five-date arena and theatre tour, marking her first run through the region following recent international dates with Sean Paul and renewed global attention around her early 2000s catalogue.
by Paul Cashmere
Grammy Award-winning singer, songwriter and actor Ashanti will tour Australia and New Zealand this November, bringing her ‘Rock Wit U’ tour to Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. The shows follow a busy international touring cycle for the New York artist, including a recent UK arena run with Sean Paul, and arrive during a period of renewed commercial interest in Ashanti’s catalogue after several of her signature recordings found new audiences through sampling, streaming and nostalgia-driven R&B programming.
Ashanti’s return is significant for a generation of fans who came of age during the commercial peak of early 2000s R&B and hip hop crossover music. Her recordings helped define the sound of the period, particularly through collaborations with Ja Rule and Fat Joe and solo hits including ‘Foolish’, ‘Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)’ and ‘Only U’.
The tour also reflects the continued strength of legacy R&B touring in Australia and New Zealand, where audiences have increasingly supported international acts from the late 1990s and early 2000s. Promoters have found sustained demand for artists whose catalogues remain highly active on streaming platforms and social media, particularly through sampling trends and short-form video culture.
In a statement announcing the dates, Ashanti said Australia and New Zealand had consistently been supportive markets throughout her career.
“Australia and New Zealand has always shown me so much love, and I’m so excited to be coming back this coming Fall for my ‘Rock Wit U’ tour,” she said. “The energy, the fans, the memories, it’s always so amazing. I can’t wait to Rock with you all. Australia and New Zealand get ready, we’re going to have a blast together.”
Ashanti emerged as one of the defining R&B artists of the early 2000s after signing to Murder Inc. Records under producer Irv Gotti. In 2002 she simultaneously occupied the top two positions on the Billboard Hot 100 through her appearances on Fat Joe’s ‘What’s Luv?’ and Ja Rule’s ‘Always On Time’, while her debut single ‘Foolish’ spent 10 weeks at No. 1 in the United States.
Her self-titled debut album, released in 2002, entered the Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 and later earned triple platinum certification in the United States. The record won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the Grammy Awards and established Ashanti as one of the era’s major crossover artists. Follow-up album Chapter II also debuted at No. 1 and delivered another major international hit with ‘Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)’, the song that now gives its name to the 2026 tour.
Across six studio albums, Ashanti has sold nearly 30 million records worldwide. Beyond music, she built a parallel acting career with roles in Coach Carter, John Tucker Must Die and Resident Evil: Extinction, while also appearing in television projects including Army Wives and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In 2022 she received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame recognising her contribution to music and entertainment.
The tour announcement arrives during a renewed period of visibility for Ashanti’s music. British rapper Aitch sampled ‘Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)’ on the 2022 hit ‘Baby’, introducing the track to younger listeners and pushing renewed streaming activity around her catalogue. The broader revival of interest in 2000s R&B has also benefited artists from the Murder Inc. era, many of whom continue to attract strong live audiences internationally.
Ashanti’s career has not been without scrutiny. During her initial rise, some critics questioned the speed of her industry recognition, particularly when she received the Soul Train Aretha Franklin Entertainer of the Year Award early in her career. Others argued more established artists deserved the honour. However, commercial performance and audience demand consistently supported her standing, and her catalogue has remained durable across more than two decades of changing music consumption trends.
More recently, public attention has also focused on her personal life following the rekindling of her relationship with Nelly. The pair reunited in 2023 after a decade apart, later marrying and welcoming their first child. In 2025 they launched the reality series Nelly & Ashanti: We Belong Together, extending Ashanti’s profile beyond music audiences.
For Australian and New Zealand audiences, the November dates will provide a rare opportunity to revisit one of the defining voices of early millennium R&B in a live setting. The setlist is expected to draw heavily from Ashanti’s first three albums, the commercial peak of her recording career, while also acknowledging later material and collaborations that have sustained her profile across multiple entertainment formats.
Ashanti ‘ROCK WIT U’ AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEALAND TOUR DATES
Monday 9 November, Perth, Riverside Theatre
Wednesday 11 November, Melbourne, Margaret Court Arena
Friday 13 November, Sydney, TikTok Arena (ICC)
Saturday 14 November, Brisbane, Fortitude Music Hall
Monday 16 November, Auckland, Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre
Tickets via Destroy All Lines.
Pre-sales from 1pm local time Wednesday 3 June.
General public sales from 1pm local time Thursday 4 June.
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