Anggun Cipta Sasmi (Indonesian: [ˌaŋɡʊn ˌt͡ʃip̚t̪a ˈsasmi]; born 29 April 1974) is an Indonesian and French singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Born in Jakarta, she recorded a children's album at the age of nine and rose to fame as a teen rock star in the late 1980s. By 1993 she had released five Indonesian-language studio albums. Rolling Stone listed her breakthrough single "Mimpi" as one of the 150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time.
Anggun immigrated to Europe in 1994 and recorded her first international album, Snow on the Sahara (1997). It was released in 33 countries by Sony Music and sold more than one million copies worldwide. Since then, Anggun has released another six studio albums—in English and French—and a soundtrack album to the Danish film Open Hearts (2002). Her singles "Snow on the Sahara", "What We Remember", "The Good Is Back", and "Perfect World" 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, with the song "Echo (You and I)".
Anggun served as a judge on various TV shows, including the pancontinental Asia's Got Talent (2015–2019); the Indonesian versions of The X Factor (2013) and The Voice (2018); the French versions of Masked Singer (2019–2022) and Drag Race (2026); and the Belgian version of Starmaker (2023). Her acting works include supporting roles in films Coup de foudre à Bangkok (2020) and Levitating (2026), as well as American series Reacher (2026). For theatre productions, Anggun was the leading actress in 2023 French musical Al Capone and 2024 Italian revival of Jesus Christ Superstar. She actively campaigned for charitable causes and became 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.
Anggun is one of the best-selling Asian artists 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 accolades, 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 became the first woman from Indonesia to be immortalized in wax by Madame Tussauds. The Indonesian Music Museum selected Anggun among the 10 greatest Indonesian female musicians of all time.
Life and career
1974–1993: Early life and career in Indonesia
Anggun was born in Jakarta on 29 April 1974. She is the second child of Darto Singo, a Javanese writer, and Dien Herdina, a housewife from the Yogyakarta royal family. Her full name means "grace born of a dream". 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 daily strict instructions in singing and was given homework to write poems with the melodies that could become a song, aimed at triggering her songwriting skills, by her father. Even though her father was not a singer, he guided her to improve her vocal skill by following the instructions in a vocal practicing book written by Bina Vokalia vocal coach Pranadjaja. Her mother began serving as her manager. At the age of nine, Anggun started writing her own songs and recorded her debut album, which featured covers of songs by Indonesian country singer Ritta Rubby Hartland, titled Kepada Alam dan Pencintanya (1983). However, the album was not published until she gained recognition in the early 1990s.
In adolescence, Anggun was influenced by Western rock music and she began to choose her career as a rock singer. In 1986, she met Ian Antono, the guitarist and music producer of God Bless, and released her first commercial studio album, Dunia Aku Punya; however, it did not achieve commercial success. She rose to fame three years later, with the single "Mimpi"; it was ranked by Rolling Stone Indonesia as one of the 150 Greatest Indonesian Songs of All Time. In the early 1990s she released hit singles such as "Tua Tua Keladi", "Laba Laba", and "Takut". She recorded the studio albums Anak Putih Abu Abu (1991) and Nocturno (1992). The former earned her the Most Popular Indonesian Artist 1990–1991 award by Popular Magazine.
In 1992, Anggun began a relationship with Michel Georgea, a French engineer. They married, despite a rumoured objection by Anggun's family on the grounds that 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, taking creative control over her work. She produced her fourth (fifth overall) Indonesian studio album, Anggun C. Sasmi... Lah!!! (1993), which yielded the hit song "Kembalilah Kasih (Kita Harus Bicara)". By age nineteen, she had sold over four million albums in Indonesia. She was dissatisfied with her success in her country and began considering an international music career.
1994–1999: International breakthrough with Snow on the Sahara
In 1994, after releasing the greatest hits album Yang Hilang, Anggun sold her record company to fund her move to London, England. Anggun admitted to culture shock and financial problems while trying to start her new life there. She began writing songs and sent demos to record companies around London, but they came back with negative replies. After a year without any career progress, Anggun considered relocating to the Netherlands, but decided to move to France.
In 1996, she met French singer Florent Pagny, who became her mentor and introduced her to French producer Erick Benzi. Impressed by her musical skill, Benzi offered her a recording project. Anggun was signed to Columbia France and Sony Music. After learning to speak French for only three months, Anggun worked on her debut album with Benzi. In June 1997, she released her first French-language album, entitled Au nom de la lune, an artistic departure experimenting with world music and adult contemporary sounds.
The album's first single, "La neige au Sahara", reached number three on SNEP's airplay chart and number sixteen on its sales chart. It became the most played French-language song of 1997 and was certified Gold for 250,000 copies sold. Other charted singles from the album were "La rose des vents" and "Au nom de la lune", the later becoming her second top-twenty airplay hit in France. Au nom de la lune peaked at number 34 on the French Albums Chart and sold over 150,000 copies in France and Belgium. Anggun received a nomination for Best New Artist at the 1998 Victoires de la Musique.
The English version of the album, titled Snow on the Sahara (or Anggun in some pressings), was released in 33 countries between 1997 and 1999. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic called the album "a promising debut" because "she illustrates enough full-formed talent on the disc". Its lead single, "Snow on the Sahara" reached number one in Italy, number five on the Japan's Tokio Hot 100, and number six on the UK Pop Club Chart. The song was used as the soundtrack for a marketing campaign by the Swiss watchmaker Swatch. The second single, "A Rose in the Wind" became her second top-twenty hit in Italy. Snow on the Sahara has sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.
In North America, Snow on the Sahara was released in May 1998 by Epic Records. Anggun went on a tour for nine months in the US to promote the album. She appeared on American television programs such as The Rosie O'Donnell Show, Sessions at West 54th, Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular, and CNN World Beat. The album peaked at 23 on the Billboard Heatseekers Albums Chart and shipped 200,000 units. The single reached 16 on the Billboard Hot Dance…