The Rise and Fall of Milli Vanilli- One of the Biggest Groups on the Planet!

Updated On March 18, 2024 | Published By: Natalie | In Career , controversy

Milli Vanilli was one of the top music groups of 80s and 90s. source: Variety

Milli Vanilli was one of the most successful groups in the late 80s and 90s.
But the group soon lost success because of a controversial incident while they were performing on stage.
They were a German R&B duo from Munich.

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Find out about Milli Vanilli, the forgotten music group

The 1980s and 1990s saw the rise of one of the biggest groups on the planet, Milli Vanilli. But their stardom went quickly as it arrived because it became public that they were not singing on their hits.

After a couple of years of name and fame, the duo was stripped from the success they had received in such a short time.

Frank Farian founded the group in 1988 with the singers Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus.

Their debut album All or Nothing in Europe and later Girl You Know It’s True in the US was a big hit around the world. Their success was so intense that it earned them a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1990.

Milli Vanilli — The duo won a Grammy for Best New Artist. source: Variety

Some of their chart-topping hits include Baby Don’t Forget My Number, Blame it on the Rain, and Girl I’m Gonna Miss You.

Farian who signed the duo said that they did not have enough potential. The duo toured Europe lip-syncing to the re-recorded tracks.

Because of their increasing success, they went along with it.

MTV executives first doubted something fishy when they came for their first English interview.

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The incident that led to the downfall of the band

The group was publicly humiliated when during a 1989 live performance on MTV, the recording of their song jammed and skipped.

One of the singers, Pilatus said:

“I knew right then and there, it was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli. When my voice got stuck in the computer, and it just kept repeating and repeating, I panicked. I didn’t know what to do. I just ran off the stage.”

After causing quite a stir on stage, Farian announced in 1990 that he fired the group and confessed that they did not sing on the records. Pilatus also confirmed the news in an article with the LA Times.

He also said:

“The last two years of our lives have been a total nightmare. We’ve had to lie to everybody. We are true singers, but that maniac Frank Farian would never allow us to express ourselves.”

The duo’s 1990 Grammy for Best New Artist was also revoked following the controversy.

Morvan and Pilatus moved to America and signed a deal with Joss Entertainment Group. They recorded their second album named Rob & Fab which was released in 1993. But due to lack of publicity and poor distribution, the album was a flop.

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