Fab Morvan
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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 Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut album, '' All or Nothing'' in Europe, reconfigured as ''Girl You Know It's True'' in ...
, along with
Rob Pilatus Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Ro ...
, 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 Rob & Fab was a short-lived dance-pop music duo formed and fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan in 1990, following their departure from the commercially successful but ill-fated group Milli Vanilli. Career In the wake of the Milli Vanilli lip- ...
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 Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
and
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.


Biography


Early years

Morvan was born in 1966 in
Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
, 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 In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
, hip hop, and pop. He met
Rob Pilatus Rob or ROB may refer to: Places * Rob, Velike Lašče, a settlement in Slovenia * Roberts International Airport (IATA code ROB), in Monrovia, Liberia People * Rob (given name), a given name or nickname, e.g., for Robert(o), Robin/Robyn * Ro ...
in a nightclub in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
, and they decided to form a rock/soul group.


From fame to shame

Morvan and Pilatus were noticed by music producer
Frank Farian Frank Farian (born Franz Reuther; 18 July 1941) is a German record producer, musician, singer and songwriter, who founded the 1970s disco-pop group Boney M., the Latin pop band No Mercy and the pop band Milli Vanilli. He frequently created voc ...
, who signed them as part of a musical act. Shortly after a trip to
Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with a small portion on the Balkan Peninsula in ...
, 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 Brad Howell is an American keyboardist, pianist and singer, known as the singer who provided the vocals for German band Chilly and the actual vocals lip-synced by Rob Pilatus for the musical duo Milli Vanilli. Career When Howell became a keyboa ...
, whom Farian thought were talented musicians but lacked a marketable image. The first Milli Vanilli album was ''
Girl You Know It's True ''Girl You Know It's True'' is a 1989 album that served as the North American debut of German contemporary R&B duo Milli Vanilli. It is a version of Milli Vanilli's Europe-only release '' All or Nothing'' reconfigured and repackaged for the US ...
''. 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 "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You" (sometimes listed as "I'm Gonna Miss You") is a song by German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fa ...
", "
Baby Don't Forget My Number "Baby Don't Forget My Number" is a song by German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli Milli Vanilli were a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The group was founded by Frank Farian in 1988 and consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus. Their debut ...
", and "
Blame It on the Rain "Blame It on the Rain" is a song written by Diane Warren and performed by the German dance-pop group Milli Vanilli. It was released as a new track from the group's North American debut album, '' Girl You Know It's True'' (1989), and did not appe ...
". Milli Vanilli won a
Grammy Award for Best New Artist The Grammy Award for Best New Artist has been awarded since 1959. Years reflect the year in which the Grammy Awards were handed out, for records released in the previous year. The award was not presented in 1967. The official guidelines are as ...
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 Lip sync or lip synch (pronounced , the same as the word ''sink'', short for lip synchronization) is a technical term for matching a speaking or singing person's lip movements with sung or spoken vocals. Audio for lip syncing is generated th ...
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 Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, where they released an eponymous album under the name ''
Rob & Fab Rob & Fab was a short-lived dance-pop music duo formed and fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan in 1990, following their departure from the commercially successful but ill-fated group Milli Vanilli. Career In the wake of the Milli Vanilli lip- ...
''. 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 Public speaking, also called oratory or oration, has traditionally meant the act of speaking face to face to a live audience. Today it includes any form of speaking (formally and informally) to an audience, including pre-recorded speech deliver ...
. In 1998, he was hired as a radio DJ at famed L.A. radio station
KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a top 40 format. Owned by iHeartMedia, KIIS-FM is the origin of the conglome ...
. During this time, he also performed at the station's sold-out 1999 Wango Tango concert before 50,000 people at
Dodger Stadium Dodger Stadium is a baseball stadium in the Elysian Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. It is the home stadium of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers. Opened in 1962, it was constructed in less than three years at a cost of ...
. In 1997, Morvan was interviewed for the premiere episode of
VH-1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Communi ...
's ''
Behind the Music ''Behind the Music'' is a documentary television series on VH1. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group. The program examines the beginning of their career, their road to success, and the hardships they may have ...
''. He was also featured in a 2000
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
documentary on Milli Vanilli. Morvan then spent 2001 on tour, before performing in 2002 as the inaugural performer at the brand-new Velvet Lounge at the
Hard Rock Café Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and r ...
Hotel in Orlando, Florida. In 2003, Morvan released his first solo album, '' Love Revolution'', producing, recording, writing, and singing all the tracks. On 14 April 2011, Morvan released a new single, "Anytime", to digital outlets. On 25 May 2012, Morvan released a single, "See the Light", with a new band, Fabulous Addiction. In March 2014, it was mentioned that Morvan was working on his next single in Los Angeles with producer
Clarence Jey Clarence Ranjith Jeyaretnam, better known as Clarence Jey, is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, composer and songwriter of Sri Lankan Tamils, Sri Lankan Tamil heritage who has had music chart on the US Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...
and singer Delious Kennedy from U.S. R&B group
All-4-One All-4-One is an American male R&B and pop group best known for their hit singles " I Swear", "So Much in Love" and "I Can Love You Like That". The group is composed of Jamie Jones, Delious Kennedy, Alfred Nevarez, and Tony Borowiak, all from ...
. In 2016, Morvan appeared in a documentary-style KFC commercial that focuses on his life and music career after Milli Vanilli. Morvan also DJs for private
Heineken Heineken Lager Beer ( nl, Heineken Pilsener), or simply Heineken () is a pale lager beer with 5% alcohol by volume produced by the Dutch brewing company Heineken N.V. Heineken beer is sold in a green bottle with a red star. History On 15 Feb ...
functions at the Heineken Experience center in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
. As a solo musician, Morvan has worked with several DJs/producers including
Don Diablo Don Pepijn Schipper (; born 27 February 1980), better known by his stage name Don Diablo, is a Dutch DJ, digital artist, record producer, musician and songwriter of electronic dance music from Coevorden. He is one of the pioneers of the future h ...
, Guy J, Dance Spirit, Desert Minds, DJ Prinz, Patrick BP Bruyndonx, MuziJunki, Sean McCaff, Limoncello, and Guan Elmzoom, and he has collaborated on well-received dance releases with several. Some of Morvan's other pursuits include writing, painting, and fashion design. On November 1, 2022 Fab Morvan appeared in an ad/trailer for the Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell led Christmas Comedy “Spirited.” In the ad/trailer Reynolds and Ferrell are trying to “dispel rumors that they did not in fact LIP SYNC their singing in the holiday musical comedy.” The audience, however, will notice that Will and Ryan’s voices don’t sound quite right. It then cuts to a shot of Fab Morvan in a recording studio booth providing the voices for Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell.


''Best of the Best'' album

On 26 March 2007, the Milli Vanilli ''
Best of the Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...
'' album was released.


Film projects

On 14 February 2007, it was announced that
Universal Pictures Universal Pictures (legally Universal City Studios LLC, also known as Universal Studios, or simply Universal; common metonym: Uni, and formerly named Universal Film Manufacturing Company and Universal-International Pictures Inc.) is an Ameri ...
was developing a film based on the true story of Milli Vanilli's rise and fall in the music industry.
Jeff Nathanson Jeffrey D. Nathanson (born October 12, 1965) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Early life and education Nathanson was born on October 12, 1965, in Los Angeles County, California. He attended the University of California, San ...
, a screenwriter known for ''
Catch Me If You Can ''Catch Me If You Can'' is a 2002 American Biographical film, biographical crime film, crime Comedy drama, comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin ...
'', was to write and direct the film. Morvan was supposed to serve as a consultant, providing his and Pilatus's point of view. However, the project was never completed. In 2011 German director
Florian Gallenberger Florian Gallenberger (born 23 February 1972 in Munich) is a German film director and writer. His film '' Quiero ser (I want to be...)'' was awarded the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film in 2001. Career Gallenberger appeared in various ...
declared that he was reviving the project and would be rewriting the script. This ultimately didn't happen. Director Bret Ratner attempted to make his version of a Milli Vanilli biopic, for which Morvan sold his exclusive life rights to Ratner's production company RatPac Entertainment, but the project was eventually cancelled in 2021 after numerous Time's Up sexual harassment allegations against Ratner became public. 2021/2022,
Simon Verhoeven Simon Verhoeven (born in Munich on 20 June 1972) is a German film director, screenwriter, film producer, former actor, and occasional film music composer. Life and family Verhoeven is the son of international screen actress Senta Berger and BAF ...
directed and wrote the Milli-Vanilli- Biopic ''Girl You Know It's True'', which was filmed in
Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
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, and
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. The film was produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film, with Leonine as the theatrical distributor, due to be released in cinemas 2023. The movie stars Elan Ben Ali and Tijan Njie as Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, as well as
Matthias Schweighöfer Matthias Schweighöfer (; born 11 March 1981) is a German actor, voice actor, film director, and producer. Early life Born in Anklam, Western Pomerania, Schweighöfer attended Berlin's renowned acting school Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Art ...
as
music producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...
Frank Farian. It is scheduled for a general theatrical wide release in 2023. One of the executive producers is R&B music producer
Kevin Liles Kevin Liles (born February 27, 1968) is an American record executive and co-founder and CEO of 300 Entertainment. In 2020, Kevin was recognized by Billboard Magazine as R&B/Hip-Hop Executive of the Year for both his efforts in activism and the c ...
who co-wrote the original version of "
Girl You Know It's True ''Girl You Know It's True'' is a 1989 album that served as the North American debut of German contemporary R&B duo Milli Vanilli. It is a version of Milli Vanilli's Europe-only release '' All or Nothing'' reconfigured and repackaged for the US ...
" by his Baltimore DJ crew Numarx in 1986. Associate producers are Jasmin Davis, daughter of the late John Davis, and
Brad Howell Brad Howell is an American keyboardist, pianist and singer, known as the singer who provided the vocals for German band Chilly and the actual vocals lip-synced by Rob Pilatus for the musical duo Milli Vanilli. Career When Howell became a keyboa ...
, the true voices behind Milli Vanilli. Carmen Pilatus, sister of the late Rob Pilatus, Milli Vanilli’s former assistant Todd Headlee, and Ingrid Segieth aka Milli, are also attached as associate producers. Since Morvan had previously sold his film rights to Ratner, he couldn't be involved in Verhoeven's film. On 4 July 2022, Morvan announced on his
facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
fanpage that there is also a new
documentary film A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
about Milli Vanilli in the works, which is " ..going to be a major eye opener for the world ..


Discography


Studio albums

*''Love Revolution'' (2003)


with Milli Vanilli

*'' All or Nothing'' (1988) *''
Girl You Know It's True ''Girl You Know It's True'' is a 1989 album that served as the North American debut of German contemporary R&B duo Milli Vanilli. It is a version of Milli Vanilli's Europe-only release '' All or Nothing'' reconfigured and repackaged for the US ...
'' (1989) *''
Best of the Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...
'' (2007)


with Rob & Fab

*''
Rob & Fab Rob & Fab was a short-lived dance-pop music duo formed and fronted by Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan in 1990, following their departure from the commercially successful but ill-fated group Milli Vanilli. Career In the wake of the Milli Vanilli lip- ...
'' (1993)


with Fabulous Addiction

*"See the Light" (2012)


with NightAir

*"One of These Nights" (2014)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Morvan, Fab 1966 births Living people French pop singers French male singer-songwriters French male dancers French male models French people of Guadeloupean descent English-language singers from France French contemporary R&B singers Black French musicians Writers from Paris Milli Vanilli members 20th-century French male singers 21st-century French male singers French rappers French male film actors French expatriates in Germany French expatriates in the Netherlands French expatriates in the United States Musical hoaxes Entertainment scandals Ich bin ein Star – Holt mich hier raus! participants