Interview for Metro

"I thought I had a horrible voice"

MTV offered anonymous superstars the chance of a lifetime when they could succeed in winning the finale of MTV A-Cut. The finale was last week. Anastacia was one of the judges and coaches of the stars to be. She wasn’t totally out of place there, because in 1999 Anastacia broke through after she won the finale of this show herself.

In the first place you obviously have your amazing voice to thank for your success, but you got a little help from MTV A-Cut while you were younger as well. Is that the reason you now help aspiring artists to get their career started?
That’s definitely a part of it. I always thought that MTV show had a lot of potential. Don’t forget that this concept is older than American Idol or other similar shows you see on television today. It’s just a brilliant idea to give artists who don’t have a recording contract yet, a show in which they can showcase their talents and show the audience who they are.

What criteria did you judge the contestants on?
MTV A-Cut is different from other talent shows. We judged the contestants on a lot of aspects, not just singing. We gave them assignments all week and looked at the way they collaborated as a team. It could be about writing a song, but also about the way they gave an interview.

What do you think about the average singing capabilities in Europe?
I was very impressed and thought there was a lot of talent. It’s hard to judge in advance whether or not a band will be successful or end of as a one day fly. It’s about what the market’s like at that time. I have a lot of faith in the ‘pop’ genre, it will always be there.

And how about your genre, that mix of soul, pop and rock (sprock). Will it be bigger these next years?
That’s quite plausible. I gave my music that name because I feel that it has a lot of different styles. Just like a lot of other music by the way.

How did you discover you were talented?
I was never under the impression that I had anything special to add to this planet. For a good while I thought I had a horrible voice, although I did like singing. So I did that just for fun. I never could’ve dreamed that my singing would end up in a dream career.

You’re also doing a clothing line?
Yes, that’s right. It’ll be released this fall, but first I will release a couple of charity shirts to raise money for the Katrina victims. The devastation that took place there is really horrible. In my own way I try to raise money for that.

Source: www.anastaciathevoice.net