Anggun is a singer of Indonesian origin who currently resides in France. Her real name is Anggun Jipta Sasmi. The future star was born on April 29, 1974 in Jakarta (Indonesia).
From the age of 12, Anggun has already performed on stage. In addition to songs in her native language, she sings in French and English. The singer is the most popular Indonesian pop singer.
Popularity came to the singer quite early. Already at the age of 12, her parents moved the girl to Europe. The family settled in London and then moved to Paris.
Here Anggun met producer Eric Bentzi, who took the young talent under his wing and helped to conclude the first contract. The girl signed it with the Sony Music France label, which opens up great prospects.
The first album Au Nom de la Lune was released in 1996, and a year later Anggun released her second album, Snow of the Sahara. It has been released in over 30 countries. Anggun is the first Asian female artist to achieve international recognition.
Anggun's early career
Anggun was born and raised in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Her father was a writer and her mother was a housewife. To get a good education, the girl was sent to study at a Catholic school.
She started singing at the age of 7. At first she learned the basics of singing on her own, then she began to take private lessons. The singer's first children's album included compositions based on poems of her own composition.
The singer's work was greatly influenced by Western rock. It is not surprising that Rolling Stone magazine included one of the early compositions in 150 famous rock compositions of all times and peoples.
Anggun's international career didn't start out as smoothly as the singer had hoped. The first demos were returned by record companies to negative reviews.
The singer decided to move away from traditional rock in more melodic styles. Immediately after such a transformation, the singer's career developed.
The artist worked in dance styles, recorded Latin music and melodic ballads. The first European albums sold well in France, Italy and Spain.
The singer enjoyed immense popularity in Southeast Asia. In the US, the album "Snow of the Sahara" was released later than in other countries.
But thanks to an extensive tour and participation in concerts with such popular performers as The Corrs and Toni Braxton, Anggun's fame also came across the ocean. The singer began to appear frequently on television, she was invited to major projects.
New Genre Anggun
In 1999, Anggun separated from her husband Michel de Gea. Experiences about this influenced her work. The French-language album Désirs contraires was more melodic and there was a new style change.
Now the singer has been experimenting with electropop and R&B music. The album was not commercially successful, but was well received by the public.
Simultaneously with the French-language album, a disc with songs in English was released. One of which became a worldwide hit. The singer's career began to develop again.
In 2000, the Vatican sent an official invitation to the singer to participate in a Christmas concert. In addition to Anggun, it featured Bryan Adams and Dion Warwick. A special Christmas song was written for this occasion.
After this concert, the girl began to receive awards in various categories. In addition to the undoubted musical talent of the singer, they also noted her determination and perseverance.
In 2001, the artist, together with DJ Cam, released a track with Russian-English lyrics "Summer in Paris". The composition quickly became a hit in European club discos.
Another collaboration was the recording of the track Deep Blue Sea together with the popular ethno-electronic group Deep Forest. For Italian television, the singer recorded a duet, together with Piero Pelle. The song Amore Immaginato made a splash in Italy.
The singer's work inspired some directors to create soundtracks for films. Some of them have received film awards.
Signing of Anggun Jipta Sasmi with a new label
In 2003, Anggun and Sony Music ended their partnership. The singer did not renew her relationship with the label due to the structural changes that were taking place in this organization.
A new contract was signed with Heben Music. The next few compositions were written in French. They were highly appreciated not only by the public, but also by the French Ministry of Culture.
The singer was awarded the Order of Chevalier (the French version of the Knight of Arts and Letters). Contribution to international culture, charity concerts in support of third world countries and people with AIDS were recognized by the UN.
In 2012, the singer was chosen to represent France at the Eurovision Song Contest. Unfortunately, the composition written for this competition did not reach the top 10.
The singer's voice has three octaves. Critics call it "warm" and "soulful". Anggun started her music career after listening to bands such as Guns N Roses, Bon Jovi and Megadeth. Today it is widely known all over the world.
She works in many genres, from pop to jazz. Many compositions contain references to ethnic music. According to FHM magazine, the singer is included in the 100 most beautiful women in the world.
