COME INTO MY WORLD
Indonesian Diva ANGGUN's Western Odyssey
by Lionel Zivan S. Valdellon

published in COSMOPOLITAN PHILS. January 1999

The synth washes over the electronic beats, while samples of tribal cries and bamboo flute echo in the background. Anggun's rich warm voice snakes over the music. Welcome to the lush sonic space that Anggun inhabits-- a verdant jungle reminiscent of Deep Forest and Grace Nono's ethnic excursions but also of Annie Lennox and Julia Fordham's modern verve and lyricism.

The music is as captivating as her story. Born in 1974 in Jakarta, Indonesia, the young Anggun Cipta Sasmi was already in front of klieg lights at the age of nine. Her very first recording a children's album that catapulted her into local stardom. By 12, she started recording a series of six chart-topping albums which firmly established her as a rock singer--- successfully melding elements from Bon Jovi, and Guns 'N Roses with her Indonesian roots. Then at 19, she had her own record company, founded to produce her own albums.Where do you go after all that success? Anggun shares: "When you've done so much at a young age, it can make life difficult. You wonder what's next--- and you just don't know. One thing was clear, I dreamed of an international career. But the American and English record companies weren't going to come to Indonesia looking for new talent when there is so much available in their own countries."

So she headed West in 1995, her leap of faith landing her in London and eventually Paris, where the potpourri of cultures seemed a more fitting place to commence her odyssey. "I didn't speak a word of French when I got there, but it felt just right."

Acquiring an address for songwriter and producer Erick Benzi (who's worked with the likes of Celine Dion), Anggun simply walked up to his door and introduced herself. "I said, 'I'm a singer. I want to make an album that has the sound of my country, and album that's different, that has my identity.'" Benzi was actually booked through till the year 2000, but the two connected instantly. That connection being compelling enough to lead to the production of Snow On The Sahara, Anggun's fantastic debut album.

"I was there from beginning to end," says Anggun, describing the production process. "I told Erick my stories: about my life in Indonesia... about my hopes and dreams. These songs are really reflections of my life, and this music is really my music in every sense." Every idea that Benzi came up with was filtered by Anggun's recording experience and sureness of vision. She knew what kind of album was in her heart, and through their collaborating, got it.

Snow On The Sahara is a potent fusion of the West's blatant pop sensibilites and the SouthEast's subtle sensuality. Swim into the sampled chanting of "By The Moon" or the smoky groove of "My Sensual Mind". Follow her into the shimmering, languid dreams of "Valparaiso" and "Secret Of The Sea" or the lively Corrs-ish "Dream Of Me". The end result is the same, no matter which song you decide to enter her world with. You will be seduced by the visions she holds in her heart and lets free in her music. "When I decided to leave my country, it was a big decision. But I had a dream and I don't regret a second of it."

Neither will you.

<read about my Anggun interview and her Music Museum concert>

BACK TO TOP