SINGAPORE: INDONESIAN SINGER ANGGUN HOPES TO BREAK INTO THE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SCENE

Record ID: 387960

  • Title: SINGAPORE: INDONESIAN SINGER ANGGUN HOPES TO BREAK INTO THE INTERNATIONAL MUSIC SCENE
  • Date: 1st May 2001
  • Summary: (REUTERS - PERFORMANCE CLEARANCE FOR RESALE) VARIOUS, ANGGUN SINGING "CHRYSALIS" ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 16th May 2001 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: SINGAPORE
  • Country: Singapore
  • Reuters ID: LVA2T39CNY9M17Y9XWW5UW5MUF7L
  • Story Text: Indonesian-born, Paris-based singer Anggun has an insatiable wanderlust.
    She left her homeland at the age of 20, at the height of her pop singing career in Indonesia which sold 4 million albums.
    Wanting to learn something new, Anggun ended her singing career at her homeland, sold her shares in her recording company, and packed her bags for Europe. Reuters met her for a chat.
    "If you want to have an international career, you have to leave your country unfortunately, because no one was actually waiting for me in Europe or in America when I left my country. If I stayed in Indonesia, nothing would ever happen."
    The 27-year old singer settled in Paris in 1996 and joined forces with music producer Erick Benzi, who helped propel Celine Dione's stratospheric singing career.
    Anggun's song "Snow on the Sahara" in 1997, which blended her deep, silky-smooth vocals with a haunting new-age melody, was distributed in 33 countries and sold a million copies.
    "Chrysalis", her second English album was launched at the end of 2000.
    Her powerful but sultry crooning has often been compared to Eurythmics' diva lead singer Annie Lennox.
    "It takes such effort for them (listeners and critics) to recognize voice, a song, a face, and a name. So at the end, it helped them to recognize me, then it is useful. And it is enormous complement, Annie Lenox.... she's not a nobody," said Anggun.
    Born Anggun Cipta Sasmi, which means "a grace created in a dream", the petite Javanese girl started her singing career nearly two decades ago, cutting her first album of children's songs at the tender age of nine.
    Anggun, who recently got her long jet black tresses cut to a tousled chin-length, is the second of five children born to a book-writer and housewife.
    Although she was trained in singing and classical piano, her personal musical influences were far less esoteric. She said late singer Freddy Mercury of Queen was her biggest influence.
    Given the chance to sing a duet with anyone, pop icon David Bowie is Anggun's man.
    "David Bowie... yes, because he's one of my idols, he's amazing. Any of his songs, any of his master pieces, if he wants to sing my song, I would be like yes! yes! Anything!, you know," she said.
    The singer has recently returned to Jakarta for concerts after being away for several years. It was a challenge for her as she did not know how her international singing career would be received by her former fans.
    The singer said the audience was ecstatic and definitely felt tremendous support during her homecoming tour.
    The free-spirited singer is still looking to spread her wings and unlikely to return to Indonesia.
    "Now I'm back to Indonesia, I have so many memories before, but now things have changed, the city, the atmosphere, I don't want to go there and regretting the past, so I rather go to somewhere, someplace new. You know what, that is why I can't stay in France forever either. Maybe it's not going to be Asia, maybe America, maybe Australia, or Bora Bora!," she said.
    Anggun is touring Asia until early May, performing at concerts and functions in countries such as Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and Malaysia.
    She will kick off her European tour in June and is hoping to produce another album in December.
    ENDS
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