Anggun C Sasmi Suami (born 29 April 1974, in Jakarta, Indonesia) is an Indonesian-born French singer/songwriter. She has released 12 studio albums (5 in Indonesian and English, 4 in French) and one soundtrack album (Open Hearts), and her songs have also been included on various compilation albums. Her musical career began in childhood, and she achieved commercial success in Indonesia when she was 12 years old. At the age of 20, she moved to Europe, and she is now living in Paris, France.
Her best-known album is Snow on the Sahara, which has been released in 33 countries across the world, including the US; this album also spawned her biggest worldwide hit to date, "Snow on the Sahara."
Anggun Biography
1974–1994: Early life and success in Indonesia
Anggun was born and raised in Jakarta, Indonesia, as the second child and first daughter of Darto Singo, a Javanese writer and Dien Novita, a housewife. At the age of 7, Anggun started receiving highly disciplined singing instruction from her father. She trained on a daily basis, learning various vocal techniques. To help further develop her career, her mother began serving as her manager, accepting singing offers and handling business concerns. Later on, at the age of 9, Anggun recorded a children's album, Kepada Alam dan Pencinta-Nya
In her teens, Anggun C Sasmi Suami was influenced by native Javanese artists as well as by rock & roll singers and bands such as Elvis Presley, Metallica and The Police. In 1986, with Ian Antono, a famous Indonesian music producer, Anggun released her first official album in Indonesia, titled Dunia Aku Punya. Anggun's fame continued to rise with the release of subsequent singles, "Mimpi" and most notably "Tua Tua Keladi" (the latter earned her the "Most Popular Indonesian Artist" award for 1990–1991). These singles were massively popular in Indonesia. In late 2009, Rolling Stone Indonesia magazine placed the song "Mimpi" at #47 on their "150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time" list. Following the success of these singles, Anggun returned to release follow-up albums; Anak Putih Abu Abu in 1991 and then Nocturno in 1992. Both albums achieved great success and moreover established her as one of Indonesia's "Lady Rockers".
In 1992, Anggun began a relationship with Michel Georgea, a French man, whom she had met the year before in Kalimantan while touring. The couple married, despite their age difference and a rumored objection by Anggun's family (reportedly because they felt Anggun was too young to get married). After the marriage, Anggun founded a record company, Bali Cipta Record, (making her the youngest Indonesian singer to do so) and released what would be her final Indonesian studio album, Anggun C. Sasmi... Lah!!! in 1993. She attempted to shed her tomboy image with the video for the album's first single, "Kembalilah Kasih (Kita Harus Bicara)". Meanwhile, it became the first music video by Indonesian artist to appear on MTV Asia. The album was another smash hit for Anggun, but she began to feel unsatisfied with the success in her own country and started thinking about an international music career. Previously, in 1992, Anggun had signed a deal with a renowned Japanese recording company in Singapore, Pony Canyon, to record an English album which would be released in Asia. But later the project was cancelled, as Anggun wanted to bring her talent to the West instead.
Finally, in 1994, after the release of a compilation album containing all her Indonesian hits (entitled Yang Hilang), Anggun C Sasmi Suami sold her record company to fund her move to Europe.
