When we talk about 2000s pop icons, it doesn’t take long for the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Gwen Stefani to quickly bag a mention. But there’s a certain powerhouse singer who tends to be left out. 

Anastacia had the hits, the immediately recognisable vocals, the noughties ‘fits (who could forget those tinted glasses!), and an inspiring origin story to boot. With the Australian public all but sold on the fact that she is Vampire on The Masked Singer Australia, it was only fair to open up the discourse on Anastacia: overlooked pop icon and straight-up pioneer.

The Chicago-born singer-songwriter started her career as a dancer where she appeared on Club MTV and starred in music videos for artists like Salt-N-Pepa. But before turning 30, she decided to give music one last shot; appearing on the MTV talent show The Cut in 1998. It was then that Anastacia made it into the finals and got offered a record deal. But with the music industry putting such an emphasis on “young” talent  – particularly in the case of women – she lied about her age and said she was 22, which everyone believed or at least seemed to go along with. (She eventually revealed her actual age in 2008.) That’s right: Anastacia was the original Liza Miller, and it was the most badass move she could’ve ever made.

Her debut album Not That Kind was released in 2000, which spawned the immediate hits
“I’m Outta Love”, “Cowboy’s & Kisses” and title track, “Not That Kind”. Then, just a year later, came Freak Of Nature. Her sophomore record continued the Anastacia hype with hits like “Paid My Dues”, “One Day In Your Life”, “Why’d You Lie To Me”, and “You’ll Never Be Alone”. While popular in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, and the UK, her success didn’t seem to translate in the US. Failing to break through the commercial charts in her home country, she focused on other territories and had the Official Anthem for the 2002 FIFA World Cup with “Boom”, featured on the Chicago film soundtrack with Love Is A Crime, and the Fantastic Four soundtrack with Everything Burns.

In 2004, Anastacia released her career-defining self-titled album. Anastacia reinterpreted her sound with heavy rock-influenced guitars and drums intertwined into her known soul-pop sound . ‘Sprock’, as she coined it – a combination of soul, pop and rock –  became her signature sound. Complimenting her growly vocals, her singles “Left Outside Alone”, “Sick And Tired” and “Welcome To My Truth” were immediate hits; remaining massive anthems in their own right. (I found myself performing my own bedroom concerts every weekend, with “Seasons Change” and “Time” making regular additions to my setlist.)

She embarked on her first ever European and UK tour and rightfully sold out arenas. But then she changed it up with the R&B-pop influenced record Heavy Rotation in 2008 which sadly failed to ignite that same spark. From then on, people assumed Anastacia had quit music. But in fact, she was experiencing what would forever alter her next chapter.

One of the reasons Anastacia has consistently connected with listeners is because of her strength and resilience amid ongoing health problems. At age 13 she was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease, she was then diagnosed with breast cancer at age 34, and was diagnosed with a heart condition five years later. Sadly, just as she was releasing releasing her covers album It’s A Man World, the unthinkable happened. Her breast cancer returned in 2013, and she made the decision to undergo a double mastectomy followed by reconstructive surgery. Talking to The Today Show to promote her debut Australian tour in 2015, she put the call out for someone to “tame her twos” while down under. Absolute icon behaviour.

As a closeted queer kid, it was Anastacia’s strength that immediately resonated with me. She had been through so much with her public health battles, but she was still smiling and joking with her head held high. I found myself being the victim of severe bullying in high school from kids who were trying to “out” me before I was ready to personally say those words out loud to myself. I questioned if I was strong enough, and then I looked at Anastacia and everything she had gone through and decided to not give them the dignity of a reaction. Instead, I just kept doing me. In my final year of high school I performed “Left Outside Alone” as one of my final music assignments. As someone who can’t sing, I put on a performance, replete with with props, confetti and a sneaky costume change. Tweeting out the video to her, she replied saying: “Not sure what key that was in but you did it. Job well done sweetie”. An honest but comforting queen. (My music teacher gave me a D+.) 

Following her double mastectomy, Anastacia felt like a new chapter had opened and she wanted to document it with her first original album in seven years. Resurrection felt exactly like that. Reprising her sprock sound, lead single “Stupid Little Things” was a bold revival of her self-titled years. With beautiful ballads sprinkled throughout the record like “Lifeline”, “Pendulum” and “Broken Wings”, she showed a growth in her songwriting and highlighted the emotional journey she had been on. Returning to the charts and selling out shows across the UK and Europe, and finally headlining her debut run of shows in Australia, this record felt like a triumphant home-run for someone who has fought so hard to have her voice continually heard.

Her 2015 Australian Tour was the first time she had ever played shows here which seemed strange as some of her biggest chart success was in Australia and New Zealand. As a 20-something-year-old who had waited his whole life to see the queen hit that high note in “Left Outside Alone”, it was well worth the wait. I attended both the Gold Coast and Brisbane shows, each night was full of a radiating energy of excitement from people who had grown up with her music soundtracking their life, and felt like they had been on this emotional journey of survival with her. Getting to meet the “Sprock” queen in a pre-show meet-and-greet, she sat down with everyone first and just chatted about anything and everything. (I obviously asked her how she had gone with her nationwide callout to find someone to “tame her twos”, to which she excitedly reported that she had found someone the night before and had a little “fun”. We love to see it.)

Following her resurrection, she appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in the UK in 2016 where was the sixth contestant to be sent home, and then released a clothing range called Music Loves Fashion for ALDI in 2017. Her most recent record Evolution was released in 2017 and continued the thematic exploration that Resurrection began. With the pandemic affecting scheduled tours, the singer-songwriter is currently preparing the next release of music where she's ready to continue her iconic reign.

Written by Thomas Bleach. Catch Thomas on Twitter @thomasbleach.

Is Anastacia the Vampire on The Masked Singer Australia? Thomas bets YES. (Those vocals don’t lie.) You can find out during the show’s final episode, tonight on 10 and 10 play.