Life could have taken a very different course for Christine Anu had she not met Australian singer-songwriter Neil Murray.

Anu recalls the moment in 1992 when Murray heard her singing with a friend during a visit to the Sydney dance college she was attending, and encouraged her to get in touch with him. She was planning a career in dance not singing, and had never sang in public, but decided to call Murray.

"I gave him a call and I said 'I'm not really a singer, it's not really what I want to do' but meanwhile the little child in me is going 'Yeahhhh, wooooo ... you're gonna be a singer now!' " Anu laughs.

"So we rehearsed for two weeks on his verandah in Annandale and then a fortnight later I did my first gig. That was it. Throw yourself in the deep end, Christine, and see if you sink or swim.

"I then officially became a member of [Murray's band] The Rainmakers. That was my first time singing - I'd never sung before."

It marked the beginning of a whole new life.

"I always imagine if Neil wasn't there . . . he was the impetus, he was the first transitioning move in the way that the rest of my life would turn out."

This year, Anu is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her debut album, Stylin' Up, the breakthrough record that introduced the then 25-year-old to Australia with songs such as Monkey and the Turtle, Party and her cover of Murray's classic song, My Island Home.

Anu has released a special re-recorded edition of the album, titled Restylin' Up 20 Years, with jazz and soul rearrangements of the original tracks that she laid down live in just one day with a impressive backing band that included Lachlan Doley on keys and Pete Drummond on drums, along with Noiseworks star Steve Balbi in the production seat.

Anu will perform at the Illawarra Performing Arts Centre on Friday, September 11.

The new elements, such as the keys, add another dimension to the original songs.

"It's not that we are trying to reinvent the wheel, it's just that the whole album is now a reflection on how I've grown as a singer. I just feel as though who I am now needed to be represented."

Anu's arrival on the pop scene in 1995 was like a breath of fresh air. She blended modern pop with tales about life in the Torres Strait, while also incorporating traditional language in songs such as Tama Oma and Sik O. It was a bold move for a newcomer but one that she remains immensely proud of 20 years on, particularly songs such as the single Monkey and the Turtle.

"That was such a big deal for my camp, my group of people, my family and friends," Anu says. "The idea of putting out Monkey and the Turtle was really out there. I mean, from a debut female artist with a language verse in there that Australia has never heard before and calling this a pop song - it was all a really, really bold move at the time. I think it was brave because no one else was doing that. That's the part of it that I think to myself 'Wow, what an amazing journey'."