Singer Anggun makes a name around the world

Singer Anggun makes a name around the world

By Hera Diani

JAKARTA (JP): After marrying a Frenchman and moving to France,
former teen-rocker Anggun C. Sasmi made a surprising appearance
three years ago with the release of her first international
album, Anggun, which was hardly Indonesian at all.

The album, which sold one million copies in over 30 countries,
catapulted Anggun to new heights as a European pop star, with
concerts in packed stadiums and inclusion in the lineup of the
all-girls Lilith Fair concert along with Tori Amos, Sarah
McLachlan and Sheryl Crow.

Her success is a bit of a slap in the face for Indonesian
singers and musicians who often talk about going international
but never really work on it -- at least not much beyond winning
an award in obscure international singing festivals.

Yet, the 26 year old is still modest, unpretentious and
humble. No snobbishness, no batting eyelashes, or peppering her
speech with English words.

In Jakarta for two weeks to promote her new album and the
second international album titled Chrysalis, she found time to
talk to The Jakarta Post on Tuesday in spite of her tight
schedule at The Regent Jakarta. Here is an excerpt of the
interview:

Question: So, how's things?

Answer: Great! I just ate siomay (dim sum), it was delicious.
And Teh Botol (a brand of tea in a bottle) ... I've got two boxes
of it up in my room.

I heard you just got back from Bali?

Yes. Ever since my new album was released in Europe, I have
been touring all over Europe the past two months without a single
day-off. So, when I saw the schedule of the album promotion here
in Indonesia, I decided to take a week's vacation in Bali.

Been really busy?

Indeed. After Indonesia, we are going to Singapore, Malaysia,
Thailand, probably going back to France, and then to Italy,
Belgium, Switzerland ... Well, busy-busy-busy! (Laughing)

What about the United States?

Next year, I guess. We plan to first promote the album in
Europe and Asia because you see, promoting in the United States
needs longer time. It took me nine months to promote my last
album there and we had to go back and forth from Paris to America
at that time. So, we decided to put the promotion in the United
States later on in our schedule.

Why did it take longer?

Because it is such a big country. European countries are next
to each other, but in America, it takes a six-hour flight to get
from New York to Los Angeles. It is the same as Paris to New
York.

American audiences, are they harder to please?

Not really. I got quite a good response there. But the
audience is very different in each place. In Texas, I got a lot
of airplay, shows with packed audience. But in Los Angeles ...
well, I guess Americans really like to categorize music. R&B,
Soul, Hip Hop, ... But my music can't simply be categorized like
that as it is a mixture of all things. So, they (Americans) were
kind of confused where to put it. Some said my music is
refreshing and distinctive, while others said the opposite. So,
the chances are 50-50.

Why did you give the title Chrysalis to your new album?

Because I really like chrysalides, I even prefer them to
butterflies. They hold such a beautiful mystery. We don't know
whether it will metamorphose into a butterfly or not -- or what
kind of butterfly. I like a situation or a phase before something
turns into something else. And the life cycle is amazing. It's
reborn three times, from a caterpillar to a chrysalis and to
butterfly. It's just fascinating.

You also co-wrote the album, was it your first experience of
writing songs?

No, I wrote my first song when I was nine. But this is the
first time that I really got involved in the whole artistic
process. I don't know, writing songs for me now is more of a
therapy, a healthy way to spit out my grudges. So, we can see
things more clearly and more objectively afterward.

Maybe you could write a poetry book, like Jewel.

(Laughing) Maybe. Probably. Never really thought about that.

I read that you want to be a part of a classic singer-
songwriter collaboration like Elton John. Have you worked on
that?

What? Did I say that? I don't recall ever saying that. Well,
speaking about collaboration, I recently was involved in an album
project for AIDS funding in France. And I was working with the
likes of Peter Gabriel (former Genesis vocalist) and Youssou
N'Dour. It was really exciting. I mean ... THE Peter Gabriel. And
he was singing a song I wrote. It was like, ah (screaming).
Collaborating with top-notch musicians like Elton John is not
easy, though. Maybe they don't even want to collaborate with me,
because who am I anyway?

What was Peter Gabriel like?

Oh, he was very nice. We actually have the same person to deal
with for public relations in New York.

Which singers do you like, anyway?

Hmmm ... I like Sheila Chandra from India, Nusrah Fateh Ali
and then Sting. (Pausing, thinking) The Beatles ... of course,
The Beatles are an inspiration for everyone. David Bowie. I like
David Bowie.

Speaking about Nusrah Fateh Ali, does going international mean
you have to accentuate your ethnicity or traditional music?

Not really, actually. I was once asked by David Byrne of the
band Talking Heads in New York about why singers from outside
America feel obliged to put traditional sounds in their music.

There are many singers like that, and there's nothing wrong
with that. But I'm not really into that. The traditional sounds
in my music is like wearing perfume. You smell it but can't see
it. I prefer a smoother way like that. Being Indonesian doesn't
mean that I have to sing with the gamelan or wear batik and
kebaya all the time. It wasn't my style when I was still living
in Indonesia either.

Is it a compromise?

It's not compromising, I call it adapting. As a human, we face
different situations and problems all the time in different
places. I have to adapt to that, but I never want to compromise.
Adapting is a way to enrich ourselves.

Do you still keep up with the Indonesian music scene?

Err ... a little. Just from the Internet, or from friends who
visited me in Paris. They brought me albums from Katon and KLa
Project. And hey, I saw Bob Tutupoli and Grace Simon (Indonesian
singers) on TV a while ago. Wow, they haven't changed a bit!
(Laughing)

What about newcomers?

Well, people gave me albums of Reza and Sheila on 7. They're
great. The more new singers/musicians, the more varied and rich
the Indonesian music scene will be. I see that their music is
quite similar. But then again, pop music has always been like
that. That also goes for dangdut.

Oh, and I was so surprised when I listened to Chrisye's
song ... Semusim (A Season)? Yeah, that one. I was shocked that
the intro is dangdut. I thought, wow, Chrisye is singing dangdut
now? But apparently it was just for the intro.

What about the global music trends?

Well, as an artist I have to keep up with that. Not
necessarily follow them, but just for my knowledge.

What about boybands and bubble-gummer teenage singers like
Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera?

It's better to be in a boyband than being jobless (laughing).
Well, the market is big enough for everyone. Even for children. I
see here, there are many child singers like Joshua. It's good,
there were hardly any in my days.

Tell me about Lilith Fair.

Ah, Lilith Fair. It was one of the greatest moments in my
life! A break-through experience. Nothing was more prestigious
in the United States at that time for a female singer than being
involved in the event.

It was great not just because it was packed with great
artists, but it was also a way to discover new talent.

The audience was also different. Since the performers were all
women, there were many lesbians in the audience. There were like
this bunch of lesbians who propositioned me ... hahaha ... They
bought me beers, and I was like, ugh.

Why? You don't like beer?

No (laughing). I don't find being propositioned by lesbians
thrilling either (laughing).

Who's the coolest among the fellows in Lilith Fair?

Queen Latifah. You see, some are super nice, others are so
snobbish. Queen Latifah is among the latter. She never bothers to
go to press conferences or stuff like that, it's like wasting her
energy. But once she gets on stage, man ... she's got this great
energy. She is just awesome.

Among the nice singers are Sarah McLachlan and Natalie
Merchant. Natalie even invited me to open her concert.

The Corrs are also nice, we performed on the same stage once.
It's more fun, you know, to go on tour with women. We can talk
beyond music, like clothes, lipstick, women's stuff.

What about our country's political situation? What does it
look like from afar?

There's this magazine in France called Foto which displayed
pictures of corpses in East Timor, with blood and separated body
parts and all. So, foreigners only see cruelty and brutality.
They say that it's a troubled country, that we chose the wrong
president, and so on. People keep asking me about this, which is
reasonable, since I'm the only Indonesian they know. I always say
that we have just got out of a dictatorship so we're having this
transition time. And it's not something that we can change
overnight. But I think that we'll never fall into the same
problem again. We have to be optimistic.

What about having kids?

In several years, perhaps. I'm only 26 now, although a friend
of mine who's also 26 already has three kids. But they're
triplets, so, ... (laughing)

Ever thought of going back to school?

No, God, no. Life is a better school for me. I saw on TV once
a program about people in the Amazon who are completely
illiterate. When I changed the channel, there was Billy Gates
with the Microsoft case and I was just thinking that the super-
smart Gates is no better than those Amazon people, you know what
I mean?

I learn of course, through meeting people, talking with them,
reading. I read about many things. Buddhism for example. I'm a
Muslim but I went to a Catholic school. My parents gave me
freedom to choose any religion. And now, since many of my French
friends are Buddhist, I also learn about it. Books taught me to
listen to my inner thoughts.

Are you going to sing for the rest of your life?

I think so. God gave me this talent, so if I don't make the
best out of it, it's like saying to Him 'Thanks, but no thanks'.
And it's not a really polite thing to say.