Fab Morvan

Fab Morvan
Fab Morvan wearing a dark jacket and a grey flat cap, looking directly at camera
Morvan in 2007
Background information
Birth nameFabrice Maxime Sylvain Morvan
Born (1966-05-14) 14 May 1966 (age 58)
Paris, France
Genres
Occupations
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • dancer
  • model
Years active1988–present
Labels
Formerly of
Websitefabmorvan.com

Fabrice Maxime Sylvain Morvan (born 14 May 1966) is a French singer, dancer, rapper, and model who was half of the pop duo Milli Vanilli, along with Rob Pilatus. It was later revealed that the two 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 the album Love Revolution in 2003.

As of 2023, Morvan resides in Amsterdam, Netherlands.[1]

Biography

Early years

Morvan was born in 1966 in Paris, France, to parents from Pointe-à-Pitre, Guadeloupe.[2] At 18, he moved to Germany, where he worked as a dancer and model and was influenced by funk, soul, hip hop, and pop music. He met Rob Pilatus in a nightclub in Munich, and they decided to form a rock/soul group.[3][4]

Milli Vanilli

Morvan and Pilatus were noticed by music producer Frank Farian, who signed them as part of a musical act called Milli Vanilli. The duo 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, titled Girl You Know It's True, was released in 1989 and proved popular worldwide. It had four hit singles: the title track, "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You", "Baby Don't Forget My Number", and "Blame It on the Rain". The group won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist on 22 February 1990 for Girl You Know It's True.

Morvan and Pilatus were frequent targets of rumors and allegations of onstage lip-synching and not having sung on the album. The same year the group released their debut album, Shaw told a reporter the truth but recanted after Farian paid him $155,000 to do so.[5]

When Morvan and Pilatus pressured Farian to let them sing on the next album, Farian then revealed the truth about their lip-synching to reporters on 15 November 1990.[4][6] As a result, Milli Vanilli's Grammy was withdrawn four days later, while Arista Records dropped the act from its roster and deleted their album and its masters from their catalogue, thus making Girl You Know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.[citation needed]

Farian later attempted a failed comeback for the group without Morvan and Pilatus, releasing the album The Moment of Truth in February 1991, with new cover art featuring the actual session musicians.

Aftermath

Months later, Morvan and Pilatus parodied the scandal in a commercial for Carefree sugarless gum. In it, the duo lip syncs to an opera recording. An announcer asks, "How long does the taste of Carefree sugarless gum last?" The record then begins to skip, and the announcer answers, "until these guys sing themselves".[7]

Morvan and Pilatus then moved to Los Angeles, where they released an eponymous album under the name Rob & Fab in 1993. Only around 2,000 copies were sold.[8][9] On 26 March 2007, the Milli Vanilli compilation Best of the Best was released.

Solo comeback

In 2003, Morvan released his first solo album, Love Revolution, producing, recording, writing, and singing on all the tracks.[10] On 14 April 2011, he issued the single "Anytime" to digital outlets.[11] On 25 May 2012, he released the single "See the Light" with a new band, Fabulous Addiction.[12]

In 2016, Morvan appeared in a documentary-style KFC commercial that focused on his life and music career after Milli Vanilli.[13][14]

On 1 November 2022, he appeared in an ad/trailer for the Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell-led Christmas comedy Spirited. In it, Reynolds and Ferrell are trying to dispel rumors that they lip synched in the film. The audience, however, notices that the actors' voices don't sound quite right. The camera then cuts to a shot of Morvan in a recording studio booth, providing voiceovers.[15]

Film projects

On 14 February 2007, it was announced that Universal Pictures was developing a film based on the true story of Milli Vanilli's rise and fall in the music industry. Jeff Nathanson, a screenwriter known for Catch Me If You Can, was to write and direct. Morvan was supposed to serve as a consultant, providing his and Pilatus's points of view.[16][17] However, the project was never completed. In 2011 German director Florian Gallenberger declared that he was reviving it and would be rewriting the script.[18] This ultimately didn't happen.

Director Brett 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,[19] but the project was cancelled in 2021, after numerous Time's Up sexual harassment allegations against Ratner became public.[20]

Between 2021 and 2022, Simon Verhoeven directed and wrote the Milli Vanilli biopic Girl You Know It's True, which was filmed in Munich, Berlin, Cape Town, and Los Angeles. It was produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film, with Leonine as the theatrical distributor.[21] The movie stars Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali as Pilatus and Morvan, as well as Matthias Schweighöfer as Farian.[22] One of the executive producers is R&B music producer and performer Kevin Liles, who composed the original version of "Girl You Know It's True" in 1986. Associate producers are Jasmin Davis, daughter of John Davis, and Brad Howell. Carmen Pilatus, sister of Rob Pilatus, Milli Vanilli's former assistant Todd Headlee, and Ingrid Segieth a.k.a. Milli, are also attached as associate producers.[23] After Ratner's project was officially cancelled, Morvan could also join the co-producers' ranks of Girl You Know It's True. He attended the world premiere in Munich on 4 December 2023 and even performed the title song at the Bavarian Film Awards on 19 January 2024 together with Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali. The feature won Best Film.[24]

Milli Vanilli documentary

Main article: Milli Vanilli (film)

On 13 March 2021, Variety announced that a feature documentary was in the works, directed by Luke Korem and produced by Korem, Bradley Jackson, Keep on Running Pictures, and MRC.[25]

On 1 June 2023, it was announced that Paramount+ had acquired the film, titled Milli Vanilli.[26] The feature premiered at the Tribeca Festival on 10 June 2023.[27] It received positive critical reviews, including Variety calling it a "captivating and moving documentary" and saying that it "brings off something at once strategic, artful, and humane".[28] The Hollywood Reporter released a trailer on 13 September 2023, and announced the film would have a global release on 24 October.[29]

Personal life

In January 2024, Morvan's wife, Kim Marlowe, filed for divorce in the Los Angeles Superior Court.[30][31] Details regarding the couple's marriage are unknown.[31][30] Marlowe was described by the Los Angeles Times in September 1997 as Morvan's "best friend and manager".[32] Morvan has four children with his partner Tessa van der Steen, with whom he resides in Amsterdam.[31]

Discography

Studio albums

  • Love Revolution (2003)

with Milli Vanilli

with Rob & Fab

with Fabulous Addiction

  • "See the Light" (2012)

with NightAir

  • "One of These Nights" (2014)[33]

References

  1. ^ Irvin, Jack (25 October 2023). "Milli Vanilli's Fabrice Morvan Opens Up About Lip-Syncing Scandal: 'My Story Has Never Been Told' (Exclusive)". People. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  2. ^ Huey, Steve. "Milli Vanilli | Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 2 March 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  3. ^ "Milli Vanilli's Pilatus Was an Outsider, Once". latimes.com. 23 July 1989. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b "It's True: Milli Vanilli Didn't Sing: Pop music: The duo could be stripped of its Grammy after admitting it lip-synced the best-selling 'Girl You Know It's True.'". latimes.com. 16 November 1990. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  5. ^ Fisher, Marc (22 December 1990). "The Man Who Mixed Milli Vanilli". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 January 2021.(subscription required)
  6. ^ "Pop duo Milli Vanilli didn't sing hit album". washingtonpost.com. 15 November 1990. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  7. ^ Elliott, Stuart (14 June 1991). "The Media Business: Advertising – Addenda; Milli Vanilli Appears Again". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 9 December 2008. Retrieved 16 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Hollywood agent and producer Sandy Gallin dead at 76". cbc.ca. 22 April 2017. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Hollywood to immortalise pop frauds". theguardian.com. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Fabrice Morvan – Love Revolution". allmusic.com. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  11. ^ "Fabrice Morvan – Anytime – Single". itunes.apple.com. Archived from the original on 12 November 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Fabulous Addiction". discogs.com. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
  13. ^ "Milli Vanilli singer explains how to keep it real in KFC ad". Campaign. Haymarket Media Group. 7 January 2016. Archived from the original on 28 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  14. ^ Coffee, Patrick (7 January 2016). "The Surviving Member of Milli Vanilli Tells KFC About 'Being Real'". Adweek. Shamrock Capital. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Twitter post". Twitter. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  16. ^ Fleming, Michael (15 February 2007). "Universal sets up Milli Vanilli film". Variety. Archived from the original on 27 September 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  17. ^ Frehsee, Nicole (20 February 2007). "Girl, You Know It's True: Milli Vanilli Biopic Will Reveal the Truth (!)". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008.
  18. ^ Kim, Brandon (16 February 2011). "'Milli Vanilli' Movie Gets Rewrite and New Director". IFC.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  19. ^ Wiseman, Andreas (20 February 2021). "Brett Ratner Lines Up Directing Comeback in Milli Vanilli Biopic with Millennium Launching Sales". Deadline. Archived from the original on 9 November 2022. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  20. ^ Gardner, Chris (25 February 2021). "Brett Ratner's Milli Vanilli Biopic Dropped". Billboard. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  21. ^ Kroll, Justin (31 August 2022). "Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True' First-Look Photos Revealed By Leonine Studios". Deadline. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  22. ^ "Milli Vanilli is the subject of an upcoming biopic — see the 1st pics". TODAY.com. September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  23. ^ Roxborough, Scott (1 September 2022). "Milli Vanilli Biopic Players Revealed in 'Girl You Know It's True' First Look". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 20 September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  24. ^ Bonn, General-Anzeiger (23 January 2024). "Leonine Studios: Girl You Know It's True räumt beim 45. Bayerischen Filmpreis doppelt ab". General-Anzeiger Bonn (in German). Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  25. ^ Trakin, Roy (13 May 2021). "Milli Vanilli's Story to Be Told in Documentary, 'Girl You Know It's True,' from MRC Non-Fiction (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  26. ^ White, Peter (1 June 2023). "Paramount+ Snaps Up Milli Vanilli Feature Doc". Deadline. Archived from the original on 8 June 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  27. ^ Horton, Adrian (15 June 2023). "'People thought they knew the story': the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
  28. ^ Gleiberman, Owen (12 June 2023). "'Milli Vanilli' Review: The Saga of the Infamous Pop Duo, Now Seen from the Inside, Becomes a Captivating and Moving Documentary". Variety. Archived from the original on 26 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  29. ^ Hibberd, James (13 September 2023). "'Milli Vanilli' Trailer Tells Untold Story of Music's Most Infamous Con". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  30. ^ a b "Fab Morvan's Wife Files for Divorce ... Not That We Knew He Was Married". TMZ. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  31. ^ a b c Irvin, Jack; DeSantis, Rachel (10 January 2024). "Milli Vanilli Member Fabrice Morvan's Wife Kim Marlowe Files for Divorce". People. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  32. ^ Rivera, Carla (25 September 1997). "Finding His Own Voice--After Milli Vanilli". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  33. ^ "Sony Music presents NightAir". Electronic Music Magazine Belgium. 15 July 2014. Archived from the original on 25 July 2024. Retrieved 1 January 2021.