I have a friend who loves Anggun so much. He admires Anggun, collects pictures of her and follows her newest updated story, he's just crazy about her. I think its very reasonable, we all are proud of Anggun. A talented beautiful singer who made a brave decision to pursue her international singing career and left her comfort life here in Indonesia.

I remember, I think I was in elementary school when Anggun's song "Tua Tua Keladi" stayed on the local chart and being played most of the time. She was very famous as young rocker lady. By that time, her trade mark was the caps hat. She won many awards and built her own recording company while she was just 19 years old !

On 1992, she met Michel de Gea -a french man- when she visited Kalimantan (Borneo). They got married after few months and he became her manager. On 1994, she surprised everyone when she left the country to expand her international career. They lived in London at the beginning, then moved to French. It was not an easy way to start a new singing career as being nobody in foreign country. I saw once her interview on TV sharing her experiences where everything was different and how she must survive and work very hard, doing house works by herself (no maid to help like in homeland) and at the same time fighting to make her dream comes true, exercise in gym and maintenance her vocal.

I quote this from her interview with Jakarta Post on 2001, people accused her that she despises her own country especially after her French citizenship granted: "I'm tired of having to explain myself. It doesn't mean that I hate my own country. It's because I think I have to improve. I have to know other countries, other cultures, learn other languages. It's for my own good. If people don't like it, well, what can I say."

2977_b_8432In French, she faced another problem that her demo tapes were rejected, because English record was not too popular for market. Immediately she learnt French language at Alliance Français-Paris for few years. Finally, she was accepted by Sony Music, with the help of friend, she met Erick Benzi, a famous producer and composer. Benzi agreed to co-operate in one condition, Anggun must leave the rock style.

Anggun released her first album on 1997, "Au Nom de la Lune" (in the name of moon) and her first single La Neige au Sahara became the most aired song on the radio in French. On the next year, she launched her English album - "Snow on The Sahara" and being sold in 33 countries in Europe, Asia and America. Followed by second album on 2000 which also sold more than 1 million copies worldwide, she got international awards for her achievements and the world started to recognize her existence. Isn't she inspiring ?

Sadly she divorced from Michel on 1999, but she met Olivier Maury on 2003 in Canada when she moved to Montreal and got married in Bali. She divorced again on 2006 and now she's a happy mom of cute baby girl (kirana) from her relationship with Cyril Montana-a French writer.

Anggun-Undress Me - #1 Turkey chart on 2005

The albums :

180px-Snow_on_the_Sahara 180px-Chrysalis180px-Luminescence

close-up-pantaiPenyanyi kelahiran Indonesia yang kini bermukim di Prancis, Anggun Cipta Sasmi tampil penuh emosional dihadapan ribuan penggemarnya dalam konser tunggal di Jakarta Convention Center malam ini, 25 Mei 2006. Dalam konser bertajuk Konser untuk Negri ini, Anggun menyanyikan 20 lagu. (R. berto Wedhatama)