Anastacia Lyn Newkirk grew up between Chicago and New York, the daughter of a Broadway actress and a cabaret singer, and she built her career on a raspy, powerhouse mezzo soprano rather than a Broadway one. Her 2000 debut, Not That Kind, turned her into a European chart fixture, and Freak of Nature the following year gave her the worldwide hits "Paid My Dues" and "One Day in Your Life."
She has kept writing and touring through a Crohn's diagnosis at 13 and two rounds of breast cancer, choosing a double mastectomy in 2013 rather than step away from the stage. "Left Outside Alone," from her self-titled 2004 album, remains one of her signature singles, and she has continued releasing music since, including Heavy Rotation in 2008, It's a Man's World in 2012, and Resurrection in 2014.