Anastacia

Raised in New York City, Anastacia came from an entertainment-oriented family: her father was a singer; her mother an actress in musical theater on Broadway. Despite being diagnosed with the chronic intestinal illness Crohn's disease at age 13, she developed a career as a dancer, appearing on Club MTV and in such music videos as Salt-N-Pepa's "Everybody Get Up" and "Twist and Shout." In 1999, she was a finalist on the MTV talent contest show The Cut, which attracted the interest of record labels. She signed to the Daylight custom label of Sony Music's Epic Records and recorded her debut album, Not That Kind, which was released internationally in 2000.

The result was massive success: the album reached the Top Ten in eight European and Far East countries, selling over two million copies. At home, the single "I'm Outta Love" became a dance hit, paving the way for the release of a revised version of Not That Kind in the U.S. in March 2001. A year later, she was creating a buzz in America. She joined Mary J. Blige, Cher, Shakira, and others for VH1's fifth annual Divas Live showcase in May 2002. She made her proper American debut with Freak of Nature in June. A self-titled album followed in 2004, with the compilation Pieces of a Dream: Best Of arriving a year later. After making a successful foray into fashion with her own clothing line in 2006, Anastacia returned to music in 2007 with plans to release a new album and tour in 2008.