Singer Ashanti delivered a career confession to fans at the TikTok Entertainment Centre in Sydney, revealing that industry figures once told her she would become a one-hit wonder.
Ashanti Plans 2027 Tour with Nelly
- Ashanti revealed to a packed Sydney crowd that industry critics once told her to quit music and labeled her a future one-hit wonder.
- The singer is currently traversing Australia and New Zealand as part of her Rock Wit U Tour 2026.
- She confirmed plans to launch a joint tour with her husband and fellow artist Nelly next year in 2027.
Reliving 2000s R&B Royalty
Sydney got a touch of royalty on Friday night when Ashanti, widely considered the Princess of Hip-Hop and R&B, took the stage at the TikTok Entertainment Centre, news.com.au reported.
It felt like the 2000s all over again as the Grammy-winning singer and songwriter transformed the venue into a massive block party. She wrote each and every song performed during the night, treating thousands of fans to her massive catalog for the latest stop of her Rock Wit U Aussie tour.
From her sultry opener Rock Wit U to her smash-hit closing track Foolish—which spent a record-breaking 11 consecutive weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 back in 2002—the artist proved she is still going strong 24 years later.
The eight-time Grammy nominee thanked the crowd for continuing to show her love from across the seas after all these years. Her 2002 self-titled debut album holds the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling debut album by a female artist.
Confronting the Skeptics
“I’m feeling so much love in this moment,” the 46-year-old told her fans from the stage, news.com.au reported. “I just want to say, there’s a lot of people out there that told me that I’d never make it, they told me that I was going to be a one-hit wonder, they told me to stop pursing my dreams, they told me to stop making music.”
“I just want to say …” she continued before a fan from the mosh pit yelled out “f**k them”. “She said exactly what I was thinking!” Ashanti laughed as she pointed at the fan. “Thank you so much, baby. I appreciate you,” Ashanti said.
Music isn’t just measured by chart positions or broken records, but by the faces and feelings of the fans who still resonate with the songs decades later. As her velvety vocals delivered classics such as Happy, Baby, and The Way That I Love You, alongside major collaborations like Always on Time, What’s Luv?, and Mesmerise, the audience sang along to every catchy hook.
Touring Plans for 2027
“I mean, it sounds like I need to get out to Sydney, Australia, little bit more,” she said, news.com.au reported. “Maybe I’ll bring some of my brothers Fat Joe and Ja Rule with me. Maybe I’ll bring my husband with me.”
She then confirmed, “Just to let everybody know, me and my husband, Nelly, are going on tour next year 2027.”
It remains to be seen if the music power couple—who married in 2023 and welcomed their son Kareem Kenkaide, also known as KK, the following year—will bring their joint tour Down Under. However, the long-haul journey from the US to Australia proved worthwhile.
“I’m just so into Sydney,” she told the crowd, news.com.au reported. “I happen to be from New York City and I just gotta tell y’all, it was definitely a hike to get out here tonight.”
| Tour Stop | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne | Margaret Court Arena | November 14 |
| Auckland | Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre | November 16 |
Ashanti’s Rock Wit U Tour 2026 continues at Margaret Court Arena in Melbourne and concludes at the Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre in Auckland on November 16.
