Anggun

Anggun Cipta Sasmi (; born 29 April 1974), known mononymously as Anggun, is an Indonesian-born French singer-songwriter and television personality. Born in Jakarta, she began performing at the age of seven and recorded a children's album two years later. With the help of Indonesian producer Ian Antono, Anggun released her first rock-influenced studio album, "Dunia Aku Punya" in 1986. She became further well known with the single "Mimpi" (1989), which was listed as one of the 150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time by "Rolling Stone". She followed it with a series of singles and three more studio albums, which established her as one of the most prominent Indonesian female rock stars of the early 1990s.
Anggun left Indonesia in 1994 to pursue an international career. After two years struggling in London and Paris, she met French producer Erick Benzi, who produced her first international album, "Snow on the Sahara" (1997). Released in 33 countries, it became the best-selling album by an Asian artist outside Asia. Since then, Anggun has released another six studio albums as well as a soundtrack album to the Danish film "Open Hearts" (2002). Her singles, "Snow on the Sahara", "What We Remember", and "The Good Is Back", entered the "Billboard" charts in the United States, while "In Your Mind", "Saviour" and "I'll Be Alright" charted on the "Billboard" European Hot 100 Singles. She represented France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012 in Baku, Azerbaijan, with the song "Echo (You and I)". Anggun also ventured into television, becoming the judge for the pancontinental "Asia's Got Talent", the French version of "Masked Singer", as well as the Indonesian versions of "The X Factor", "Got Talent", and "The Voice".
Anggun is the Asian artist with the highest album sales outside Asia, with her releases being certified gold and platinum in some European countries. She is the first Indonesian artist to have success in European and American record charts. She has received a number of accolades for her achievements, including the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the Government of France, the World Music Award for World's Best-Selling Indonesian Artist, and the Asian Television Award for Outstanding Contribution to Asian Television Performing Arts. She also became the first Indonesian woman to be immortalized in wax by Madame Tussauds. Aside from her musical career, Anggun has been appointed as the global ambassador of the United Nations twice, first for the International Year of Microcredit in 2005 and then for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2009 onwards.
Life and career.
1974–1993: Early life and career in Indonesia.
Anggun was born and raised in Jakarta. She is the second child and first daughter of Darto Singo, a Javanese writer, and Dien Herdina, a housewife from the Yogyakartan royal family. Her full name means "grace born of a dream" in Balinese. Despite being a Muslim, Anggun was sent to a Catholic school to receive a better elementary education. At the age of seven, Anggun began receiving highly disciplined instruction in singing from her father. She trained daily, learning various vocal techniques. To help further develop her career, her mother began serving as her manager, accepting singing offers and handling business concerns. At the age of eleven, Anggun began to write her own songs and recorded her first children's album.
As a preteen, Anggun was influenced by Western rock music artists. At the age of fourteen, she released her first official studio album, "Dunia Aku Punya" (1986). The album was produced by Ian Antono, an Indonesian rock musician. However, the album failed to establish her popularity. Three years later, Anggun achieved some fame after the release of the single "Mimpi"; the song was later ranked by the "Rolling Stone Indonesia" magazine as one of the 150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time. Anggun's fame continued to increase with the release of subsequent singles, most notably "Tua Tua Keladi" (1990), which became her most popular hit in Indonesia. After a string of successful singles, Anggun released the studio albums "Anak Putih Abu Abu" (1991) and "Nocturno" (1992). The former earned her the Most Popular Indonesian Artist 1990–1991 award.
In 1992, Anggun began a relationship with Michel Georgea, a French engineer, whom she had met the year before in Kalimantan while touring. The couple married, despite a rumoured objection by Anggun's family, reportedly because they felt Anggun was too young . Georgea later became Anggun's manager. The following year, Anggun became the youngest Indonesian singer to found her own record company, Bali Cipta Records, and took complete creative control over her work. She produced her final Indonesian studio album, "Anggun C. Sasmi... Lah!!!" (1993), which yielded the number-one single "Kembalilah Kasih (Kita Harus Bicara)". By age nineteen, Anggun had sold over four million albums in Indonesia. She began to feel dissatisfied with her success in her country and began considering an international music career. Anggun later recalled: "[By the time] I was 20, I'd made five albums. I'd built my own record company. I'd produced my last album and produced some Indonesian acts as well. And I said to myself: 'I'm tired! I cannot achieve more than I already have. There's no challenge anymore'."
1994–1996: Beginnings in Europe.
In 1994, Anggun released "Yang Hilang", a greatest hits album of her Indonesian hits. She later sold her record company to fund her move to Europe, and moved to London for about a year. In a 2006 interview with "Trax" magazine, Anggun admitted to experiencing "culture shock" and having some serious financial problems while trying to start her new life in Europe, saying "I thought the money that I got by selling my record company was enough [to sustain life in London], but I began to lose money, little by little. I had to spend so much on taking cabs and eating! So I ended up taking buses everywhere and going to clubs to introduce myself as a singer." She also admitted that she "had to convert from being a shy, introverted, 'real' Javanese woman to being an unabashed, fearless, 'fake' Javanese woman."
She began writing songs and recording demos, but after a few months, all the demos she had sent to record companies around the UK were returned with negative replies. She began thinking about moving to another country, and initially considered moving to the Netherlands, but later decided on France. In 1996, her international career began to advance; she was introduced to producer Erick Benzi, who had previously worked with Celine Dion, Jean-Jacques Goldman and Johnny Hallyday, by one of music legends in France named Florent Pagny. Impressed by Anggun's talent, Benzi immediately offered her a recording deal. Later that year, Anggun was signed to Columbia France and Sony Music Entertainment. After a brief French course at Alliance Française, Anggun began working on her debut album with Benzi, alongside Jacques Veneruso, Gildas Arzel and Nikki Matheson.
1997–1999: "Snow on the Sahara" and international success.
Erick Benzi wrote her a first song, "La Rose des vents", then an album called "Anggun" whose flagship title, "La Neige au Sahara", was chosen as the first single. This launched his career and allowed him to become known to the general public. The album was first released in Japan in 1997 by Columbia, a subsidiary of Sony Music. This version includes nineteen songs, three of which are in French. It was published in France in 1998 with sixteen songs including fifteen in French. Finally in 1999, it was released in the United States under the title Snow on the Sahara with only eleven songs, all in English. The album is marketed in 35 countries and Anggun ensures the promotion (United States, Indonesia, Italy, etc.) for three years. She is accompanied by a group of French musicians composed of Patrick Buchmann (drums, percussion, vocals), Nicolas-Yvan Mingot (guitar), Yannick Hardouin (bass) and Patrice Clémentin (keyboards). Worldwide sales of the record exceed 900,000 copies and it is certified as a "double gold record". This same title is the subject of a cover by the English singer Sarah Brightman, as a bonus track of her album The Harem tour, released in 2004. 
Anggun joined "Sidaction", a French organization to help fighting against AIDS. Following in June 1997, Anggun released her first French-language album, entitled "Au nom de la lune". The album was a huge artistic departure from Anggun's earlier rock style, experimenting with world music and more adult contemporary sounds. Anggun described the album as "a concentration of all the musical influences of my life. I want to introduce Indonesia, but in a progressive way, in a lyric, in a sound, and mainly through me." The album's first single, "La neige au Sahara", quickly became a hit in France, peaking at number 1 on the French Airplay Chart and number 16 on the French Singles Chart. It became the most played single in France of 1997, with a total of 7,900 radio airplays, and was certified gold for shipment of 250,000 copies. Two more commercial singles, "La rose des vents" and "Au nom de la lune", were released to modest chart success. The album peaked at number 34 on the French Albums Chart and sold over 150,000 copies in France and Belgium. Anggun received a nomination for the La révélation de l'année award ("Revelation of the Year/Best New Artist") in Victoires de la Musique (a Grammy Award-equivalent in the French music scene).
The English version of the album, "Snow on the Sahara", was released internationally in 33 countries throughout Asia, Europe, and America between late 1997 and early 1999. The album contained the songs on "Au nom de la lune", adapted to English by songwriter Nikki Matheson, and a cover version of the David Bowie hit "Life on Mars?". For the Southeast Asian market, Anggun included an Indonesian song, "Kembali", which became a huge hit in the region. American music critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called the album "a promising debut effort" because "she illustrates enough full-formed talent on the disc". According to Erlewine, Anggun "tackles polished ballads, Latin-pop and dance-pop on "Snow on the Sahara", demonstrating that she can sing all the styles quite well." The album's first single, "Snow on the Sahara" was a commercial success, reaching number one in Italy, Spain and several countries in Asia, and the top five on the UK Club Chart. The song was also used as the soundtrack for an international marketing campaign launched by the Swiss watchmaker Swatch. "Snow on the Sahara" has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide and received the Diamond Export Sales Award.
In North America, "Snow on the Sahara" was released in May 1998 by Epic Records. Anggun went on an extensive tour for nine months in the United States to promote the album, including as a supporting act for several artists such as The Corrs and Toni Braxton, as well as participating at the Lilith Fair (performing with Sarah McLachlan and Erykah Badu on stage). She also appeared on American television programs such as "The Rosie O'Donnell Show", "Sessions at West 54th", "Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular", and received a CNN WorldBeat interview; she was also given coverage in printed media like "Rolling Stone" and "Billboard". However, "Snow on the Sahara" was not much of a commercial success in the United States. The album peaked at number 23 on the "Billboard" Heatseekers Albums Chart and shipped 200,000 units. The single reached number 16 on the "Billboard" Hot Dance Music/Club Play and number 22 on the "Billboard" Adult Top 40. The album track "On the Breath of an Angel" was later used as the soundtrack of American television series "Passions" and television film "The Princess and the Marine", both of which aired on NBC.
2000–2003: "Chrysalis", "Open Hearts", and collaborations.
In 1999, Anggun ended her seven-year marriage to Michel de Gea; this inspired her to record another studio album. Her second French album, "Désirs contraires", was released in September 1999. It was an artistic departure from "Au nom de la lune", experimenting with electropop and ambient elements as well as R&B music. The album was again produced by Erick Benzi, but it featured some of Anggun's compositions. "Désirs contraires" failed to repeat the success of the previous album. It peaked at number 48 on the French Albums Chart and sold about 30,000 copies in France. Only two singles were released off the album: the tropical-sounding "Un geste d'amour" and the R&B-influenced "Derrière la porte". Both singles failed to achieve commercial success, although "Un geste d'amour" reached number 62 on the French Singles Chart.
It was the English version of the album that enjoyed more success. "Chrysalis" was released at the same time as "Désirs contraires" and represented a huge artistic growth for Anggun, who had co-written the entire album. Distributed simultaneously in 15 countries, the album was never released in the United States due to the lackluster sales of her first album. The album spawned the hit single "Still Reminds Me", which received high airplay across Asia and Europe. It became her third number-one hit in Indonesia since her international career and her third top 20 single in Italy (peaking at number 17). It also reached the top five on the "Music & Media" European Border Breakers Chart. She released a single especially for the Indonesian and Malaysian market, "Yang 'Ku Tunggu" (the Indonesian version of "Un geste d'amour"), which became another number-one hit for Anggun in the region. Anggun was involved in Global 200 by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature and Anggun joined Solidays, Solidarité Sida, raising money to help people with HIV/AIDS in Africa and also to prevent the disease.
In 2000, Anggun presented her second album, still under the aegis of Erick Benzi, Desires Contraires. The record received little promotion and went relatively unnoticed in France. It has exported well, especially to Indonesia (platinum record) and Italy (gold record). The album was released under the name Chrysalis in fifteen Asian countries simultaneously, including Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Japan. The song "Tu nages" on the track list of Désirs Contraires was also performed by Céline Dion on her album "Une fille et quatre types" in 2003. She then made a mini-tour of ten dates inaugurated at La Cigale on February 1, 2001, her first French stage. In March 2001, she is one of the many performers of the title " Que serais-je demain?" as a member of the female collective "" created by Princess Erika, then toured Asia which ended at the Kallang Theater in Singapore. She announced her departure from her first label in January 2003, then moved to Montreal, Canada, to meet up with her then fiancé. She toured Indonesia and chose to accompany her the young , who had become her musical godson. At the end of 2000 Anggun received an invitation from the Vatican, asking her to appear at a special Christmas concert alongside Bryan Adams and Dionne Warwick. For the event, she gave her renditions of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" as well as "Still Reminds Me". Her performance was also included on the "Noël au Vatican" disc compilation. The following month, she started a tour across Asia and Europe, including her first-ever concert in France at Le Bataclan on 1 February 2001. The tour ended on 30 April 2001 at Kallang Theater, Singapore. Anggun joined Les Voix De L'Espoir, The Voices of Hope, to raise money to build hospitals in Africa. In 2002, Anggun received the Women Inspire Award from Singapore's Beacon of Light award ceremony for "her achievements as a role model for many young women in Asia." The next year, she was honored with Cosmopolitan Indonesias Fun Fearless Female of the Year Award.
During this period, Anggun also did a string of collaborations, soundtrack projects, and charity albums. These included a mixed French-English song with DJ Cam entitled "Summer in Paris" (which later became a club hit in Europe and Asia for both artists) on his 2001 album, "Soulshine"; an Indonesian-English song with Deep Forest entitled "Deep Blue Sea" on their 2002 album, "Music Detected"; and three collaborations in 2003, including with Italian rock singers Piero Pelù, Serge Lama and Tri Yann. Her duet with Piero Pelù on an Italian-English song entitled "Amore Immaginato" became a hit in Italy, spending over two months at the top of Italian Airplay Chart. Among her charity projects were "Solidays" in 2000 (featuring her collaboration with Peter Gabriel and several international acts), "Les voix de l'espoir" in 2001, and "Gaia" in 2002 (featuring a duet with Zucchero on the song "World"). Anggun also collaborated with Bryan Adams in writing a song entitled "Walking Away" which remains unreleased for unknown reason. The same year, her song "On the Breath of an Angel", composed by , , and Anggun was interpreted and adapted in Vietnamese by Mỹ Tâm in 2001. This title is engraved on the first album of the latter "Mãi Yêu". In 2002, Anggun performed "Open Hearts", the soundtrack of the film Open Hearts by Susanne Bier, released in 2003 in Scandinavian theaters. She also appeared in other soundtracks, "Anastasia" in 1997, ', and "Anja & Victor" in 2001, "Transporter 2" (Cesse la rain) in 2005, or the documentary series ' by Frédéric Lepage, broadcast in 2004 on France 5. Anggun participated in two Scandinavian movies: contributing the song "Rain (Here Without You)" for "Anja & Viktor" in 2001, and the entire soundtrack album for "Open Hearts" in 2002. For "Open Hearts", Anggun worked with two Danish producers, Jesper Winge Leisner and Niels Brinck. "Open Your Heart" was released as a commercial single from the soundtrack album and charted at number 51 on the Norwegian Singles Chart. It also earned Anggun a nomination for Best Original Song at the Danish Film Academy's Robert Awards in 2003. "Counting Down" was also released as a single and became a top-ten airplay hit in Indonesia. Anggun's work with Sony Music ended in 2003 due to the company's structural change after a merger with BMG Music. She later moved to Montreal, Canada where she met Olivier Maury, a law school graduate. In 2004, Anggun and Maury were married in a private ceremony in Bali. In 2003, Anggun was involved in Gaia Project, an environmental benefit project, to raise awareness about the preservation of the environment.
2004–2006: "Luminescence".
In 2004, Anggun returned to Paris and landed a new record deal with Heben Music, a French independent label. She began working on her next album with several producers, including Jean-Pierre Taieb and Frederic Jaffre. Anggun, who composed mainly in English, enlisted the help of several well-known French songwriters, such as Jean Fauque, Lionel Florence, Tété and Evelyn Kral to adapt her English songs into French. In late 2004, Anggun released her first solo French single in nearly four years, "Être une femme". The single was available in two versions: one solo version for commercial release and a duet with Diam's for radio release. It became Anggun's second top-20 hit in France, peaking at number 16 on the French Singles Chart. It also became Anggun's first French single to chart on the Swiss Singles Chart, peaking at number 58. Released in February 2005, Anggun's third French album, "Luminescence", entered the French Albums Chart at number 30 and was later certified gold for selling 100,000 copies. The second single, "Cesse la pluie" also became a hit, peaking at number 10 in Belgium, 22 in France and 65 in Switzerland. According to Francophonie Diffusion, "Être une femme" and "Cesse la pluie" were the second and the fifth most-played French singles of 2005 worldwide, respectively. In 2005, Anggun also took part in the compilation album "Ma quando dici amore", released by the Italian singer Ron. Anggun and Ron performed in the Italian-English song "Catch You (Il coraggio di chiedere aiuto)". In 2005, Anggun was a part of a humanitarian project to promote tolerance in Hammamet, Tunisia. Anggun promoted micro-credit program to help empowering women in Indonesia, and many countries worldwide. This campaign was organized by United Nations. Anggun was one of many French singers to raise money to help Tsunami victims in Asia. She herself also visited Aceh for a couple days after the tragedy. Anggun joined Music for Asia Charity Concert in Milan, Italy to raise money to help victims of Tsunami in Asia.
The English version of "Luminescence"—sharing the same title with its French counterpart—was released in Europe under Sony BMG and in Asia under Universal Music. "Undress Me" was chosen as the first single from the English version. Although it was not accompanied with a music video, it debuted at number 13 in Italy, becoming her fifth top 20 single there. It also provided Anggun with her first hit in the Middle East, where the song topped the charts in Lebanon and Turkey. "In Your Mind" was released as the second single and it became a huge hit in Asia. The third single, "Saviour", was used as the soundtrack for the U.S. box office number-one film "Transporter 2".
Anggun was awarded with the prestigious distinction Chevalier des Arts et Lettres ("Knight of Arts and Letters") by the French Minister of Culture for her worldwide achievements and her support of French culture. She was appointed as the spokesperson for the International Year of Microcredit, a United Nations program aimed at eradicating debt in the third world, as well as the ambassadress for a Swiss watch brand, Audemars Piguet. Anggun did a duet with Julio Iglesias on a reworked version of "All of You" for his album "Romantic Classics" (2006). She also participated on the 2006 Fight AIDS campaign in France with a collaborative track entitled "L'or de nos vies" with several other French musicians. On 25 May 2006, Anggun performed on her sold-out solo concert at the Jakarta Convention Center, entitled "Konser Untuk Negeri".
In August 2006, Anggun released the special edition of both the French and English versions of "Luminescence" with three new songs. She made a large jump on the French Albums Chart from number 119 to number 16 (a total of 103 positions) with the re-release, making "Luminescence" her best-charting album in France. "Juste avant toi", the new single from the special edition, became Anggun's fourth top 40 hit, peaking at number 28 on the French Singles Chart. Meanwhile, its English version, "I'll Be Alright", became her most popular hit on Russian radio with over 43,000 airplays. "Luminescence" was re-issued in February 2007 and peaked at number three on the French Back Catalogue Chart. In 2006, 2008, and 2011, Anggun was a part of Concert Pour La Tolerance in Agadir, Morocco to promote a message of respect for others and differences, for peace, tolerance, fraternity, dialogue between cultures and for the fight against all forms of discrimination. Anggun was a part of a humanitarian project, Contre La Sida, organized by Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, to raise money to help fighting against AIDS.
In December 2006, Anggun received the special recognition Best International Artist at Anugerah Musik Indonesia, the most prestigious music award ceremony in Indonesia. The award was given for her role in introducing Indonesian music to the international recording industry. Subsequently, Anggun released her "Best-Of" album in Indonesia and Malaysia, which compiled singles during the first decade of her international career, including three re-recorded versions of her early Indonesian hits. The new version of "Mimpi" was released as a radio single and became a huge hit in Indonesia in late 2006 to early 2007. Anggun later released "Best-Of" for Italian market with different track listing and "I'll Be Alright" as its lead single. She was also featured on German band Reamonn's single "Tonight" and a charity single with several female French stars, titled "Pour que tu sois libre".
2007–2010: "Elevation".
During 2007, Anggun participated in several environmental projects. She became the French-language narrator of the BBC nature documentary film "Earth" ("Un jour sur Terre"), an ecological documentary film by Alastair Fothergill produced by BBC Worldwide, and composed its soundtrack single, "Un jour sur terre". She also performs "Over The Hill Of Secrets" and "Panorama" on music by François Moity for the Gaz de France advertisement. After the release of the movie, Disney announced the planting of around 2.7 million trees in endangered areas including the Amazonian forest. She was appointed as the Ambassador of the Micro-environment Prize by the French Ministry of Ecology and Sustainable Development and National Geographic Channel. Anggun was awarded Le grand cœur de l'année ("The Great Heart of the Year") by French television network Filles TV for her contribution to social and environmental events.
In February 2007, Anggun was invited as the guest star on one episode of the fourth season of "Star Academy Arab World" in Lebanon. She returned to another episode of the show's fifth season in the following year. In December 2007, she received her second invitation from the Vatican to perform in the Christmas concert in Verona, Italy, along with Michael Bolton. She covered Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" with Corsican group I Muvrini for their album "I Muvrini et les 500 choristes" (2007). She was also featured on the remix version of DJ Laurent Wolf's number-one hit "No Stress" for the deluxe edition of his album "Wash My World". Anggun and Wolf performed the song at the 2008 World Music Awards in Monaco. Anggun joined Make A Wish Belgium foundation to help children with life-threatening medical conditions.
In late 2008, Anggun released her fourth international studio album, "Elevation", which shares the same title in both English and French. A departure from the style of her previous efforts, the album experimented with urban music and hip hop. "Elevation" was produced by hip hop producer pair Tefa & Masta and features collaboration with rappers Pras Michel from the Fugees, Sinik, and Big Ali. "Crazy" was released as the lead single from the album, with its French and Indonesian versions, "Si tu l'avoues" and "Jadi Milikmu", serving as the first single in the respective territories. In Russia, "Elevation" was released with an additional song, "O Nas S Toboyu", which was recorded as a duet with Russian singer Max Lorens. Prior to its official release, the album had already been certified double platinum, making it the fastest-selling album of her career in Indonesia. In France, the album debuted at number 36 on the French Albums Chart.
Anggun's four-year ambassadress contract with Audemars Piguet was subsequently extended. She was also chosen by international hair care brand, Pantene, and New Zealand-based dairy product, Anlene, as their ambassador. In 2009, Anggun went to Nangroe Aceh Darussalam, Indonesia to promote the importance of mangrove forests. Her work was filmed by and aired in Europe, Mon Arbre Pour La Vie Voyage Au Pays de Anggun (My Tree For Life Travel to the Country of Anggun). Anggun joined AIDES to raise money to help fighting AIDS. Anggun was a part of United Nations campaign in Copenhagen, Denmark helping to spread an awareness message worldwide and to raise the importance of the for leaders of the world to agree and work together on this key issue that is climate change. On 16 October 2009, Anggun was appointed as the Goodwill Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), part of the United Nations. Anggun also joined the judging panel for Miss France 2009. In early 2010, Anggun recorded a duet with Portuguese singer Mickael Carreira on the song "Chama por me (Call My Name)", as well as performing at his concert in Lisbon, Portugal on 26 February 2010. She collaborated with German electronica musician Schiller, co-writing and contributing lead vocals to two tracks, "Always You" and "Blind", for his album "Atemlos" (2010). Anggun was also featured on Schiller's concert series, Atemlos Tour, in 14 cities in Germany during May 2010. In 2010, Anggun joined former President Of United States, Bill Clinton at the 2010 Clinton Global Initiative to kick off "a Healthy Hair for Healthy Water" campaign. This event was to help the CSDW (Children's Safe Drinking Water) achieve its dream to "save a life every hour" in the developing countries around the world by providing two billion liters of clean water every year by 2020. At the same year, she with Daniel Powter, Lara Fabian, M. Pokora, and several artists appeared and featured in "Collect If Aides 25 Ans" album, specifically in a song called "If", to dedicated for all the victims of AIDS worldwide.
2011–2013: "Echoes", Eurovision, and "The X Factor".
Anggun's fifth international studio album—"Echoes" for the English version and "Échos" for the French version—saw her collaboration with composers Gioacchino, Pierre Jaconelli, Jean-Pierre Pilot, and William Rousseau. It became her first self-produced international album and was released under her own record label, April Earth. The English version was first released in Indonesia in May 2011. It topped the Indonesian Albums Chart and was certified platinum in the first week. It eventually became the best-selling pop album of 2011, with quadruple platinum certification. "Only Love" and its Indonesian version "Hanyalah Cinta" were released as the lead singles and became number-one radio hits. The French version was released in November 2011 and reached number 48 on the French Albums Chart. "Je partirai", the first single for the French version, reached number five in Belgium. Anggun held her second major concert at the Jakarta Convention Center, "Konser Kilau Anggun", on 27 November 2011. She later appeared for the third time at the Christmas concert in the Vatican. This time, she performed "Only Love" and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas", the latter in a duet with Ronan Keating. In 2011, Anggun joined Téléthon, supporting medical & social welfare of children + funding research into children's diseases. Anggun joined UNICEF campaign to help children in Africa.
Anggun was chosen by France Télévisions to represent France in the Eurovision Song Contest 2012. She co-wrote the entry, "Echo (You and I)", with William Rousseau and Jean-Pierre Pilot. Anggun held an extensive tour to more than 15 countries in Europe to promote the song.For the promotional intentions, , Claudia Faniello, Niels Brinck, and are featuring in this song for special edition albums, each for Romania, Malta, Denmark, and Hungary. She performed the song at the Eurovision grand final in Baku, Azerbaijan on 26 May 2012, wearing a shiny metallic dress sponsored by designer Jean Paul Gaultier. The song finished in 22nd place with 21 points. Anggun later told the press that she had originally hoped to reach a place within the top 10 and was deeply disappointed with the final result.
In March 2012, Anggun released the international edition of "Echoes" with "Echo (You and I)" as the lead single. A special edition of "Échos" was also released in France, featuring three additional tracks. Following the completion of the Eurovision, she continued the promotion of the album. 
Anggun embarked on a concert tour in several cities across France, Switzerland and New Caledonia, including her sold-out concert in Le Trianon, Paris, on 13 June 2012. Anggun joined United Nation campaign, Earth Day: Save the Forest in Italy. On Valentine's Day of that year, she appeared as the guest artist at Lara Fabian's concert special on MTV Lebanon, where they sang the duet "Tu es mon autre". Anggun also toured 10 cities in Germany with Schiller in late 2012.
In 2013, Anggun served as the international judge for the first season of the Indonesian version of "The X Factor", which reportedly made her the highest-paid judge in Indonesian television history. It became the year's highest-rated talent show in Indonesia. Anggun's involvement was also lauded by public and critics, with "Bintang Indonesia" praising her for "setting high standard [for a judge] on talent shows." She subsequently joined the judging panel of the television special "X Factor Around the World", alongside Paula Abdul, Louis Walsh, Daniel Bedingfield, and Ahmad Dhani, on 24 August 2013. She participated on the concept album entitled "Thérèse – Vivre d'amour", for which she recorded two duets—"Vivre d'amour" and "La fiancée"—with Canadian singer Natasha St-Pier. Released in April 2013, the project topped the French Physical Albums Chart. In May 2013, Anggun released a greatest hits album entitled "". A new version of "Snow on the Sahara" produced by Lebanese-Canadian musician K.Maro was sent to Indonesian radio to promote the album. At the 2013 Taormina Film Fest in Italy, Anggun was presented with the Taormina Special Award for her humanitarian works as the FAO Goodwill Ambassador.
2014–2016: "Got Talent" and "Toujours un ailleurs".
Following the success of "X Factor Indonesia", Anggun was recruited to judge the other Syco's franchise, "Indonesia's Got Talent", in 2014. To prepare for the program, she received instruction from Simon Cowell during the set of "Britain's Got Talent". Anggun re-recorded her debut international single as a French-Portuguese duet with Tony Carreira, retitled "La neige au Sahara (Faço Chover No Deserto)", for Carreira's album "Nos fiançailles, France/Portugal".
The duo performed the song at the 2014 World Music Awards in Monaco, where Anggun was awarded the World's Best-Selling Indonesian Artist. In June, Anggun launched her first fragrance, "Grace", named after her name in English. In late 2014, Anggun recorded two duets: "Who Wants to Live Forever" with Il Divo for their album "A Musical Affair" and "Pour une fois" with Vincent Niclo for his album "Ce que je suis". Anggun also released "Fly My Eagle" as an original soundtrack for the commercially and critically acclaimed film "Pendekar Tongkat Emas". Anggun promoted a pressure to put an end against discrimination, child labor, forcing young girls into marriage, and prostitution at "World Without Walls" congress in Berlin, Germany. Anggun performed in Africa twice during 2014, for Casa Fashion Show in Casablanca, Morocco, and for the 15th annual French-speaking World Summit in Dakar, Senegal.
In 2015, Anggun, alongside David Foster, Melanie C (Spice Girls) and Vanness Wu (F4), was announced as a judge on the debut of "Asia's Got Talent". Joined by contestants from 15 countries in Asia, the show premiered on AXN Asia on 12 March 2015. Anggun, David Foster, Melanie C and Vanness Wu later collaborated on a cover version of Earth, Wind & Fire's "Let's Groove" as the charity single for Nepal earthquake relief. Anggun became the ambassador of charity organization La Voix De l'Enfant ("The Voice of the Children"). The Asian Academy of Music Arts and Sciences (AAMAS) also announced Anggun among its board of governors, as well as becoming the academy's first ambassador. At the 2015 Anugerah Planet Muzik in Singapore, Anggun received the International Breakthrough Artist Award for becoming the first internationally successful act from Malay-speaking countries. SK-II and "Harper's Bazaar Indonesia" honored Anggun as one of 15 Most Inspiring Women. She joined the SK-II's "Change Destiny" campaign and became a spokesperson alongside actress Cate Blanchett and Michelle Phan for its event in Los Angeles and she was chosen by SK-II management to be the ambassador of SK-II. Later on, Anggun with Lizzie Para and sit on the panel as judges for SK-II Beauty Bound Indonesia in 2016. The winner of this show was Mega Gumelar, beauty influencer, and she with Anggun traveled to Tokyo, Japan, in order to compete with another beauty creators in SK-II Beauty Bound Asia 2016. In exact same year, Anggun was appointed to be the ambassador of (Aviation Without Borders). In June 2015, She was invited by Michael Bolton to perform a duet and as an opening act at his concert in Kasablanka Concert Hall, Jakarta, Indonesia. Anggun also recorded Frozen's "Let It Go" in Indonesian language, called "Lepaskan" with , , , and . Disney Music Asia also make an Indonesian language song "Warna Angin" and sung by Anggun. It is the interpretation from Pocahontas movie soundtrack, "Colors of the Wind".
Anggun's sixth French-language studio album, "Toujours un ailleurs", was released in November 2015 by TF1 Musique under Universal Music Group. Produced by and Grammy Award-winning producer Brian Rawling, the album revisited the world music direction of her debut international album. "Toujours un ailleurs" became Anggun's most successful album in France since "Luminescence" (2005), charting for 24 weeks on the French Albums Chart (peaking at number 43) and sold over 50,000 copies. It also became her best-charting album in Belgium, debuting at number 43 and remaining on the chart for 31 weeks (making 5 re-enters). The album's single, "Nos vies parallèles" peaked at number 47 on the French Singles Chart and number 39 on the Belgian Ultratop Singles Chart (her first top-40 hit since "Être une femme") According to Francophonie Diffusion, "Nos vies parallèles" was the third-most played French song worldwide during March 2016. To promote the album, Anggun embarked on a 23-date concert tour across France and Belgium.
In 2016, she became a columnist on the radio show with Cyril Hanouna. Anggun went Madagascar to help children with chronic disease to get medical treatment with . Anggun received the Key to the City award from Dario Nardella, the Mayor of Florence, Italy. Anggun was featured on new-age music group Enigma's eight studio album "The Fall of a Rebel Angel" (2016), providing lead vocals for three songs, including the lead single "Sadeness (Part II)", which is the sequel to the 1990 number-one hit "Sadeness (Part I)". The Album topped US Top Dance/Electronic Album charts in United States. Anggun joined to raise funds to support scientific research in the fight against cancer and leukemia in children and adults. They raised over 10 million euro. Azerbaijan-Russian singer-songwriter make a duet song with Anggun, called "If You Go Away" for his newest album "Love is A Deadly Game".
2017–present: "Return to Got Talent", "8", "Asian Games 2018", "The Voice Indonesia" and more.
On 12 October 2017, Anggun released a lyric video for "What We Remember" on YouTube as the first single of her new album "8". On 7 December 2017, An official music video of "What We Remember" was released on YouTube. It was Directed by Roy Raz. On 8 December 2017, she released her new album "8" and a release party was held at the Apple store on Orchard Road, Singapore. "8" was distributed under exclusive license to Universal Music Asia, and the album was released digitally worldwide on major streaming platforms and also released physically in some Asian countries. Throughout December 2017, Anggun and Universal Music Asia held a promotional tour throughout Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia and the Philippines. The tour consisted of listening parties, showcases and meet and greet sessions. The first single "What We Remember" was released by dance label Citrusonic and serviced to US clubs including remixes by DJ Lynnwood (DJLW) Ralphi Rosario, Antoine Cortez, Craig C, Dirty Disco, Sted-E & Hybrid, Love to Infinity, Offer Nissim, and more. On 20 April 2018, she announced and release duet version for her brand new singles from her latest album, called "The Good Is Back" with Rossa and Fazura. Shane Filan collaborated with her on one of the singles, "Need You Now", on the deluxe version of his latest album, "Love Always", that releases only for United States and UK region.
Anggun performed at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games 2018 at the Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) stadium, Central Jakarta, on August 18, 2018. He sang a song titled "Pemuda", which was popularized by the Chaseiro music group from the album of the Offering which was released in 2001. Anggun sang on over artificial mountains and waterfalls. Anggun joined the panel of judges for the "Picture This Festival for the Planet" short film competition. In the event new filmmakers, storytellers, and those who feel they can change the whole world, will compete with each other. The announcement of Anggun's involvement was conveyed by Sony Pictures Television Networks (SPTN) in collaboration with the United Nations Foundation. On the Picture This Festival panel, Anggun will later join together with actress and advocate Megan Boone from TV series The Blacklist), as well as other prominent industry leaders. On 17 June 2018, she was performing at Centre Pompidou for 55th Anniversary of Fédération Française Sésame Autisme, is a French non-profit association of parents of children and adults with autism. On 26 June 2018, she was officially participating #TheFreaks, a collective of artists that sensitive to the defense of the environment and the protection of our ecosystems. In the end of 2018, she was performing at night for Grand Opening Renaissance Bali Hotel.
Anggun performs with David Foster alongside Brian McKnight, , and several artists during 'The Hitman: David Foster and Friends' concert series at De Tjolomadoe, Central Java, 24 March 2019. Anggun was invited to perform at the concert in two different places, namely in the city of Solo, Central Java and the city of Surabaya, East Java .On 5 July 2019, she staged a charity concert, called "Gemilang 30 Tahun" at the Tennis Indoor Stadium in Senayan, Central Jakarta, and sponsored by consumer goods producer P&G, the concert is titled, Unify the Tunes, Make Indonesian Children's Dreams Come True. According to a post on the Instagram account of children's welfare foundation @savechildren_id, the funds be used to construct 100 classrooms in schools affected by natural disasters in Palu and Donggala in Central Sulawesi, Lombok in West Nusa Tenggara, Sumba Island in East Nusa Tenggara and West Java. The concert also featured performances by renowned singers Rossa, , actress Maudy Ayunda, and rapper Iwa K, while artistic direction by and accompanied by a band from France, who will collaborate with Indonesia's Oni & Friends as music director. Anggun reportedly wear costumes designed by , with accessories created by the renowned designer . Donations collected from this concert are Rp 3,060,000,000 or equals to US$218,560.50. Anggun with comedian , actor Kev Adams, and presenter Alessandra Sublet became panelists at the 2019 Mask Singer and it became one of the most successful TV shows with ratings that reached nearly 7 million viewers. Anggun does a duet with Luciano Pavarotti virtually at The Luciano Pavarotti Foundation and Anggun in Concert which took place at the Simfonia Hall in Jakarta. Previously, Anggun has performed a virtual duet with Luciano Pavarotti on the stage of the 2019 Asia's Got Talent Grand Finale. Anggun shares the stage with the singer from the Luciano Pavarotti Foundation. Giulia Mazzola (soprano), Matteo Desole (tenor), Giuseppe Infantino (tenor), and Lorenzo Licitra (tenor) sang with deep appreciation with Anggun. Their beautiful voices were accompanied by orchestral music from the Jakarta Simfonia Orchestra. On December 2020, she and her husband joined The Pansy Project ("Les Pensées de Paul") which was a documentary by English artist-activist Paul Harfleet that denounces homophobia and violence against the LGBT community. The film was directed by . Anggun was a cameo in promotional trailer of the documentary and her song, called "Try", was chosen to be the soundtrack of the documentary.
Artistry and public image.
Anggun possesses a three-octave contralto voice, which has been described as "husky", "soulful", and "distinctive" by music critics. Chuck Taylor from "Billboard" commented: "Vocally, Anggun is a fortress of power, easing from a delicate whisper into a brand of cloud-parting fortitude commonly associated with grade-A divas." John Everson from "The SouthtownStar" noted that "Anggun is gifted with a warm, full voice that can tackle slight pop songs without overpowering them as well as swoop with depth and ease over heavier emotional numbers." Anggun received her first songwriting credit at the age of twelve on her debut album "Dunia Aku Punya" (1986). Anggun said, "I was writing songs all the time, but my specialty was classical piano and singing."
Anggun started as a rock singer in Indonesia, and was influenced by rock bands such as Guns N' Roses, Bon Jovi, and Megadeth. After her initial international success, she showed her versatility by changing her musical style for each album. Her later influences cover a wide range of styles from jazz to pop, extending from Billie Holiday and Joni Mitchell to Madonna. Anggun identified Nine Inch Nails's "The Fragile" (1999) as "the album that changed my life" and the band's frontman Trent Reznor as "the man of my musical life." Her other musical influences include Sheila Chandra, Sting, David Bowie, and The Beatles. Anggun, who studied Balinese dance, uses the traditional art in her performances.
Anggun's image has been compared to that of Pocahontas. At the early stage of her career as a rock singer, Anggun was known for her tomboy look—wearing a crooked beret, shorts, studded jacket, and large belt; this set a trend during the early 1990s. Later, she has focused on her femininity and sexuality, emphasising her long black hair and brown skin. For this look she uses the work of fashion designers like Roberto Cavalli, Azzedine Alaïa, Jean Paul Gaultier, Dolce & Gabbana, and many more. Another couture from fashion designer that oftenly used by Anggun are Givenchy, Elie Saab, Victoria Beckham, Georges Chakra, Tony Ward, Blumarine, and Zuhair Murad. In 2001, Anggun was ranked No. 6 in a list of Sexiest Women of Asia by "FHM" magazine. Later in 2010, she was ranked at number 18 on the French version of "FHM"s list of 100 Sexiest Women in the World.
When promoting her first international album in the United States, she was reportedly offered a role as a Bond Girl in "The World Is Not Enough", as well as in "High Fidelity". Anggun declined to be labeled an actress and said, "I was born a singer. I won't go into another profession, because I think there are still many people out there who were born to be movie stars or models. My calling is music."
As for commercials, she tends to be selective when choosing products to promote.
Anggun's success in Europe and America has been credited with helping other Asian singers such as Coco Lee, Utada Hikaru, and Tata Young. Malaysian singer Yuna asked Anggun for guidance when launching her recording career in the United States in 2011. Ian De Cotta from Singapore newspaper "Today" called her the "Voice of Asia" as well as "Southeast Asia's international singing sensation." Filipino journalist Lionel Zivan S. Valdellon described Anggun as "a very good ambassadress for Indonesia and Asia in general". Regarding the role of Asia in the Western music industry, Anggun said "I think it's about time people know something more about Asia, not only as a vacation place."
Personal life.
Anggun was raised a Muslim:
At the same time she notes that she is not inclined to have a rigid point of view about religion and tends more and more to Buddhism without, in essence, breaking with religious belief. In recognising her disposition to Buddhism, Anggun stresses that her transition to another religious stance should not be a concern of other people. She makes it a requirement to admit religious toleration and insists on a separation of religious faith from the basic regulative principle for the individual:
For me, the most important thing is not what religion you believe in but how you do things, how you live your life.
Your belief doesn't determine whether you're a good person or not—your behavior does.
Anggun has been married four times. Her first marriage, in 1992, was to Michel Georgea, a French engineer. Since he was her manager, Anggun was reproached in Indonesia for allegedly marrying to advance her career. Her second husband was Louis-Olivier Maury (born March 1971) whom she met in Canada. They married in 2004. After her marriage to Olivier Maury ended in 2006, Anggun began a relationship with French writer Cyril Montana, whom she eventually married. She gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Kirana Cipta Montana, on 8 November 2007. She and Montana got divorced in 2015. On 16 August 2018 Anggun married for the fourth time in Ubud, Bali with a German musician and photographer, Christian Kretschmar.
Besides Indonesian, her native language, Anggun is fluent in French and English.
Legacy.
Anggun became the first Indonesian woman to be immortalized in wax by Madame Tussauds in 2016. Located in its Bangkok museum, Anggun's statue joined that of Sukarno, the first President of Indonesia.
Backing band.
Current members
Former members