Snow on the Sahara

The song was born in French. Producer Erick Benzi wrote, produced and arranged La neige au Sahara for the Indonesian singer Anggun, and songwriter Nikki Matheson then adapted it into English. Built on synthesizers and keyboards over tribal-sounding beats, it sat somewhere between adult pop, new age and world music, and it became the title track of Anggun's first international album in 1997. It was released as her debut international single in 33 countries at once. The French version became a hit in France, the most-played French-language single of 1997 on radio, and went gold. The English version topped the charts in Italy and several Asian countries. Two videos were made. The first, directed by Philippe Gautier in Bali, tells a story in which Anggun and her lover become the sacrifice in an ancient ritual. The second, by Anthea Benton for the North American market, put her in a room full of antique furniture and against an ice-blue backdrop. Both were in heavy rotation on MTV Asia, and the song topped the MTV Asia Hitlist for two weeks, making Anggun the first Asian artist to do so. In September 1998 the channel named her its Hot Seat Artist of the Month. Snow on the Sahara remains her signature song around the world, and Sarah Brightman later covered it on a live album. For Indonesian pop, it was proof that an Indonesian singer could front a record released across Europe, Asia and North America and be heard on its own terms.