Fab Morvan
Fab Morvan at the 79th Annual Academy Awards, Children Uniting Nations/ Billboard afterparty, 2007.
Born
Fabrice Maxime Sylvain Morvan

(1966-05-14) 14 May 1966
Paris, France
Spouse
Kim Marlowe
​
(sep. 2024)​
PartnerTessa Van Der Steen
Children4
Musical career
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • songwriter
  • rapper
  • dancer
  • model
Years active1988–present
Labels
Websitefabmorvan.com

Fabrice Maxime Sylvain Morvan (born 14 May 1966) is a French singer, dancer, and model who was half of the pop duo Milli Vanilli, along with Rob Pilatus. It was later revealed that the duo 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 2023, Morvan resides in Amsterdam.[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 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.[3]

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 As a result, Milli Vanilli's Grammy was withdrawn four days later, while Arista Records dropped the act from its roster and deleted their album and its masters from their catalogue, thus making Girl You Know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, releasing their second 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. 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."[4]

They then moved to Los Angeles, where they released an eponymous album under the name Rob & Fab. Only around 2,000 copies were sold.

Rob Pilatus later served three months in jail for assault, vandalism, and attempted robbery.[5] He spent six months on drug rehabilitation before returning to Germany, later to die in a 1998 drug overdose at the age of 32.

On 26 March 2007, the Milli Vanilli Best of the Best album was released.

Solo comeback

Morvan spent several years as a session musician and public speaker. In 1998, he was hired as a radio DJ at 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 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 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 2016, Morvan appeared in a documentary-style KFC commercial that focuses on his life and music career after Milli Vanilli.[6][7]

Morvan also DJs for private Heineken functions at the Heineken Experience center in Amsterdam. As a solo musician, Morvan has worked with several DJs/producers including Don Diablo, 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.[8]

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 the film. Morvan was supposed to serve as a consultant, providing his and Pilatus's point of view.[9][10] However, the project was never completed. In 2011 German director Florian Gallenberger declared that he was reviving the project and would be rewriting the script.[11] 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,[12] but the project was eventually cancelled in 2021 after numerous Time's Up sexual harassment allegations against Ratner became public.[13]

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. The film was produced by Wiedemann & Berg Film, with Leonine as the theatrical distributor, due to be released in cinemas 2024.[14] The movie stars Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali as Pilatus and Morvan as well as Matthias Schweighöfer as Farian.[15] 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" by his Baltimore DJ crew Numarx in 1986. Associate producers are Jasmin Davis, daughter of the late John Davis, and Brad Howell. Carmen Pilatus, sister of the late Rob Pilatus, Milli Vanilli’s former assistant Todd Headlee, and Ingrid Segieth a.k.a. Milli, are also attached as associate producers.[16]

Milli Vanilli

On March 13, 2021 Variety announced a feature documentary was in the works directed by Luke Korem and produced by Korem, Bradley Jackson, Keep On Running Pictures and MRC.[17]

On his Facebook fanpage, Fab Morvan announced on 4 July 2022 the new documentary film about Milli Vanilli in the works, which he was involved in.[18]

On June 1, 2023 it was announced Paramount+ had acquired the documentary film, Milli Vanilli, directed by Luke Korem.[19] The film premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 10, 2023.[20] The documentary film received positive critical reviews including Variety calling it a "captivating and moving documentary" and that it "brings off something at once strategic, artful, and humane".[21] The Hollywood Reporter released the trailer on September 13, 2023 and announced the documentary would have a global release on October 24, 2023.[22]

Personal life

In January 2024, Morvan's wife Kim Marlowe filed for divorce in the Los Angeles Superior Court.[23][24] Details regarding the couple's marriage are unknown, though they maintained a working relationship, with Marlowe even serving as an executive producer for the 2023 Milli Vanilli documentary film.[24][23] Marlowe was described by the Los Angeles Times in September 1997 as Morvan's "best friend and manager."[25] Morvan has four children with his partner Tessa van der Steen, with whom he resides with in Amsterdam.[24]

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)[26]

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. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  2. ↑ Huey, Steve. "Milli Vanilli | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  3. ↑ Fisher, Marc (22 December 1990). "The Man Who Mixed Milli Vanilli". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  4. ↑ Elliott, Stuart (14 June 1991). "The Media Business: Advertising – Addenda; Milli Vanilli Appears Again". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ "Milli Vanilli's Pilatus sentenced". UPI.com. 15 April 1996.
  6. ↑ "Milli Vanilli singer explains how to keep it real in KFC ad". Campaign. Haymarket Media Group. 7 January 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  7. ↑ Coffee, Patrick (7 January 2016). "The Surviving Member of Milli Vanilli Tells KFC About 'Being Real'". Adweek. Shamrock Capital. Retrieved 28 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Twitter https://twitter.com/vancityreynolds/status/1587485005462343682. Retrieved 10 November 2022. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ↑ Fleming, Michael (15 February 2007). "Universal sets up Milli Vanilli film". Variety. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  10. ↑ 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.
  11. ↑ Kim, Brandon (16 February 2011). "'Milli Vanilli' Movie Gets Rewrite and New Director". IFC.com. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016.
  12. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (20 February 2021). "Brett Ratner Lines Up Directing Comeback On Milli Vanilli Biopic With Millennium Launching Sales". Deadline. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
  13. ↑ Gardner, Chris (25 February 2021). "Brett Ratner's Milli Vanilli Biopic Dropped". Billboard. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  14. ↑ Kroll, Justin (31 August 2022). "Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True' First-Look Photos Revealed By Leonine Studios". Deadline. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  15. ↑ "Milli Vanilli is the subject of an upcoming biopic — see the 1st pics". TODAY.com. September 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  16. ↑ Roxborough, Scott (1 September 2022). "Milli Vanilli Biopic Players Revealed in 'Girl You Know It's True' First Look". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 September 2022.
  17. ↑ 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. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  18. ↑ "Fab Morvan". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 9 November 2022.
  19. ↑ White, Peter (1 June 2023). "Paramount+ Snaps Up Milli Vanilli Feature Doc". Deadline. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  20. ↑ Horton, Adrian (15 June 2023). "'People thought they knew the story': the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli". the Guardian.
  21. ↑ 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. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  22. ↑ Hibberd, James (13 September 2023). "'Milli Vanilli' Trailer Tells Untold Story of Music's Most Infamous Con". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
  23. 1 2 "Fab Morvan's Wife Files For Divorce ... Not That We Knew He Was Married". TMZ. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
  24. 1 2 3 Irvin, Jack; DeSantis, Rachel (10 January 2024). "Milli Vanilli Member Fabrice Morvan's Wife Kim Marlowe Files for Divorce". People. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  25. ↑ Rivera, Carla (25 September 1997). "Finding His Own Voice--After Milli Vanilli". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  26. ↑ "Sony Music presents NightAir". Electronic Music Magazine Belgium. 15 July 2014. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
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