US chart-topper Anastacia can't wait for a Scarborough lemon top ice cream as she prepares to rock Open Air Theatre
Pop sensation Anastacia is bringing her Not That Kind tour to the Scarborough Open Air Theatre – and she has taken time out to speak about her concert with the Scarborough News.
The American icon – whose catalogue includes such chart-toppers as I’m Outta Love, Paid My Dues and Left Outside Alone – heads to the seaside venue on Sunday June 21.
And she can’t wait to come to the Yorkshire coast.
"I’ve never been but I’m so excited to visit the beach town of Scarborough,” she told the Scarborough News.
"It looks beautiful and I heard, someone did educate me, that there is a lemon top ice cream – I’m totally going to do that, I mean it wasn’t a hard sell.
“I’m a sweet tooth so you had me at lemon top sweets.
"It’s up my straße!”
She is looking forward to the intimacy and connection with the fans at the OAT.
“As a singer and audience relationship, small is really wonderful and 8,000 is that small.
"I really do like a theatre personally, I don’t feel exposed, I actually enjoy the connection.
"I’m a different kind of artist, I’m a very live performing artist so the uniqueness of a smaller audience to me is where I thrive, I think, because I actually just go out and talk to the audience and bring them into my vortex and because it’s the UK, they’ll just shout out something – ‘I wanna marry you, I like your jacket’ - you never know what they’re going to say, and the conversation ensues.
"It’s going to be quite lovely, especially outside, whether it’s going to rain or not!
"Me, as an artist, I feel bad but truly if I was going to go to a concert and it was raining or I knew it was going to rain, you come prepared – get out your poncho and enjoy the show.
"As a performer on stage, you are like guilt-ridden because you’re having to be thrashed in the rain and I’m like ‘I gotta do better’ so it really does step up the moment.
"For me, I have empathy and compassion.
"These things sometimes aren’t necessarily a given but sometimes I’m trying to let the rain hit me so I’m suffering their pain!”
So will fans be getting the usual crowd-pleasers?
"I do have quite a few songs that touch the audience in a way that the explosion happens when the first chord drops – it’s I’m Outta Love, it’s Left Outside Alone, it’s Paid My Dues or One Day In Your Life, and then some other things that are within the set whether it’s Sick and Tired or You’ll Never Be Alone.
"There are certain other ones that people fancy and you don’t realise that you actually know the song and you listen to the album so much that you don’t think of it as the song you wanted to hear but then it is the song you wanted to hear, which is quite lovely.
"I did a rock album where I sang AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Guns n Roses, Foo Fighters, and so I’ll throw in a song like that randomly.
"I put it in at the right time in the set so that they don't expect it and it’s a really a nice moment and they’re like ‘my Goodness, she’s singing Back in Black.’
“On the last tour, I sang a song I’d never sang – How Come The World Won’t Stop?
"I wrote it about somebody that passed away and so I felt like because of what we’ve gone through and what we’re going through and the way the world is shape-shifting, there’s a lot of people that have passed and me having breast cancer or somebody else going through a tragedy, there are people up there that we can dedicate this song to, that you’ll remember.
"But at the same time, it still is ‘how can the world go on’ and how can we continue to live even though your world has changed.”
Anastacia will be joined on the night by special guest Heather Small – what’s it like having another vocal powerhouse on the stage?
“I’m well up for another powerhouse diva on stage.
"I always have enjoyed singing with other artists and she’s awesome, sweet and kind, with a good, sweet, funny personality and I think the crowd would love it as well.”
What gives you the drive and the buzz to keep doing what you’re doing after more than a quarter of a century?
“I’m very grateful that I still have a following that wants to come and see me live.
“What drives me is the beauty of still loving what I do.
"I enjoy singing live and a lot of people still enjoy live music.
“A lot of people have never seen me before as I didn’t tour a large amount because I was ill, so the massive amount that I probably should have toured in my most known space and time – I really only had one very important tour and then smaller tours here around but tours got cancelled because I wasn’t well, so I do love being able to just perform live and know that I still can do it.
"I’m grateful because it’s a gift and I don’t take it for granted."
Anastacia was delighted to hear this is the biggest season the Open Air Theatre has had.
"It’s not just Leeds or Sheffield, as big as Yorkshire is, and not just for a seaside moment resort, it’s a win-win.
"You go there and spend the night and have a beautiful time in a beautiful place just like you would anywhere else.
"Having arena performances only ups the ante of going to Scarborough anyway.
"It looks beautiful even in bad weather - I can only imagine how gorgeous it is.”