This page wasn't designed for fan club online but for who knows Anggun and love her so much. I'm crazy about her and collecting her pics, bio, news so for do it i need your help, If you would like to contribute any news,
photos, videos or sounds --- please contact me at [email protected]
The eleven songs of Snow On The Sahara blend diverse sounds—tradi-tional and con- temporary, Indonesian and Euro-American—in a beautifully crafted collection. Re- corded in Paris, the album is co-written and produced by Erick Benzi, whose r�sum� includes songwriting and production for superstar Celine Dion, Algerian rai singer Cheb Khaled, and French pop legends Johnny Hallyday and Jean-Jacques Goldman.
Snow On The Sahara recalls the best of Annie Lennox in the rich instrumental textures and soaring vocals of its first single, the title song; and such choice cuts as "Over Their Walls," "A Rose In The Wind," and "Valparaiso." Anggun contributed lyrics to "On The Breath Of An Angel" and to the Indonesian-language song "Selamanya." The album closes with one of its most memorable tracks, her interpretation of the David Bowie classic, "Life On Mars." Although a new name to American audiences, Anggun Cipta Sasmi has been perfor- ming and recording for nearly two decades. She was born April 29, 1974 in Djakarta, and grew up in a house filled with art and music. "There was always music at home," she says. "When we woke up in the morning and when we went to bed, there was music. It was a very creative atmosphere."
Anggun became a child star at the age of nine with her very first recording project, a children's album. At twelve, she began collaborating with producer Ian Antono on a series of six chart-topping and award-winning albums which, in the years from 1986-1993, established he r as a bona fide rock singer influenced by the Police, Bon Jovi, and Guns 'N Roses, among other Western artists. By the time she was 19, Anggun had founded her own record company to produce and release her best-selling Indonesian-language albums.
And yet, "when you've done so much at such a young age, it can make life difficult," Anggun admits. "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 I had to bring my talent to the West."
In 1995, Anggun made a leap of faith and left Indonesia for Europe. After a brief residence in London, she settled in Paris — a world music capital where she found a second home. "Suddenly, everything changed. "I didn't speak a word of French when I got there, but it just felt right."
Some mutual friends gave the singer an address for songwriter/producer Erick Benzi. Anggun simply knocked on his door one day and introduced herself. "I said, 'I'm a singer. I want to make an album that has the sound of my country, an album that's different, that has my identity.'" Benzi was booked through the year 2000, but the connection between the two was so immediate, so compelling, that time had to be made. "It was just so obvious we had to work together," Anggun says, "and that was that." Their collaboration began with Anggun telling her stories to Erick, who in turned shared his musical ideas with her. Together, they shaped the songs and arranged the instru- mentation.
"I was there from beginning to end," says Anggun, describing her role in the production. "I told Erick my stories: about my life in Indonesia, about my travels to London and Paris, about my hopes and dreams. Every time he had an idea, he'd call me up and I'd tell him, 'okay, that part I like, that part I don't like'—until the song was finished. So these songs are really reflections of my life, and this music is really my music in every sense."
Snow On The Sahara is not only a warmly inviting album of contemporary pop, but a historic achievement for an Indonesian artist. As she stands at the threshold of inter- national recognition, what does Anggun wish for the future?
"To continue to be happy as I am. To continue to sing. 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."
