Fulfilling her promise to return to Indonesia with surprises, internationally renowned pop star Anggun C. Sasmi will finally rock her homeland this year - in what she calls "a phenomenally crazy road show".

Yes, Anggun lovers: Get prepared. The 35-year-old diva will hold her biggest road show ever in Indonesia, entertaining her fans in five cities in August and November.

"This is something that I've been waiting for excitedly," Anggun said in Jakarta. "Many of my Indonesia fans were complaining and said *Mbak Anggun, why are your concerts always in Jakarta?'

"So this time, I'm so happy to be holding concerts in more cities," the Paris-based singer added.

Anggun's concert tour will be divided in two parts, with the first to be held in August and the second in November. The first phase will consist of three concerts. The first will be on Aug. 1 at the Jogja Expo Center in Yogyakarta, with the second on Aug. 8 at the Hard Rock Hotel in Denpasar, Bali. The third concert will be on Aug. 13 at the Gramedia Expo in Surabaya.

After a two-month break, Anggun will hold her last two concerts, at the Sasana Ganesha in Bandung on Nov. 17 and at the Tiara Hotel in Medan on Nov. 20.

"Music, after all, has to embrace *the value* of democracy, too," Anggun said. "Concerts shouldn't only be held in Jakarta. They should also touch people in other cities, because music is for everyone."

Anggun's last concerts in Indonesia were in 2006, when she entertained her fans in Jakarta, Medan and Bandung. The star says that what will make this year's concerts different from her last ones is the way she is embracing the concept of "100 percent Indonesia". In her previous concerts, Anggun often took her French band with her onstage.

"This time, the concerts will be 100 percent Indonesia!" Anggun said with a smile. "The *supporting* singers, the musicians - all are from Indonesia, my roots."

Anggun will be working with top composer Andi Ayunir, and will be sharing the stage with another Indonesian star in each show.

In Yogyakarta, for example, she will sing with Glenn Fredly, and in Bali, singer Rossa will accompany her onstage. The other singers scheduled to perform with Anggun are Pinkan Mambo, Bunga Citra Lestari and Ello.

"Why Ello? Simply because I love his songs. and well, he's cute," joked Anggun. "And for Glenn, we all know how great his vocal quality is."

As for Bunga, Anggun described the younger singer as an all-round artiste - she is a talented actor and singer. "She's one of the most-wanted singers here now. I've heard a lot about her talent," Anggun said. "In fact, those artistes are the ones that I really like in the first place. They have such great *singing* quality."

In each 60-minute concert, Anggun will perform around 15 songs. Currently, she said, she's practicing the duets with her fellow singers.

"I want all of them to enjoy singing with me," said the mother of 18-month-old Kirana Cipta Montana Sasmi. "After all, the shows aren't only about me, but also about *me singing with them'," she humbly added.

Through the road show, Anggun wants to prove that despite her international success, she has never forgotten her homeland and loyal fans in Indonesia. But of course, she added, "it's not that I'm not popular anymore in other countries that I want to return *to Indonesia* this time. No, no, no. it's not like that," she laughed.

"Having concerts in Indonesia has been something that I've always been looking forward to. Indonesians are very enthusiastic about music; they're always excited about attending concerts," said Anggun, who had just returned from a tour of Russia

According to creative officer Indra Kurniawan from promoter Dytama, the concert tour hopes to attract about 10,000 audience members. The tickets, priced from Rp 350,000 to Rp 1 million, will be available in mid-July.

Want more information about tickets and the tour? Take a peek at www.anggunroadshow2009.com.

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