Anastacia: A Decade Too Late?

[renegade_killerbee]

I was just thinking about all of the artists that have fallen through the cracks this decade (Beth Orton, The Donnas, The Be Good Tanyas, Damien Rice, Ron Sexsmith, The Veronicas, Van Hunt, etc.) and thought of vocal powerhouse Anastacia and wondered why on earth this hugely gifted singer never even made a dent on the Billboard Hot 100?

It just seems extremely off- balance when you have no-talents (err, vocally challenged singers) like Rihanna and The Pussycat Dolls topping the charts but there is no room for the New York diva, Anastacia. Yes, yes I am aware that she has sold over 25-million albums worldwide but U.S. success has eclipsed her.

My only guess is is that she came out a decade too late. I think she would have had several top 10 hits in the early- midddle part of the 1990's when pop music was held to a higher threshold. Any other ideas out there?

~ Kevin In Tulsa

www.dlist.com/MEERKATMANOR

 

[QuidditchStud]

I guess it's just thes state of music in general at the moment. It has all become highly disposable and everyone is quick to move on to the next big thing in order to make a buck quicker and quicker. The upside of coarse is the money, but the downside is that very few artists get the longetivity they deserve and in tern a long term prospect of making a respectable living out of it.
Part of the problem itself is that mainstream music for the most part has become too random and 'same', so there is no true room for those alternative tastes to have a bigger slice of the pie and try to find their own group of fans and build from that. Hell, you only have to look how far the once big mover in Pop Britney Spears has fallen to see just how quickly your time in the sun and the big time can come and go when your a singer in the music business.

 

[renegade_killerbee]

First off, I am not a fan of Britney Spears but I don't think Spears has really fallen from her pop princess throne.

She simply hasn't released a studio album in almost four years and has instead chosen to personify a white trash partying gal in her mid-20's. Sadly, she is the No. 1 best selling female recording artist of this decade outdistancing true talents like Alicia Keys, Faith Hill and even Christina Aguilera.

I think it's all about timing. If Spears were to land on the pop landscape right now, I doubt anybody would even notice.

~ Kevin in Tulsa

 

[G-Lexington]

It's all about the timing.

At any given point, things are "in" and things are "out". For instance, in the early 90s, much of what was on the charts sounded like it was straight from the gay clubs (C&C Music Factory et al). But in the mid-90s, most of the songs on the charts were grunge and hip-hop. The late 90s were more pop oriented, with a heavy slant on boybands.

Taste goes in cycles. At any given point, there's great stuff coming out in EVERY genre, but sometimes it takes some more digging to find it than others.

Lex

 

[luminum]

Plus, I think it's a matter of being an individual. Sure, deep down, all artists are unique, but to a fly-by-listener, the Vernoicas and Anastacia all kind of failed to really stick landing that could be definably and recognizably theirs.

 

[Blueboy369]

I remember Anastacia back in the early 90's when she was a struggling artist. We hung out in the same circles in New York and we were friendly aquaintences. Picture a private party in The Palladium filled with dance music artists, mostly one hit wonders who thanks to some radio play, had the biggest egos you could imagine. At each event were the same faces. Some were the flavor of the month. Some were dancers for some random act. What I remember most about her were all the funny stories she would tell. She went from backup dancer and singer, to a girl group that never really worked out. I remeber how happy she was when she was showing off her engagement ring and all the rumors of how badly that relationship ended (I'll never tell). I know how bad it was for her and how much she deserves her success. Even though she wasn't discovered at that time, she always had that spark that set her aside and when I see her in front of thousands of people I think about that old group of freinds who never really made it and how lucky she is that she did.

 

[scrapple]

I remember Anastacia appearing with Elton John, doing a blistering "Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting". She was sensational.

 

[Kismet]

Anastacia was always big in Europe right?

I'm also a big fan of a girl named Beth Hart who had little success with "Leaving L.A." and now I notice that she must be pretty big in the Netherlands because she's only really been touring there for the past couple of years. I guess when it comes to music and some artists it depends on the audience and where the money and time is spent in promotion.

 

[sb]

Anastacia has always been pretty popular here.... she's had 2 #1 singles... and the veronica's are pretty big here too.

 

[Echollision]

Music does indeed go in cycles and timing...look at why the sudden success of Amy Winehouse and Michael Buble...furthermore the once full hip-hop and rap takeover of the charts post millennium is slowly fading away...and a new turnover will take place...I hate it when its all the same...and althought Anastacia never broke true in the US, I find it amazing she did so well oversees...to add to that i think in Canada she had a larger success than in the US...i believe she cracked some of the tops here???
I think she is a great musician as well.

 

[getoverit]

I didnt know who Anastacia was till I heard One Day In Your Life. I actually saw it on Fox Family channels Saturday top 10 countdown. It was basicly TRL but on Fox Family with totally diff music. I was blown away by her voice and went out and bought the cd the song was on. I cant believe shes not huge here in the states. Her voice is extremely powerful and beautiful. I actually hear her music alot here in Baltimore and DC clubs. I guess it is all about timing. But then again it could just be who we as people wanna listen to and buy and who we dont. For instance new pop female solo artist come out all the time. Some catch, some dont. Rihanna caught, Cassie didnt.

 

[prettyboysing]

The sad reality is this is a very common story. There are tons of people in New York, LA and Nashville who are just as, if not more talented, attractive and hard working than the ones who become superstars. Some never make it farther than a demo, some have long careers under the radar, some make albums that sell 8 million copies only to have the fates sneeze and their career goes under. People like Beyonce, Britney Spears and Madonna have a lot going for them, but the number one thing is luck.

 

[G-Lexington]

The general rule in the music industry is "throw good money after good". So if something starts taking off, a record label will throw all its support behind that. If something else doesn't, it's left to die on the vine. None of this is new, of course, but it's gotten to the point where labels seem to have only one or two pet projects at any given time. So even though there's an unbelievable amount of great music out there at any given time (and even more crappy music), unless people are willing to put in a bit of effort, they'll only hear a very tiny sliver of it - that sliver being whatever the labels are pushing at the time. My CD racks and hard drive are littered with (what I think are) fantastic songs and bands that never sold a thing. Why? The labels didn't see a spark, and so didn't spend any energy attempting to blow it into a flame.

There are a lot of great bands right here in Denver. I know of at least twenty that I think could hold their own with the nationals. But so far, only one has shown "the spark", and gotten a label to get behind them and push. Are the Fray the best band in Denver? No, I don't think so. I actually like them a lot, they're great guys, and I'm extremely stoked for their success. But there are other bands I think are better than they are. (Single File MAY get something similar going, although their chances of a Fray-style success are pretty minimal.) So why the Fray? Right band, right songs ,right time.

Lex

 

[lifeisamazing]

I love Anastacia and I couldn't agree with you more. I bought her first two albums, and then she went through the whole breast cancer deal....why is it the people with real talent are not exposed unless they're sleeping with a rapper or turn themselves into hoes?