written in 2002 about the death of someone close to her, “How Come the World Won’t Stop” has taken on new meaning in a modern, post-COVID world that often feels like it’s spinning out of control.
“It’s that feeling when your world is crumbling, but everyone else just keeps going,” she says. “With everything that’s happened in recent years – the loss, the grief, the chaos – I just wanted to create a moment in the show where we could acknowledge that, sit with it, and still keep moving forward.”
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The result has been one of the most emotional moments in her set. “People come up to me after, saying they played that song on repeat when they lost someone. That it got them through. That means the world to me.”
If that emotional depth is part of what’s made Anastacia’s music resonate for a quarter-century, it’s her humour and honesty that make her live show unforgettable. “I joke about half the things I do wrong on stage,” she admits. “There’s always a ‘whoopsie doodle’ moment, and I just call it out. That’s me. I’m goofy, and I like being real.”
Realness, in fact, is what fuels her connection with fans – especially those discovering her for the first time on this tour. “What I’ve heard a lot is, ‘Wow, I didn’t realise that. I didn’t know you were like that. I’m diving deeper now,’” she says. “They come for the hit, and they leave a fan.”
It’s that authenticity, both on stage and off, that also made her stint as the Vampire on The Masked Singer Australia (which she won, by the way) in 2021 such a joy. “I didn’t know what to expect, but I thought, why not?” she laughs. “Turns out, I’m terrible at competing with others but great at competing with myself. I just kept thinking I was going to be kicked off! It was weird, being in this costume and not allowed to talk to anyone. I’m such a friendly person. I’d want to thank the camera crew and they’d go, ‘American!’ and shuffle me off.”
Still, the experience left a mark. “It was a thrilling opportunity. I’d never do it again – not because it wasn’t amazing, but because I don’t think it could be as special as it was in Australia.”
That’s part of what makes returning Down Under, in particular, feel so significant. “I’ve always worked when I’m in Australia. I take my voice seriously, so I don’t go out, I don’t do the things other people do,” she says. “But this time? I’m taking a vacation. I’m staying a week and just enjoying Aussie life.”
But not before giving Australian fans the full Anastacia experience, with a new band, new energy, and a show she’s curated with care. “I hired a whole new band on purpose,” she explains. “I needed to hear the songs differently, to challenge myself. And it’s worked – the songs feel alive again.”
There’s no pyro, no dancers, no spectacle for spectacle’s sake – just the voice, the songs, and the joy of connection. “It’s really about music. About celebrating with people who want to be there. And most of them have never seen me before, so it’s like starting over, in the best possible way.”
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Through it all, Anastacia has never let the industry dull her shine. Even when her voice was “too loud,” her look “too black,” her sound “too much,” she pushed through. “When I tried to be something else, it didn’t feel right. So I stopped trying. I’m living my best life now. And if that’s not trendy enough for some magazine cover, that’s okay.”
She pauses, then adds with a laugh, “But hey – right now, I’m the most fashionable girl around!”
Find out more information about Anastacia’s Australian tour here.
