ANGGUN C.SASMI

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ANGGUN C.SASMI

Real Name: Anggun Cipta Sasmi

Place of Birth: Jakarta Date of Birth: April 29, 1974

Current Place of Residence : France

Growing up in an artistic family, Anggun is the first daughter of Darto Singo, a writer, singer and producer from Kroya, Central Java and Dien Herdina, a housewife. Since the age of seven, Anggun’s father has been practicing her vocal technique every day in a disciplined manner. Although her father could not sing, he tried to train her by reading the book “Prana Jaya” to correct her falsetto tones. She was also taught to play the piano and under the management of her mother, Anggun began performing on stage in Ancol Jakarta. At the age of nine she started to compose her own songs and began recording children’s albums even though they did not make it to the market. Anggun also learned Balinese Dance which in the future became a strong influence in her stage performances.

The singer, who has a thick contralto voice and unique vocal improvisation techniques, is often dubbed as an “Indonesian Diva” by domestic and foreign media. Anggun C Sasmi is not only known as a singer but also as a songwriter, producer and international talent search judge from Indonesia with French nationality. Anggun is now also an advertising star for a number of wellknown products and a judge in the international talent search shows X Factor (2013) and Asia Got Talent (2015)

At the end of 2000, Anggun also decided to obtain French citizenship due to the bureaucracy at the Indonesian Embassy, which made it difficult for her as a singer who had to travel abroad frequently while promoting international albums. The Indonesian passport also limited Anggun as an international singer because some countries did not cooperate with Indonesia. Anggun insists that the only thing that has changed is the color of her passport, she also always introduces herself as an Indonesian in every appearance in front of the international public. She also maintains her character and appearance as an Indonesian woman with a certain image, both personal and her works.

Behind her life as a global celebrity, Anggun turns out to be a figure who cares deeply about social issues in society. Since exploring an international career, she has been involved in many charity album projects and held charity concerts with European musicians such as the 2006 Concert Against AIDS in Monaco, and the Concert Against Malaria in Switzerland. She also participated in helping the rehabilitation of victims after the tsunami in Aceh at the end of 2004. In addition, Anggun also helped promote UN programs such as the microcredit scheme for poverty alleviation in 2005 and the FAO mission for hunger alleviation in 2009.

Anggun Cipta Sasmi is one of the 100 women who inspire the world with her achievements. Anggun’s achievements outside Indonesia are always proud without losing her identity. Her image as a local Indonesian-looking woman (long black hair, brown skin, simple clothes, speaking Indonesian well) does not cover the other side of her as an accomplished, global-minded and free-spirited woman.

CAREER JOURNEY

Anggun released her first rock album Dunia Aku Punya (1986) when she was 12 years old, produced by renowned Indonesian guitarist Ian Antono and released by Blackboard Record. Unfortunately, this album was not able to raise her name. Her name only took off after Anggun launched a single titled “Mimpi” at the end of 1989. At that time, Anggun was only 15 years old and made her the most famous teenage singer of her time. Her name became even more successful thanks to her hits such as “Tua Tua Keladi” and “Takut”. According to Rolling Stone magazine, “Mimpi” is one of the “150 Best Indonesian Songs of All Time”. Anggun had managed to become one of the most successful rock singers in the early 1990s and was eventually awarded as the “Most Popular Indonesian Artist 1990-1991”. Her albums sold well in the market and her singles dominated the charts in Indonesia.

At the age of 19, Anggun managed to become the youngest singer to establish her own record company, PT Bali Cipta Records while acting as a record producer. In 1993 Anggun released her last studio album in Indonesia titled Anggun C. Sasmi… Lah!!! which was another success. The video for her first single, “Kembalilah Kasih (We Must Talk)” made it to MTV Hong Kong.

Anggun C Sasmi married at the age of 19 and in 1994 with her first husband, Michel Georgea, Anggun moved to London to start her international career after she decided to sell her record company. Unfortunately, her move to London did not turn out as expected so Anggun then decided to move to France to start her international career. One of the reasons is that in Europe the distance between countries only needs to be reached about an hour by train, making it very easy for her. Eventually Anggun managed to meet Erick Benzi, a French producer who had worked on the albums of a number of famous singers such as Celine Dion, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Johnny Hallyday. Benzi was captivated by Anggun’s vocal abilities and immediately offered her to record an album. With Benzi’s help, Anggun was then signed by Columbia Records in France and also managed to get a contract with parent label l Sony Music International for an album that would be released internationally.

Anggun’s first international French album “Au nom de la lune” was produced by Erick Benzi and first released by Columbia Records on June 24, 1997. The album was later released globally in 33 countries around the world with album sales of more than 150,000 copies in France and Belgium. What stands out the most about this first album is the complete change of Anggun’s musical path, from the rock music she had been playing for years to ethnic pop music with a touch of traditional Indonesian instrument sounds. Anggun’s first single “La neige au Sahara” became an instant hit and was recorded as the most played song on French radio in 1997. Anggun was also nominated for “Best Newcomer” at the Victoires de la Musique, the highest award for the French music industry.

This first album was later made into an English version and titled “Snow on the Sahara”. To hit the international market in 33 Asian, European and American countries. For the Southeast Asian market, Anggun included an Indonesian song titled “Kembali”. The first single “Snow on the Sahara” was a success and reached number one in France, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. The song also reached the Top Five on the UK Club Chart in the UK and the Tokyo Hot 100 in Japan, and made it to the European Single Charts, which are combined charts for songs across the European continent.

The achievement of Snow on the Sahara was remarkable as it sold more than 1.5 million copies worldwide and won the Diamond Export Award. It was also recorded as the highest-selling album by an Asian singer outside of Asia at the time.

In 2000, Anggun released her second French-language album titled Désirs contraires produced by Erick Benzi as in her first album. The album still contained electronic pop music as well as ambient and R&B elements with the lead single “Un geste d’amour”. Not as successful as her first album, this second album only sold 30,000 copies in France but was quite successful in Italy. Since then, Anggun has produced five international albums recorded in two versions, English and French. She has also collaborated with a number of international artists, such as Julio Iglesias, Peter Gabriel, Pras Michel (The Fugees), II Divo, David Foster, and Melanie C (Spice Girls).

In 2006, Anggun held a solo concert in Indonesia, at the Jakarta Convention Center with 5000 tickets sold out. The concert was dubbed as the spectacular concert of the year. She also received a special award from Anugerah Musik Indonesia as the Best International Artist, given for her success in making a name for herself overseas and raising the prestige of the Indonesian music industry in the eyes of the world.

Apart from being a singer, Anggun is also a songwriter. She wrote two songs for Julian Cely, one of her French fans who released her first album in Indonesia in 2007. In the same year, in an environmental themed documentary film produced by BBC titled Un jour sur terre or Earth, Anggun was also involved as a narrator and released the film’s soundtrack single. At the end of 2007, Anggun received another invitation from the Vatican to perform at a Christmas concert in Verona, Italy, with Michael Bolton.

Anggun continues to make new breakthroughs in the making of her albums. In her fourth international album released at the end of 2008 titled Elevation, Anggun changed her music style to hip-hop and urban by collaborating with several world rap singers. In Indonesia alone, the album has been awarded double platinum, making it the fastest selling album of Anggun’s career in Indonesia. Unfortunately, it also became the lowestselling studio album of Anggun’s international career.

Anggun C Sasmi also often duets with singers from around the world. In early 2010, popular Portuguese singer Mickael Carreira invited Anggun to duet on the song “Chama por me (Call My Name)” and performed in his solo concert in Lisboa, Portugal on February 26, 2010. Anggun also collaborated with German musician Schiller on the songs “Always You” and “Blind” for Schiller’s album Atemlos. They also organized a concert tour around Germany during March 2010.

As a producer and owner of a recording company called April Earth, Anggun worked on her fifth international album with several musicians in 2011. The album was titled “Echoes” for the English version and Echos for the French version. This album was also her first international album produced by April Earth. The distribution of the album was assisted by Warner Music for Europe and Sony Music for East Asia. The album, which is organic pop music with philosophical lyrics and tells a lot about life, went platinum in Indonesia in the first week of its release. And to promote the album, Anggun held her second solo concert at the Jakarta Convention Center titled “Konser Kilau Anggun” on November 27, 2011.

Along with her success, Anggun is also often appointed as a judge in various competitions. Among others, she became an international judge for the inaugural season of X Factor Indonesia. Appointed as a judge by Simon Cowell in one of the events he created, namely Indonesia’s Got Talent in 2014 and became a judge at the X-Factor Around The World event with Paula Abdul, Daniel Bedingfield, Louis Walsh, and Ahmad Dhani in the same year. He also judged the Asian talent show Asia’s Got Talent with David Foster, Melanie Chisholm, and Vanness Wu in 2015.

Disney Studios in Paris was interested in inviting Anggun to become a voice actor in an animated film produced by Disney Studios which will be aired in March 2021 entitled ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’. In the movie, Anggun voices the character Virana, a somewhat authoritarian but big-hearted leader. ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada. The screenwriter is Adele Lim who wrote the screenplay for Crazy Rich Asians.

Anggun has judged Asia’s Got Talent, which is broadcast in almost 20 countries, and also judged Mask Singer in France in 2022. Then, Anggun’s selection in 2023 as a judge in the Starmaker talent show broadcast on Belgian television, RTL-TVI and Dream Team on TF1, France further proves Anggun as the Asian artist who judges the most international talent shows.

On September 17, 2023 Anggun performed a duet with Waldjinah (maestro of Javanese keroncong and langgam) in the “Persembahan dari Solo” art performance held at Puro Mangkunegaran Solo. As a Javanese, this performance is an experience that Anggun will remember for a lifetime.

Anggun has made another remarkable achievement in the international arena in 2024. This time she also had the opportunity to become one of the performers in the legendary Broadway musical entitled “Jesus Christ Superstar” for 24 performances in Rome and Milan. This achievement made Anggun the first Indonesian-born star to join the cast of an international musical. Jesus Christ Superstar is one of the most famous and successful musical shows in history, created by genius composers Lloyid Webber and Tim Rice. Anggun plays the mythical role of Mary Magdalene in this iconic Broadway musical. Anggun is also the first Indonesian artist to have the opportunity to play the role of Mary Magdalene. With this latest prestigious achievement, Anggun cements her status as a pioneering Indonesian artist who is unrivaled in her success on the global scene.

On the prestigious show “The Voice” in France on March 21, 2024, Anggun had the honor of singing as a special guest. And just a few days later, Anggun became a special guest on the TV shows The Voice Canada and The Voice Italy.

Anggun’s historic performance was on the stage of the Théâtre Antique d’Orange in France on June 13, 2024. The historic building, built in the 6th century BCE, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a relic of the Roman Empire and Julius Caesar. Anggun’s performance proved her capacity as an international and world-class singer and as one of the historic performances during her career in the global music industry. Accompanied by more than 2,000 choirs and 25 musicians, it was an extraordinary concert that mesmerized world reporters and 9,000 spectators.

Anggun never forgets her home country, Indonesia. On July 28, 2024, Anggun performed a “return home” concert entitled “Enchanting Anggun and Friends” at the Jakarta Convention Center, Central Jakarta.

WORKS

At the beginning of her career, Anggun was heavily influenced by rock singers and music groups, so her albums while in Indonesia could not be separated from the rock music path. However, since becoming an international singer, Anggun’s music is more varied and always different in each album. She began to metamorphose in her musical career, from previously performing rock songs to romantic songs with a touch of ethnic pop music with a touch of traditional Indonesian instrument sounds.

Anggun made history by becoming the first Indonesian artist to break into the Billboard charts. To date, Anggun is the most successful Indonesian singer to enter the Billboards chart in America, with a total of 4 songs namely “Snow On The Sahara”, “Perfect World”, “What We Remember” and “The Good Is Back”. Followed by other works whose achievements are very proud.

In every album released by Anggun C Sasmi, it can be said that all have won awards. Success after success has opened up more and more opportunities for Anggun. Among other things, the opportunity to collaborate with singers from all over the world, tour various countries, be involved in filmmaking and become a UN ambassador.

Anggun has also sung for some of the world’s biggest stars, including two US presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and three Popes at the Vatican.

INFLUENCE

At the beginning of her career as a rock singer, Anggun was known for her tomboyish look, wearing a slanted beret, short pants, a spiked jacket and a large belt. This fashion style had become a trend in the early 1990s. But since becoming an international singer, Anggun has completely changed her fashion style to be more feminine and sexy, through the typical appearance of Indonesian women with long black hair and brown skin.

Through her music, Anggun wants to introduce Indonesia to the world with a touch of the sounds of traditional Indonesian instruments, lyrics, in her voice, but most importantly through herself. Her image of femininity is portrayed as a symbolization of the power of Indonesian women.

Anggun is the first Indonesian female singer to truly break into the international music industry outside of Asia. Anggun’s success has directly or indirectly paved the way for other singers from Asia. After Anggun, a series of Asian singers began to emerge who tried to work on the European or American music market such as Coco Lee, Utada Hikaru, BoA, or Tata Young.

In July 2016, Madame Tussauds Bangkok immortalized her in a wax figure wearing a black dress and jewelry designed by JeanPaul Gautier. The process took 8 months to make in London. Anggun’s wax figure is the first Indonesian-born female artist to be presented at Madame Tussauds Museum. The presence of the wax statue is not only very important for Anggun and her career, but also a symbol of the power of Indonesian Women and an inspiration for many people around the world that everyone can also achieve their dreams.

Another thing that concerns Anggun is gender equality, where the image of women cannot be separated from the culture that follows it. Anggun has proven herself that women are not just male companions, but women can also reach the stage of selfactualization as evidenced by the many works and achievements that are appreciated. She also advised that a woman must be smart, authoritative, elegant and responsible. Because the responsibilities of women are very much both in social life, tolerance and obligations as a mother in educating the next generation.

Through her songs, Anggun conveys that being a woman is a gift that is not given by the Creator just like that. That appearance alone is not enough to make someone call herself a woman, if she does not have soul, charm, kindness, sincerity and humility. In her own way, Anggun creates works that express her expression and perspective on the world, including on herself as an Indonesian woman. Although many of her songs are about love and are considered mere popular works, there is an idea of the image of femininity that Anggun wants to portray.

Another influence of Anggun C Sasmi can also be felt in the world of education. The lyrics of her songs are considered as poetry and full of meaning so they deserve to be studied scientifically. It is no exaggeration that a journalist from the Philippines, Lionel Zivan S. Valdellon, called Anggun “a very good ambassador for Indonesia and Asia in general”.

Anggun also wants to convey a message to everyone to never hold back on being ambitious. Everyone can change their destiny. She wants to invite other artists from Indonesia and from other countries in East Asia to break through boundaries and barriers. Their music and talent can attract Western audiences, just like she did.

The awards received so far are very important to Anggun. Because according to her, this appreciation can make Indonesian musicians confident and excited because the opportunities for a career abroad are very broad. She hopes the award will be seen as a symbol that Indonesian artists can export themselves to Europe. For example, Italy is a big country, proud of its rich and intense music production. But they also allow artists who come from afar like her to succeed. One of Anggun’s inspiring quotes, she said “I received this award to be an inspiration to others. This international award is not mine, it is a symbol that anything is possible”.

Anggun is grateful for the opportunities given by many parties that can make her continue to make Indonesia proud in foreign countries. In various events that she attended, Anggun always talked about Indonesia, about Indonesian culture, and made people want to come to this beautiful country. Her various experiences in achieving international success have taught her to always believe in herself and keep fighting despite facing many obstacles. And that makes Anggun a strong and inspiring musician who remains humble.

AWARDS

Throughout her career, the ‘Snow on the Sahara’ album owner has taken home many prestigious awards. Anggun has collected many gold and platinum awards in Italy since the beginning of her international career. The Women Inspire Award was one of the awards given to Anggun by the Beacon of Light Awards in 2002. Anggun is considered as a singer who is able to inspire Asian women.

In 2005, Anggun received the prestigious ‘Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres’ award from the French government. She received it for her career achievements and contribution to French culture in the world. Besides her, Guruh Sukarnoputra, duo Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo of Daft Punk, Jude Law, and George Clooney also received the same award. A year later, in 2006 Anggun received a special award of ‘Best International Artist’ from Anugerah Musik Indonesia. She received the award for her achievements and career abroad and for bringing Indonesia’s name to the international music industry.

Her achievements without leaving her characteristic appearance as an Indonesian woman made Herworld Magazine named Anggun as ‘Inspirational Woman with Long Straight Hair’ during the 2000s decade. Anggun was also ranked 6th on FHM’s ‘Sexiest Women in Asia’ list, and 18th on FHM France’s ‘100 Sexiest Women in the World’ list in 2010.

Throughout 2013, Anggun won several prestigious awards. Beginning in January 2013, she attended the Marché International de l’édition Musicale (MIDEM) and was awarded a prestigious award. Anggun took home the Diamond Award which was handed over directly by the French Minister of Culture at that time. Anggun got it because she was one of the singers who used French and was successful outside of France. Furthermore, at the 2013 World Music Awards, Anggun won nominations for three categories at once, namely World’s Best Female Artist, World’s Best Live Act, and World’s Best Entertainer of the Year. While at the 2013 Taormina Film Festival in Italy, Anggun received the Taormina Special Award for humanitarian activities as FAO Goodwill Ambassador.

Furthermore, in May 2014 Anggun as a singer representing Indonesia at the World Music Awards 2014 in Monte Carlo, Monaco. She won the award for Best Selling Indonesian Artist category. The total sales of her albums and singles have reached 12,890,898 copies. Not only that, he also shared the stage with several top singers, some of whom are Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Leona Lewis, Sean Paul, and Ricky Martin.

Anggun received the International Artist Award at the Planet Music Awards held at the Suntec Auditorium in Singapore on October 11, 2015. Anggun also received a Diamond-Sales award plaque for achieving sales of more than 1 million albums in Europe from 1997 to 2015.

With spectacular sales such as TriplePlatinum sales in Italy for Snow On The Sahara or Platinum sales in France for Luminescense, Anggun holds the title of Best-Selling Asian Artist Outside Eastern Asia. A feat that has never been achieved by any other East Asian artist.

On September 3, 2016 Madame Tussauds Bangkok immortalized her in a wax figure wearing a black dress and jewelry designed by Jean-Paul Gautier. The process took 8 months to create in London. Anggun’s wax figure is the first Indonesian-born female artist to be presented at Madame Tussauds Museum. The presence of the wax statue is not only very important for Anggun and her career, but also a symbol of the strength of Indonesian women and an inspiration for many people around the world that everyone can also achieve their dreams.

Still in the same month, precisely on September 28, 2016 Anggun C Sasmi received the Keys of the City Award which was handed over directly by the Mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella. The Keys of the City Award is given to interesting personalities and honored guests who achieve significant achievements in the field of culture and art. During the award ceremony, the Mayor of Florence introduced Anggun as an Indonesian icon who successfully promotes culture and art with Indonesian values. The award ceremony was also attended by officials from the Indonesian Embassy in Italy.

Anggun C. Sasmi never stops gaining achievements. In 2017, she was honored by the Daf Bama Music Awards, an award show dedicated to multi-cultural music on an international scale. Organized by Daf Entertainment in Hamburg, Germany, this one event presented two awards to Anggun, namely ‘Best Female Award’ and ‘Best Asian Act Award’.

The next award, Outstanding Contribution, was received by Anggun at the 24th Asian Television Awards held in Manila, Philippines. She received the award in her role as a judge in the Asia’s Got Talent program broadcast in 19 countries in Asia, January 14, 2020. During the event, Anggun also received an award for her role as a judge in France for the most successful TV franchise program The Masked Singer. The program has broken TV ratings records for the past 7 years and garnered more than 40 million viewers for the first season.

On March 2, 2021 Anggun received a special award for the song titled “Caruso” which Anggun sang with the late Luciano Pavarotti. The song won the Duet of the Year category at the Bravo International Classical Music Awards 2021. The prestigious music awards ceremony was held at the Bolshoi Theater, a legendary stage in Russia.

And in recognition of Anggun’s 20 years of service in the Italian music industry, the Javanese-born woman received a special award at the Premio Luneza event in Italy, on August 14, 2023. Premio Luneza is an award event organized specifically to honor writers, composers, and artists who have contributed to the Italian music scene. Anggun is the second international artist to receive this honor. Anggun is said to have influenced and left a big mark on Italian musical culture.

Source:                       

Lady in Melody, Museum Musik Indonesia, 2024

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