Only in OMG!– Remember, Anggun?

Indonesian-born French singer and songwriter Anggun is back with her latest album.

For the uninitiated, Anggun has swung by the Philippines once back in the 1990s. But her brief stay has left a lasting impression on Filipinos.

Yahoo! Southeast Asia has recently caught up with her to talk about her latest creation and the recent tragedy that befell her.

Echoes is said to be your most personal album. Why?

Each of my album is actually personal, but Echoes is the most personal because I produced it by myself. I no longer have a boss — no longer have a master *laughs*

Previously, when I still worked with labels, everything was negotiated. Even though they trusted me to compile the songs, they will eventually ask me "Why this song?" So I'd have to argue and said "No no no, this song should be in the album."

But with Echoes I had more freedom in creating and deciding the songs.

Tell us more about "Eternal" -- the song is about loss?

The song is about my late father. I heard the news when I was in Paris and unfortunately didn't manage to fly to Indonesia soon. I arrived a day after he was buried.

Every event of my life gives me the reason to think. And for me, death made me think what human really is. We are a bunch of meat only. But I began to think what make us human is our spirit. I read some books and they confirmed this theory — that the spirit carries on.

So "Eternal" is trying to say that those who left us, they didn't really leave us. We can't also cry over them too much for they are now in a better place.

Death is not a contradiction to life. It is a contradiction to birth.

You sound so philosophical.

Well I do read some books on philosophy because I think they help a lot. In my opinion, so many great people lived during Socrates and Plato's era. They were not "polluted" by life. They are rare. They left the track for us to read and learn. If I could learn just one thing from them, that would be good.

Do those books also help you in writing song?

Very much. I took the name of my album "Echoes" from a Greek mythology. But I don't read them only. I also read newspapers, magazines, and other books.

Which is harder, writing song in English, French, or Bahasa Indonesia?

I never write in French. I can't, and probably I won't. I've been writing in English and Indonesia. Mostly English. Then someone will translate the lyrics into French.

Writing is hard. Writing is like summarizing what we just saw and understood. Getting them out is not easy. Finding the right word is hard. My father once said that you'll be able to write a song after reading thousands of sentences. That's why I respect writers. My husband is a writer. Hahahaha.

Do you follow Indonesian music update?

I follow from afar. So many newcomers.

Two nights ago I saw Vierra — they have good musicality. Good composition. Light pop — but light doesn't mean not good. I also like Kotak. I admire the vocalist, Tantri, and I want to perform a duet with her.

As a matter of fact, Ariel is an exceptional songwriter. Too bad Indonesian people like to care about his private life too much. I think it's weird that he's jailed. His "movie" was entertaining a lot of people *laughs*

I find so many Indonesian artists and groups who have what it takes to succeed abroad. They have the idea and they have the vocal. But the problem is, if you want to succeed abroad you have to move abroad.

To "go international," why does a musician have to live abroad?

Because the system is better there. The US music industry is very serious and their reach is everywhere. Just like the British, German, and French music industry. They take copyrights seriously.

In Indonesia? Oh my, the level of piracy here is worrying. And you know what? Piracy, including illegal downloading, has made the world music industry going down. They used to have a big crazy budget but now they don't. It's good enough if they can survive.

Many artists got their contract returned. Phil Collins for instance, he now doesn't have a contract with any label. Annie Lenox was fired from her label. Everytime Madonna releases an album, she has to work hard to make sure her songs are played in radios.

If you want to fight in one country, you have to stay there. You cannot just send your songs from home. That's why I started from below, as I found it important. It's a long way.

When my album was released in the US, someone told me that I had the chance to be big in America. But then I had to stay there. I turned down the offer as it means I'd have to work with an American producer. I'd have to have a sense of humor like Americans. I'd have to adapt again.

You and a lot of singers start your career from zero. Meanwhile, a policeman put his video on YouTube lip-synching to an Indian song and got famous in two days.

Hahaha, that's a phenomenon of pop culture. Andy Warhol once said that in the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes. He's a visionary.

It's true. Right now everybody wants to be famous. But the fame is just temporary. It's instant, just like a McDonald's french fries that you have to finish on the spot — won't taste good if you bring it home.

For me, instant fame is not everlasting. The phenomenon will last forever, but the people won't.

The hard thing is to be someone irreplaceable. That's the one will be everlasting, and that's the one who requires struggle.

You can still speak Bahasa Indonesia fluently even though you've lived abroad for years.

Yes. I speak Bahasa Indonesia with my daughter. Her Bahasa Indonesia is good. For me it's a pride. Nationalism is not measured with something visible — your Batik or passport. But language. Indonesian kid should be able to speak Indonesian. (Interview by Ikram Putra)