Former Milli Vanilli singer Fab Morvan is speaking out about the lip-syncing scandal that rocked the music industry more than three decades ago.
In 1988, record producer Frank Farian enlisted aspiring singers Morvan, now 57, and the late Rob Pilatus to form the pop duo Milli Vanilli, who skyrocketed to fame less than a year later. Their debut album, released as “All or Nothing” in Europe and “Girl You Know It’s True” in the United States, sold millions of copies, and Milli Vanilli won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990.
However, the duo’s success came to a crashing halt in November of that year when Farian revealed that Morvan and Pilatus never actually sang on any of their records and announced that he had fired them. Morvan and Pilatus were blamed for the deception and faced an avalanche of backlash from the media and fans.
Directed by Luke Korem, the new Paramount+ documentary “Milli Vanilli” explores the duo’s meteoric rise and spectacular fall from grace. In an interview with Fox News Digital, Korem and Morvan shared their thoughts on the public’s misconceptions about the scandal.
“They thought they knew the story,” Morvan said. “They thought that we planned it.”
Former Milli Vanilli singer Fab Morvan opened up about the pop duo’s infamous lip-syncing scandal. (Getty)
He continued, “They thought that we were the people in charge of organizing everything. And in the end, you know, we caught the wrath of the media. And somehow my problem was how come no one really investigated the true story behind the story? What happened with that?”
MILLI VANILLI SINGER, JOHN DAVIS, DIED OF CORONAVIRUS AT 66
After Farian’s announcement, Milli Vanilli became the first artists in history to have their Grammy Award revoked by the Recording Academy. During a press conference attended by more than 100 journalists in Los Angeles, Morvan and Pilatus returned their Grammy Award and stated that they had “made a pact with the devil,” per the Los Angeles Times.
The two told the journalists that their label Arista Records had full knowledge of the subterfuge, including founder and president Clive Davis as well as other executives.
Fab Morvan claimed that Clive Davis knew about the deception. (Noam Galai/WireImage)
In a statement at the time, the label denied the allegations. “Arista Records and their executives did not know that Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan did not sing on the Milli Vanilli album, and any assertions to the contrary are false and libelous,” the company wrote.
Representatives for Davis did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
During the press conference, which is featured in the documentary, Morvan and Pilatus sang and rapped to prove that they actually could perform.
In his interview with Fox News Digital, Morvan blamed the media for failing to follow up on the duo’s claims and accused the press of being “biased” against them.
During a press conference attended by more than 100 journalists in Los Angeles, Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus returned their Grammy Award. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“That hurt because for a long time I’ve been carrying this story only touching the surface because I knew at one point the right person would come into my life.,” he said. “Luke and [producer] Bradley [Jackson], they came in and they were interested in touching on the human aspect and also the behind, you know, the inner workings of the music industry and how brutal it can be.”
Morvan added, “And in our case, it’s obvious. ‘We’re going to use them even though we know they didn’t sing. But let’s keep the money train going. Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go as long as we can. And when it comes out, bam! Let’s walk away. Let’s remove those platinum records off the wall because we ain’t got nothing to do with it.'”
“‘Hey, Clive, did you know? Oh, no, I didn’t know nothing,'” Morvan teased. “And then you see in the documentary, the executives made me cringe. Like 30 years later, ‘It’s like, really? Come on, man, speak up.’ But it took Luke, you know, like a little massaging and pushing. And in the end, come on, you got to speak up.”
WATCH: Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan reflects on what he would have done differently to prevent the duo’s downfall
Davis and Farian did not participate in the documentary. According to Variety, the film featured interviews with former Arista executives Richard Sweret, Mitchell Cohen, Ken Levy and a fourth anonymous former executive.
Per a review by The Wrap, the interviewees had differing accounts on whether the label was aware of the deception. However, Levy, a former senior vice president, claimed that Davis and others in the label knew about the sham, per the outlet.
Korem told Fox News Digital that it was important for him to make the documentary because he believes that Milli Vanilli’s story is “widely misunderstood.”
Milli Vanilli, which consisted of Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus, was formed in 1988. (Michael Putland/Getty Images)
“Also, this is a story about exploitation in the music industry, something that no other documentary has shown before like this,” he added. “And so what I really wanted to do is to tell the human story of Rob and Fab and also investigate to show the people who are truly culpable in selling this deception.”
“And also what was the harm in it? You know, I think the vitriol and hate that they faced for doing something that was basically providing entertainment is ludicrous, especially by today’s standards.”
Morvan and Pilatus both struggled with poverty and were living in a housing project when they signed with Farian. In his interview with Fox News Digital, Morvan said that they were enticed by the prospect of money and fame and admitted that they were on board with the con at the beginning.
WATCH: Milli Vanilli’s Fab Morvan claims that Clive Davis and other Arista executives knew about the duo’s deception
“We embraced the whole thing,” he said. “We were seduced. And in the end, nobody thought that it would become anything.”
Unimpressed with Morvan and Pilatus’ voices, Farian brought in singers John Davis, Charles Shaw, Brad Howell, and sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco to provide vocals for Milli Vanilli’s first single “Girl You Know It’s True.”
Morvan told Fox News Digital that he and Pilatus tried to walk away after the first single. “But trying to walk away, we got deeper into it because the success came to young guys,” he explained. “Suddenly you get this fame. We were looking for love.”
“The love we didn’t get at home, we got it by going into the industry from the fans,” Morvan added. “And like, ‘Aww, that’s amazing.’ You’re hungry? Press number four, boom. Mess up your room? Boom, it’s cleaned up.
“It’s like, ‘Wow, that’s like a dream.’ It’s like a dream slash nightmare. We don’t know about consequences when you’re young. It’s just the way it is. And then we pay, you know, you pay up later. That’s how it was.”
Producer Frank Farian brought in singers John Davis, Charles Shaw, Brad Howell, and sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco to provide vocals for Milli Vanilli’s first single “Girl You Know It’s True.” (Paramount Pictures)
After the scandal, Morvan and Pilatus formed the group Rob & Fab, but their self-titled debut album was a commercial flop. Pilatus fell into drug addiction and spent time in prison for assault, vandalism and attempted robbery.
In 1998, the duo reunited for a comeback Milli Vanilli album “Back and in Attack,” which featured their vocals. Pilatus died from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 32 on the night before the album’s release, and it was subsequently canceled.
Morvan went on to produce and record his debut solo album “Love Revolution,” which was released in 2003. In 2012, he and Dutch DJ and producer Muzikjunki formed the band Fabulous Addiction. They released three singles including “See the Light,” “Ticket to Ride” and “Time Will Tell.”
Rob Pilatus died from an accidental drug overdose at the age of 32 in 1998. (Fryderyk Gabowicz/picture alliance via Getty Images)
During his interview with Fox News Digital, Morvan reflected on what he would have done differently to prevent Milli Vanilli’s downfall.
“I would have sang,” he said. “That would have changed this whole equation. But he [Farian} never asked for that.”
“And the way the music industry works today…when an artist comes in to the machine, you get a songwriter, you get a vocal producer, you get a producer, and you work with the artist because you sense like, ‘We’re going to make that happen,'” Morvan said. “They’re going to grow on the second, on the third and fourth, they will. But none of that was the case.”
Morvan claimed that Farian “had a plan” to replicate the vocal practice that he used when he formed the disco group “Boney M,” which consisted of Bobby Farrell, Liz Mitchell, Maizie Williams and Marcia Barrett, in the late 1970s. Only Mitchell and Barrett actually sang on the group’s records, with Farian himself providing the male vocals.
WATCH: Milli Vanilli singer Fab Morvan weighs in on whether he deserved his 1990 Grammy Award
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The new documentary “Milli Vanilli” will begin streaming on Paramount+ on Oct. 24. (Paramount Pictures)
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Morvan also reflected on whether he and Pilatus actually deserved their Grammy Award.
During his interview, Fab Morvan shared his thoughts on whether the duo deserved their 1990 Grammy Award. (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)
“That’s a controversial question right there,” he said. “The requirements to win a Grammy is, ‘Did you sing on the record?’ No. So no. But for the pain and everything that I’ve gone through and what the industry did behind the curtains….because, you know, they broke the rules. They broke the rules”
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He continued, “So when you make one plus one equal, then it’s like, okay, you think about it. I’m not going to answer that. I can’t really say I deserved it. I cannot say that. But people made the equation of the addition. And think about it, that’s all.”
“But let’s see what happens in the future. You know, music is my life. Saved my life. I’m still making music — never left. And people will discover me as a brand-new artist.”