AFTER a year of ballroom dancing and the release of a live album, pop sensation Anastacia is hitting the road once again, bringing all her hits to Basingstoke's Anvil Theatre.
The singing sensation will be launching her upcoming tour in Europe this March in Germany before going around Europe entertaining the crowds with hits from her extensive back catalogue.
She said: "It's going to be pretty much 100 per cent hits from over the years. There will be some older songs and newer ones, but you're not going to hear a song you don't know. Some of these songs were bigger in other countries, so they might seem fresh to a UK audience."
Feeding off the live energy of the crowd is what makes the 48-year-old's shows special, and the reason why the songsmith keeps coming back for more.
"The energy of the crowd is always incredible, but my fans are really excited to listen. I don't really get screaming crowds, and it's a real pleasure to capture the audience like that and raise the hairs on the back of people's necks."
Anastacia was a star of last year's Strictly Come Dancing series, when she was paired with Brendan Cole. The duo stayed in the competition until week six, despite being troubled by injury and illness throughout their time on the show.
"It was a shame I got injured as early as I did, but I tried to look on the positive side," added the singer. "Poor Brendan really, with me only able to use one arm and him with a lung infection, but we held on as much as we could."
The pair got off to a bumpy start in the BBC hit series when Anastacia sustained an injury to scars from surgery in the first week of the competition, then four weeks later Cole was out of action after being advised to rest owing to a lung infection, leaving the fashion designer to dance with Gorka Marquez instead.
It was while on the show that Anastacia announced her partnership with Cancer Research UK, having previously beaten breast cancer twice, and made a donation to the charity.
The Ultimate Collection Tour comes after a brand new live album, A 4 App, where all the songs on the album were chosen by the fans and sung on tour at various dates on the tour beforehand.
"I wanted a creative way for the fans to have their choice of tracks, and setting up a phone line was too expensive, so I thought an app would be better. I wanted to do it for the fans who have been so giving and loyal all this time, I really wouldn't have a career without them."
She added that even the 2016 album's artwork came from a fan when, after performing at a venue in Spain, she was given the image by a Hungarian graphic art student.
She will be at the Anvil Theatre on May 24. Tickets from anvilarts. org.uk/whats-on/anastacia.
Source: www.bing.com
