Milli Vanilli's Fab Morvan Reflects on Grammy Nomination and Lip-Syncing Scandal
In a remarkable turn of events, Fabrice "Fab" Morvan, one half of the infamous pop duo Milli Vanilli, finds himself back in Grammy contention three decades after the pair's award was rescinded. His audiobook, You Know It's True: The Real Story of Milli Vanilli, has been nominated for best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording at the 2026 Grammy awards.
The Ghost of Grammys Past
Milli Vanilli's original Grammy win in 1990 for best new artist was famously revoked after producer Frank Farian revealed the duo hadn't sung on their records. The scandal became one of pop music's most notorious episodes, leading to intense public humiliation, cancelled contracts, and class action lawsuits under US fraud protection laws.
"It was an awful experience," recalls Morvan, now 59 and speaking from his Amsterdam home. "People hated us. When we gave our press conference after Frank had told the world our secret, it felt like we were met by a media lynch mob."
From Penthouse to Pariah
At their peak between 1988 and 1990, Milli Vanilli achieved phenomenal success with three US number one singles and more than 37 million records sold in 1989 alone. They were positioned alongside Michael Jackson, George Michael, and Madonna as pop's biggest stars.
Yet behind the scenes, Morvan and his partner Rob Pilatus were living what Morvan describes as "a combination of things - a dream and a nightmare." The duo had rocketed from poverty in Munich, where they sometimes shoplifted food, to Beverly Hills luxury complete with Ferraris.
The Uncomfortable Truth
Morvan's memoir reveals how he and Pilatus signed a contract with Farian without fully understanding its terms due to language barriers. "I've never received a cent from those millions of records and CDs and tapes that Milli Vanilli sold," Morvan reveals. "And today our streaming numbers are huge, but the contract ensures we get nothing."
The situation became increasingly untenable as rumours circulated about their vocal abilities, culminating in a disastrous 1989 MTV broadcast where their backing tape malfunctioned during a live performance.
A Tragic Aftermath
After the scandal broke, Pilatus never recovered from the public shaming, descending into addiction and dying of an overdose in 1998 at age 33. "I believe he died of a broken heart," says Morvan. "He had been abandoned as a baby and he now felt abandoned as an adult."
Morvan took a different path, pursuing a solo career as a singer-songwriter while teaching French to make ends meet. He eventually relocated to Europe, met his Dutch partner Tessa, and started a family.
Cultural Reappraisal and Personal Redemption
Recent years have seen a significant reappraisal of Milli Vanilli's legacy. Luke Korem's 2023 documentary Milli Vanilli and the German biopic Girl You Know It's True have prompted new questions about whether two young Black performers, exploited by white record executives, deserved such extreme public humiliation.
"For the book I went all out because the truth will set you free," says Morvan. "People get sick from stress, from holding things inside - I know this from experience. My partner Tessa told me, 'You have to tell the whole truth,' but I'd been holding back because I didn't want to throw Rob under the bus."
Looking Forward
Today, Morvan owns the rights to the Milli Vanilli name and performs to thousands of fans with a live band, singing the songs himself without backing tapes. His memoir serves as both personal catharsis and industry warning.
"In French we say 'avec le temps' [with time]," Morvan reflects. "People now realise how we went so high then dropped so low. I'm a lucky guy - I love my partner and four children and I love what I do. I'm not bitter. I feel blessed."
Whether or not Morvan wins his Grammy nomination this week, his journey represents one of pop music's most remarkable stories of redemption - the marionette who finally became his own man.
