Fab Morvan

Fabrice Maxime Sylvain Morvan (born 14 May 1966) is a French singer, songwriter, rapper, dancer, and model. He was half of the pop duo Milli Vanilli, along with Rob Pilatus, selling multi-platinum albums around the world. However, he was later involved in a scandal when the duo revealed that they had not actually sung on any of their recordings. After the scandal, the group reformed as Rob & Fab in the 1990s with limited success. Morvan had a solo comeback in the 2000s, releasing his first solo album, ''Love Revolution''.

As of 2010, Morvan resides in Amsterdam and Los Angeles.

Biography

Early years

Morvan was born in 1966 in Paris, France, to parents from Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe. At 18, he moved to Germany, where he was a dancer and model, and was influenced by funk, soul, hip hop, and pop. He met Rob Pilatus in a nightclub in Munich, and they decided to form a rock/soul group.

From fame to shame

Morvan and Pilatus were noticed by music producer Frank Farian, who signed them as part of a musical act. Shortly after a trip to Turkey, where they reputedly got the band's name from a local advertising slogan, Milli Vanilli was born. Morvan and Pilatus served as the public faces for singers Charles Shaw, John Davis, and Brad Howell, whom Farian thought were talented musicians but lacked a marketable image.

The first Milli Vanilli album was ''Girl You Know It's True''. Despite critical derision, Milli Vanilli's fame continued to grow worldwide. The album had four hit singles: the title track, and the group's three #1 hits, "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You", "Baby Don't Forget My Number", and "Blame It on the Rain". Milli Vanilli won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on 22 February 1990 for ''Girl You Know It's True''.

Morvan and Pilatus were a frequent target of rumors and allegations of on-stage lip-synching and not having sung on the album. Shaw told a reporter the truth about Milli Vanilli but recanted after Farian paid him $155,000 to do so.

When Morvan and Pilatus pressured Farian to let them sing on the next album, Farian admitted to reporters on 15 November 1990 that Morvan and Pilatus had not actually sung on any of the records. As a result, Milli Vanilli's Grammy was withdrawn four days later, while Arista Records dropped the act from its roster and deleted their album and its masters from their catalogue, thus making ''Girl You Know It's True'' the largest-selling album to ever be deleted. A court ruling allowed any American who bought the album to get a partial refund.

Farian later attempted a failed comeback for the group without Morvan and Pilatus.

Aftermath

Months later, Morvan and Pilatus parodied the scandal in a commercial for Carefree sugarless gum. They began to lip sync to an opera recording. An announcer asked, as they were lip-synching, "How long does the taste of Carefree sugarless gum last?" The record then began to skip and the announcer answers, "Until these guys sing for themselves."

They then moved to Los Angeles, where they released an eponymous album under the name ''Rob & Fab''. Despite positive reviews from critics, the album failed due to financial constraints, poor promotion, and the scandal surrounding Milli Vanilli's lip-synching allegations. Only around 2,000 copies were sold.

Rob Pilatus later served three months in jail for assault, vandalism, and attempted robbery. He spent six months on drug rehabilitation before returning to Germany, later to die in a 1998 drug overdose at the age of 32.

Solo comeback

Morvan spent several years as a session musician and public speaker. In 1998, he was hired as a radio DJ at famed L.A. radio station KIIS-FM. During this time, he also performed at the station's sold-out 1999 Wango Tango concert before 50,000 people at Dodger Stadium.

In 1997, Morvan was interviewed for the premiere episode of VH-1's ''Behind the Music''. He was also featured in a 2000 BBC
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