Supian 1

Octan Supian

Tia Jaynes

Music 1040

April 27, 2017

Anggun C. Sasmi

I. Biography
Anggun Cipta Sasmi is an Indonesian and French-naturalized singer-

songwriter. She was born in Jakarta, April 29 th 1974. She started her career

by appearing on stage at the age of seven and recorded a childrens

album two years later. Under the guidance of famed musician-producer

Ian Antono, in 1986 Anggun released her first rock-influenced studio

album, Dunia Aku Punya (Ive Got the World). She became further well

known with the single Mimpi (Dream, 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 notable Indonesian rock stars of the

early 1990s. At her young age Anggun has reached the peak of her

popularity as a rock singer in Indonesia by winning the award Most

Popular Indonesian Artist 1990-1991.

II. Life and Career
A. Early Life and Career in Indonesia (1974-1993)
Anggun was born and raised in Jakarta to a native Indonesian family. At

the age of seven, she began receiving highly disciplined instruction in

singing from her father, Darto Singo, who was a Javanese writer. She

was trained every day, learning various vocal techniques. At the age of

nine, Anggun began to write her own songs and recorded her first
 Supian 2

childrens album. At the age of twelve, she was released her first

official studio album, Dunia aku Punya (Ive Got the World (1986).

She produced her final studio album, Anggun C. Sasmi..Lah!! (1993),

which produced number-one single Kembalilah Kasih. By the age

nineteen, Anggun had sold over four million albums in Indonesia.

B. Beginning in Europe (1994-1996)
Anggun left Indonesia in 1994, she decided to pursue her dream to

become International artist. First she went to London, she began

writing songs and recording demos, but after a few months, all the

demos she had sent to record companies around the United Kingdom

was return with negative replies. She was struggling and thinking to

move to other country. She decided to move to France. In 1996, her

international career began to advance. She was introduced to a French-

producer Eric Benzi. He was impressed by Angguns talent and then

offered her a recording deal. Anggun was signed to Columbia France

and Sony Music Entertainment. Her first album was Snow on the

Sahara. The album was a commercial success, reaching number one

in Italy, Spain, and several coutries in Asia. It was 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.

III. Artistry, Imagery, and achievement
Anggun is known as a singer who has a three-octave contralto voice

and unique vocal improvisation techniques. At the beginning of her

career as a rock singer, her famous tomboy appearance became a

trend in the early 1990s. However, since becoming an international

singer, she changed her style became more feminine and sexy with the
 Supian 3

typical appearance of Indonesian woman with long black hair and

brown skin.
Anggun has been successful as a singer, but she never expanded her

career into other areas outside of music. When promoting her first

international album in the United States, she was offered a role to play

in the movie James Bond: The World Is Not Enough and High Fidelity.

However, both roles were rejected. Anggun refused being an actress

and said I was born as a singer, I wont 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 in music. She also tends to be

selective when choosing products to promote.

As an Asian artist with the highest album sales outside Asia, with her

releases being certified gold and platinum in some European countries,

Anggun is the first Indonesian singer who succeed in European and

American record chart. She has received a number of honors for her

achievements including the Chevalier des Arts et Lettres from the

government of France and the World Music Award for Worlds Best-

Selling Indonesian Artist. Some other achievements and awards was:

Most Popular Artist of the Year (1991), Best Music Video and Favorite

Music Video (1993), Francophone Song of the Year in France (2001,

2004, 2008), Women Inspire Award (2002), Best International Artist

(2006), Great Heart of the Year (2007), Worlds Best Selling Indonesian

Artist (2014), International Breakthru Artist Award (2015), Key of the

City by the government of Florence, Italy. Etc. Beside her musical

career, Anggun has been involved in numerous environmental and

humanitarian works. She has been signed as the global ambassador of

 Supian 4

the United Nation twice, first for the International Year of Microcredit in

2005 and then for the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 2009.