Milli Vanilli#Lip-syncing exposure and media backlash, 1989–1991

File:Frank Farian.jpeg |url=https://www.dw.com/en/frank-farian/t-19407609 |url-status=dead |date=27 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120064645/https://www.dw.com/en/frank-farian/t-19407609 |archive-date=20 January 2022}}]]

Rob Pilatus, from Munich, met Fab Morvan, from Paris, in Los Angeles at a disco and reconnected again in Munich.{{cite web | last=Hunt | first=Dennis | title=Milli Vanilli's Pilatus Was an Outsider, Once | website=Los Angeles Times | date=23 July 1989 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-23-ca-445-story.html | access-date=5 July 2019 | archive-date=5 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705203237/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-23-ca-445-story.html | url-status=live }} They bonded over their experiences growing up in European cities;{{cite web | last=Warner | first=Andrea | title=Girl You Know It's True: the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli 25 years later | website=CBC Music | date=23 January 2018 | url=http://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/12196/the-rise-and-fall-of-milli-vanilli | access-date=5 July 2019 | archive-date=5 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705203249/https://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/12196/the-rise-and-fall-of-milli-vanilli | url-status=live }} Pilatus said, "Maybe it's because we're both black people who grew up in foreign cities that don't have too many blacks." In Munich, they attempted to find work as backing singers, then formed their own act and recorded an album for a small German label that sold a few thousand records.{{cite web |last1=Philips |first1=Chuck |author1-link=Chuck Philips | title='We Sold Our Souls to the Devil' : In a Wide-Ranging Interview, the Duo Tell the Whole Story About What It Was Like to Live a Lie | website=Los Angeles Times | date=21 November 1990 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4670-story.html | access-date=5 July 2019 | archive-date=5 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705203237/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4670-story.html | url-status=live }} According to Pilatus, they struggled financially and lived in a housing project.{{cite news |date=21 November 1990 |title=VANILLI THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/11/21/vanilli-the-proof-is-in-the-pudding/501a00d7-827e-4eec-9970-0fbbd5d9cf6c/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705203242/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/11/21/vanilli-the-proof-is-in-the-pudding/501a00d7-827e-4eec-9970-0fbbd5d9cf6c/ |archive-date=5 July 2019 |access-date=5 July 2019 |newspaper=The Washington Post}}

The German music producer Frank Farian, who had previously created the disco group Boney M., invited Pilatus and Morvan to his Frankfurt studio to listen to a demo, "Girl You Know It's True". They told him they could sing it. According to Pilatus, Farian said that he would make them multi-millionaires. On January 1, 1988, the two signed a contract with Farian to record 10 songs a year. The duo signed without understanding the terms and conditions. The duo's singing in the recording studio did not impress Farian.{{cite news | title=THE PRODUCER'S 'ART'FRANK FARIAN AND HIS FAMOUS FAKE | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=17 November 1990 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/11/17/the-producers-artfrank-farian-and-his-famous-fake/a3721ab4-5ef4-4ee3-b95d-873bc7e51738/ | access-date=5 July 2019 | archive-date=6 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706042224/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1990/11/17/the-producers-artfrank-farian-and-his-famous-fake/a3721ab4-5ef4-4ee3-b95d-873bc7e51738/ | url-status=live }} The final mix of "Girl You Know It's True" was finished by studio performers—including Charles Shaw, John Davis, Brad Howell, and twin sisters Jodie and Linda Rocco{{cite book | last=Bronson | first=F. | title=The Billboard Book of Number One Hits | publisher=Billboard Books | year=2003 | isbn=978-0-8230-7677-2 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&pg=PP753 | access-date=5 July 2019 | page=753 | archive-date=1 February 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201073535/https://books.google.com/books?id=PgGqNrqfrsoC&pg=PP753 | url-status=live }}—in March and April.

Farian gave his new project the name "Milli Vanilli", with "Milli" taken from the nickname of his then-girlfriend Ingrid Segieth, and "Vanilli" added to sound like the British band Scritti Politti.{{cite web |url=https://traxploitation.com/milli-vanilli |title=Mime & Punishment? The rise and fall of Milli Vanilli |first=Wayne |last=Bennett |website=Traxploitation |date=21 July 2019 |access-date=2 May 2021 |archive-date=2 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502115725/https://traxploitation.com/milli-vanilli |url-status=live }} By May, Pilatus and Morvan were touring Spain, France and Italy, lip-syncing to the pre-recorded tracks and thrilling crowds with their distinct style — spandex shorts, thigh-high boots and cornrow hair extensions.{{cite web | title=Milli Vanilli's Two Heads Hope Their Grammy Award Puts An End to Silli Vanilli Jokes | website=People | url=https://people.com/archive/milli-vanillis-two-heads-hope-their-grammy-award-puts-an-end-to-silli-vanilli-jokes-vol-33-no-10/ | access-date=5 July 2019 | archive-date=5 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190705203240/https://people.com/archive/milli-vanillis-two-heads-hope-their-grammy-award-puts-an-end-to-silli-vanilli-jokes-vol-33-no-10/ | url-status=live }} According to Pilatus, "We would ask Frank, 'When are we going to be allowed to give some (artistic) input?'. And he would say, 'Yeah, yeah, but right now we need you to go out and do promotion. Of course, you'll get to do it, just work with us'. That's how he strung us along."

"Girl You Know It's True" peaked at No. 1 on the German Singles Chart and No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also a big success in the United States, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending 1 April 1989.{{Cite web

| url = http://www.billboard.com/charts/1989-04-01/hot-100

| title = Billboard Hot 100 Archives

| work = billboard.com

| access-date = 25 June 2011

}} After "Girl You Know It's True" took off in Germany in the summer of 1988, Farian produced and wrote most of the material on the album All or Nothing, which was released in Europe in November 1988. "After Frank released the album, he told us that it was too late to stop now", Pilatus said. "Because the single was such a big success, he said, 'Now you have to go through with it. I'll cover you guys. Nobody will find out'. He said, 'Here, I'll give you $20,000 advance money'. We never had a hit before, so we went along with it. We played with fire and now we know, but it's too late." By December 1988, Pilatus and Morvan had both realized that neither of their actual voices would ever be heard on any Milli Vanilli tracks.

All or Nothing was a moderate success, reaching the Top 40 in several European countries and No. 1 in New Zealand. It originally reached No. 37 in the UK Albums Chart but was packaged together with The U.S.-Remix Album: All or Nothing in 1989 under the name 2×2 and reached No. 6. All or Nothing was subsequently expanded and repackaged as Girl You Know It's True for audiences in the United States and released in March 1989. It was a major success, producing five singles, including the title track of the American version, that all entered the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100. Three of these five singles, "Baby Don't Forget My Number", "Blame It on the Rain", and "Girl I'm Gonna Miss You", went to No. 1.{{cite magazine | title=Rewinding the Charts: 25 Years Ago, Milli Vanilli Made History on the Hot 100 | magazine=Billboard | url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6327680/rewinding-the-charts-25-years-ago-milli-vanilli-made-history-on | access-date=6 July 2019 | archive-date=6 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706032744/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/chart-beat/6327680/rewinding-the-charts-25-years-ago-milli-vanilli-made-history-on | url-status=live }} In January 1990, the album Girl You Know It's True was certified 6× platinum by the RIAA after spending seven weeks atop the Billboard Top 200.{{cite news|title=Billboard magazine January 13 1990|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-01-13.pdf|newspaper=Billboard|date=13 January 1990|access-date=6 July 2019|archive-date=1 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201073627/https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1990/BB-1990-01-13.pdf|url-status=live}} It spent 41 weeks in the Top 10 of the Billboard Top 200 and 78 weeks on the charts overall. It was also certified Diamond in Canada, denoting sales of over a million units there. Milli Vanilli won the Best New Artist award at the 32nd Grammy Awards, as well as three awards at the 17th American Music Awards.{{cite web |url=http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1990/amas.htm |title=17th American Music Awards |website=Rock on the Net |access-date=2 May 2021 |archive-date=30 June 2012 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120630111817/http://www.rockonthenet.com/archive/1990/amas.htm |url-status=live }} However, the duo was not without their detractors, as Rolling Stone Magazine named them "worst act of 1989" and Girl You Know It's True "worst album of 1989".

When the duo came in for their first interview with MTV, executive Beth McCarthy-Miller stated that the duo's English language skills stirred doubts among those present as to whether they had sung on their records.{{cite book|last=Marks|first=Craig|title=I Want My MTV: The Uncensored Story of the Music Video Revolution|year=2011|publisher=Dutton|location=New York, NY|isbn=9780525952305|pages=[https://archive.org/details/iwantmymtvuncens00mark/page/362 362–363]|author2=Tannenbaum, Rob|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/iwantmymtvuncens00mark/page/362}} In July 1989, MTV launched a Club MTV Tour featuring Was (Not Was), Information Society, Paula Abdul, Tone Loc and Milli Vanilli, with Downtown Julie Brown and the Club MTV dancers.{{cite web |title=Club MTV Live Tour |url=https://www.paula-abdul.com/club-mtv-live-tour-paula-abdul.html |website=Paula-Abdul.com |access-date=1 November 2023}}{{cite web |title=Milli Vanilli |url=https://www.concertarchives.org/bands/milli-vanilli?page=2 |website=Concert & Tour History - Concert Archives |access-date=1 November 2023}}{{cite news |last1=Grein |first1=Paul |title='Club MTV' Hits the Road and It's Live |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1989-07-02-ca-4871-story.html |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=Los Angeles Times |date=2 July 1989}}{{cite web |title='Club MTV Live Tour' Promo |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3VOhNxlIA4 |website=youtube |access-date=1 November 2023 |language=en |date=1989 |quote=Club MTV Live Tour! Milli Vanilli, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, Tone Loc, Information Society, Paula Abdul and Was (Not Was) head out on the road with Downtown Julie Brown & the Club MTV dancers.}}{{cite web |author1=Spectrum (arena) |title=Concerts (as of 2008-09-22) |url=https://media.philly.com/documents/spectrum092208.htm |website=philly.com |publisher=The Philadelphia Inquirer |access-date=1 November 2023}}

The first public sign that the group was lip-syncing came on July 21, 1989, during a live performance on MTV at the Lake Compounce theme park in Bristol, Connecticut. As they performed, a malfunctioning hard drive caused the recording of the song "Girl You Know It's True" to jam and skip, repeatedly playing the partial line "Girl, you know it's..." through the speakers.{{cite news |last1=DaRosa |first1=Andrew |title=Did you know Milli Vanilli's lip-sync controversy happened at CT's Lake Compounce? |url=https://www.ctinsider.com/entertainment/article/Milli-Vanilli-lip-sync-lake-compounce-ct-17477996.php |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=CT Insider |date=30 September 2022}} "I knew right then and there, it was the beginning of the end for Milli Vanilli", recalled Pilatus of the incident. "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." Downtown Julie Brown ran after Pilatus and convinced him to finish the set. "With a bit of pushing and screaming, and a couple of F-words I think as well, I got them back out there", Brown explained on VH1's Behind the Music. Despite the mishap, the concert audience seemed neither to care, nor even to notice, and the concert continued as if nothing unusual had happened.{{cite episode |title=Milli Vanilli |series=Behind the Music |network=VH1 |date=7 August 1997}}

In a March 1990 issue of Time magazine, Pilatus was quoted proclaiming himself to be "the new Elvis", reasoning that by the duo's success they were more talented musically than Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney and Mick Jagger.{{Cite news | last = Cocks | first = Jay | title = Two Scoops Of Vanilli | newspaper = Time | date = 5 March 1990 }} This was denied by Morvan in 2017, saying that Pilatus had never used those words and that the quote was taken out of context, likely due to Pilatus still not having a full grasp of the English language.Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/ua8UfLJ9Hik Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170419173435/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua8UfLJ9Hik&gl=US&hl=en Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua8UfLJ9Hik|title=Fab on CD Skipping During Milli Vanilli Performance, Lip Syncing Rumors|last=djvlad|date=19 April 2017|access-date=12 October 2018|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}

Unlike the international release of 'All or Nothing,' the inserts for the American version of the album explicitly credited the vocals to Morvan and Pilatus. This prompted singer Charles Shaw to reveal in December 1989 that he was one of the three actual vocalists on the album and that Pilatus and Morvan were impostors. Farian reportedly paid Shaw $150,000 to retract his statements, though this did not stem the tide of public criticism.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1990/11/30/down-milli-vanilli/|title=Artificial Vanilli|last=Goodman|first=Fred|author2=Trakin, Roy|date=30 November 1990|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|access-date=25 July 2008|archive-date=6 May 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080506074027/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318744,00.html|url-status=live}} On the 21 April 1990 episode of In Living Color, Keenen Ivory Wayans and Damon Wayans parodied Milli Vanilli in a sketch, mocking the duo's accents, fashion sense, and dance moves.{{cite web |url=https://screenrant.com/in-living-color-skits-not-aged-well-relevant-today/ |title=In Living Color: 5 Skits That Haven't Aged Well (& 5 That Are Still Relevant Today) |first=Sylvie |last=Soulet |website=Screen Rant |date=26 January 2020 |access-date=29 April 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429093618/https://screenrant.com/in-living-color-skits-not-aged-well-relevant-today/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4672-story.html |title=Read Their Lips: More Scoops of Vanilli |first=Steve |last=Hochman |newspaper=Los Angeles Times |date=21 November 1990 |access-date=29 April 2021 |archive-date=29 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210429093619/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-21-ca-4672-story.html |url-status=live }} This led to further jokes on the duo, such as David Letterman's Top 10 list on Late Night with David Letterman describing 10 jobs they could do other than music.

Because of growing public questions about who sang in the group, as well as Morvan's and Pilatus's demands to Farian that they be allowed to sing on the next album, on 14 November 1990, Farian announced that he had fired them and confessed that they did not sing on the records.{{cite news | title=POP DUO MILLI VANILLI DIDN'T SING HIT ALBUM | newspaper=The Washington Post | date=16 November 1990 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/16/pop-duo-milli-vanilli-didnt-sing-hit-album/aee6720b-3459-40cd-8b52-1f1e387d337e/ | access-date=6 July 2019 | archive-date=6 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706045030/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/11/16/pop-duo-milli-vanilli-didnt-sing-hit-album/aee6720b-3459-40cd-8b52-1f1e387d337e/ | url-status=live }} Confronted by Los Angeles Times reporter Chuck Philips, Pilatus confirmed the deception. "It's True: Milli Vanilli Didn't Sing", read the newspaper's headline on 16 November 1990. "I feel like a mosquito being squeezed", Pilatus 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."

Arista Records dropped the act from its roster and deleted Girl You Know It's True from their catalog, making it one of the largest-selling albums ever to be deleted.{{cite web | title=The Milli Vanilli scandal, 30 years later: 'We felt like we were abandoned by everyone' | website=Yahoo Entertainment | date=2019-03-06 | url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/milli-vanilli-scandal-30-years-later-felt-like-abandoned-everyone-005012843.html | access-date=2024-10-21}} On 19 November 1990, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences formally revoked the group's Grammy Award for Best New Artist,{{cite news|last=Philips|first=Chuck|title=Milli Vanilli's Grammy Rescinded by Academy : Music: Organization revokes an award for the first time after revelation that the duo never sang on album|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-11-20-mn-4948-story.html|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=20 November 1990}} marking the only time a Grammy was ever rescinded from an artist. The next day, Pilatus and Morvan gave a press conference in front of more than 100 journalists in Los Angeles, where they stated their willingness to return their Grammy Award. The duo said they had "made a deal with the devil", and they sang and rapped for the room to prove that, although they had not sung on their records, they could, in fact, sing.

After these details emerged, lawsuits were filed under various U.S. consumer fraud protection laws against Arista Records, Pilatus and Morvan.{{cite web |url=http://www.dworken-bernstein.com/articles/suit-seeks-refunds/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201105024135/http://www.dworken-bernstein.com/articles/suit-seeks-refunds/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 November 2020 |title=Suit seeks refunds|publisher=Dworken & Bernstein (law firm)}} {{cite news |agency=Associated Press |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6DA1239F930A2575BC0A967958260 |title=Judge Rejects Milli Vanilli Refund Plan |newspaper=The New York Times |date=13 August 1991 |access-date=22 September 2016 |archive-date=2 February 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202093257/http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6DA1239F930A2575BC0A967958260 |url-status=live }} One such filing occurred on 22 November 1990, in Ohio, where lawyers filed a class-action lawsuit asking for refunds on behalf of a local woman in Cuyahoga County who had bought Girl You Know It's True. When the suit was filed, it was estimated that at least 1,000 Ohio residents had bought the album. On 12 August 1991, a proposed settlement of a refund lawsuit in Chicago, Illinois, was rejected. This settlement would have refunded buyers of Milli Vanilli CDs, cassettes, records, and singles. However, the refunds would only be given as credits for future Arista releases. On 28 August, a new settlement was approved; it refunded those who attended concerts as well as those who bought Milli Vanilli recordings.{{cite news |agency=Reuters |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CE6D7173BF932A0575BC0A967958260 |title=Small Victory for Milli Vanilli Fans |newspaper=The New York Times |date=31 August 1991 |access-date=22 September 2016 |archive-date=1 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201073550/https://www.nytimes.com/1991/08/31/arts/small-victory-for-milli-vanilli-fans.html |url-status=live }} An estimated 10 million buyers were eligible to claim a refund, and they could keep the refunded recordings. The refund deadline passed on 8 March 1992.{{cite magazine|title=Judge Sets Deadline For Milli Vanilli Records|magazine=Jet|date=30 September 1991|page=32|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DbwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|access-date=22 September 2016|language=en|archive-date=21 June 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621174330/http://books.google.com/books?id=DbwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32|url-status=live}}

Adding to the controversy, in December 1990, singer-songwriter David Clayton-Thomas sued Milli Vanilli for copyright infringement, alleging that the title song of All or Nothing used the melody from his 1968 composition "Spinning Wheel", a hit for his group Blood, Sweat & Tears.{{cite news |last1=Maull |first1=Samuel |title=Songwriter-Singer Sues Milli Vanilli for Alleged Copyright Infringement |url=https://apnews.com/5a18fb93bc583e2dd8eeee5c6c1a3228 |work=AP News |date=7 December 1990 |access-date=21 December 2018 |archive-date=21 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221182755/https://apnews.com/5a18fb93bc583e2dd8eeee5c6c1a3228 |url-status=live }} In an interview from the 2023 documentary film Milli Vanilli, the duo justify their work with Farian to escape poverty. The film, without describing them as innocent, points out that a great many people knew about the deception, but the singers became the scapegoats; the popular narrative was incomplete and misdirected at the two public faces of a much larger operation. In an interview about the film, Morvan said: "People thought they knew the story, but they didn't."{{cite web | last=Horton | first=Adrian | title='People thought they knew the story': the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli | website=the Guardian | date=15 June 2023 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/jun/15/milli-vanilli-documentary-tribeca-film-festival}}

{{Main|The Real Milli Vanilli}}

Subsequent to the revelation exposing the non-authentic vocal contributions of Morvan and Pilatus to the Milli Vanilli project, Frank Farian undertook a reconfiguration of the originally planned album for the initial duo. The album The Moment of Truth was released in early-1991, and spawned three singles, "Keep on Running", "Nice 'n Easy", and "Too Late (True Love)". The album was released only in Brazil, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand, and reached the Top 20 in Germany; "Keep on Running" reached No. 4 on the German charts.{{Cite web|url=http://ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de/~topsi/deu_90s1sthalf.html|title=German Top 10 – Top 200 of the Years 1990 – 1994 |access-date=4 January 2022}} One of four Diane Warren-penned songs that are included on The Moment of Truth, "When I Die", has been covered by several other artists, including Farian's No Mercy. For the American market, Farian chose to avoid any association with Milli Vanilli and had the tracks re-recorded with Ray Horton on the majority of lead vocals. However, The Moment of Truth was never released in that format in America.*{{cite web|url=http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/norm-clarke/milli-vanilli-voice-steps-limelight|title=Las Vegas Review-Journal|website=Las Vegas Review-Journal|access-date=12 October 2018|archive-date=13 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170313040646/http://www.reviewjournal.com/columns-blogs/norm-clarke/milli-vanilli-voice-steps-limelight|url-status=live}}

• {{cite web|url=http://www.crapfromthepast.com/millivanilli/firstlp.htm|title=Milli Vanilli: The First Album|first=Ron Boogiemonster|last=Gerber|website=www.crapfromthepast.com|access-date=12 October 2018|archive-date=2 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202033646/http://www.crapfromthepast.com/millivanilli/firstlp.htm|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.crapfromthepast.com/millivanilli/secondlp.htm|title=The second album: The Real Milli Vanilli|first=Ron Boogiemonster|last=Gerber|website=www.crapfromthepast.com|access-date=12 October 2018|archive-date=12 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012231322/http://www.crapfromthepast.com/millivanilli/secondlp.htm|url-status=live}}
• {{cite web|url=http://www.therealmillivanilli.com|title=TheRealMilliVanilli|website=TheRealMilliVanilli|access-date=12 October 2018|archive-date=12 October 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181012134954/https://www.therealmillivanilli.com/|url-status=live}}

In 1992, RCA signed on to release the album as the debut of the newly created group Try 'N' B. Seven of the songs from The Moment of Truth were reworked and released as an eponymous album, with the addition of Tracy Ganser and Kevin Weatherspoon on vocals.{{Cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/artist/285897-Try-N-B|title=Try 'N' B|website=Discogs |access-date=4 January 2022}} The album contained three additional songs: "Ding Dong", "Who Do You Love", and a cover version of Dr. Hook's "Sexy Eyes".

{{Main|Rob & Fab}}

In 1991, Pilatus and Morvan appeared in a commercial for Carefree Sugarless Gum that parodied the lip-syncing scandal. They also portrayed animated versions of themselves in an episode of The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and even signed with a PR firm in hopes of breaking into acting.{{cite web |last1=Davis |first1=Ashley |date=July 16, 2009 |title=From the Console to the TV Station: Part 2 |url=https://www.destructoid.com/stories/from-the-console-to-the-tv-station-part-2-138099.phtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210314233826/https://www.destructoid.com/stories/from-the-console-to-the-tv-station-part-2-138099.phtml |archive-date=March 14, 2021 |website=Destructoid}}{{cite web |last1=Isaac |first1=Dejen |date=August 8, 2014 |title=The Most Ridiculous Plots From 'The Super Mario Bros. 3' Cartoon, Including That Time They Solved Racism |url=https://uproxx.com/tv/the-most-ridiculous-plots-from-the-super-mario-bros-3-cartoon-including-that-time-they-solved-racism/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201111171356/https://uproxx.com/tv/the-most-ridiculous-plots-from-the-super-mario-bros-3-cartoon-including-that-time-they-solved-racism/ |archive-date=November 11, 2020 |website=Uproxx |publisher=Warner Music Group}} As Pilatus told the L.A. Times, "We think we have the potential to become actors. After all, we got a lot of practice while we were in Milli Vanilli. But the most important thing to us now is the new album."{{Cite news |title=Girl You Know It's True: the rise and fall of Milli Vanilli 25 years later |work=CBC Music |url=https://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/12196/the-rise-and-fall-of-milli-vanilli |url-status=live |access-date=21 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121161701/https://www.cbcmusic.ca/posts/12196/the-rise-and-fall-of-milli-vanilli |archive-date=21 November 2018}} Morvan and Pilatus moved to Los Angeles and signed with the Joss Entertainment Group; Sandy Gallin was their manager.[http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/sandy-gallin-dead-1.4081453 Hollywood agent and producer Sandy Gallin dead at 76] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527191934/http://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/sandy-gallin-dead-1.4081453 |date=27 May 2017 }} The Associated Press, 22 April 2017

They recorded the album Rob & Fab, which was financed by Taj Records in 1992 and released by Joss Entertainment in 1993. Almost all the album's songs were written by Kenny Taylor and Fab Morvan, while Morvan and Pilatus provided the lead vocals. Werner Schüler, a German bassist and songwriter, was the producer.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6693994/ Milli Vanilli: Fr to Shame] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308065102/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6693994/ |date=8 March 2021 }} IMDb, 60min documentary, 23 July 2016 Due to financial constraints, Joss Entertainment Group was able to release the album only in the United States, the priority market to Milli Vanilli. A single, "We Can Get It On", was made available for radio play shortly before the album's release. However, the lack of publicity, poor distribution, and their steep fall from the height of pop-culture visibility after the lip-syncing scandal contributed to its failure. It sold only around 2,000 copies.{{cite web | last=Pilkington | first=Ed | title=Hollywood to immortalise pop frauds | website=The Guardian | date=16 February 2007 | url=http://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/16/musicnews.film | access-date=6 July 2019 | archive-date=6 July 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190706044823/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2007/feb/16/musicnews.film | url-status=live }}

To restore their careers, Farian agreed to produce a new Milli Vanilli album with Morvan and Pilatus on lead vocals in 1997, leading to the recording of the 1998 Milli Vanilli comeback album Back and in Attack. Some of the original studio singers even backed the duo in their attempt to recover some of the fame that had been lost so quickly. However, Pilatus encountered a number of personal problems during the album's production. He turned to drugs and crime, committing a series of assaults and robberies,{{cite magazine|title=Ex-Member Of Milli Vanilli Arrested For Terrorist Threat|magazine=Jet|date=19 February 1996|page=16|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FzgDAAAAMBAJ&q=rob+pilatus+jail&pg=PA18|access-date=22 September 2016|language=en|archive-date=1 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201073625/https://books.google.com/books?id=FzgDAAAAMBAJ&q=rob+pilatus+jail&pg=PA18|url-status=live}} and was sentenced to three months in jail and six months in a drug rehabilitation facility in California.{{cite news |author=Pierre Perrone |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-rob-pilatus-1155008.html |title=Obituary: Rob Pilatus |work=The Independent |date=6 April 1998 |access-date=22 September 2016 |archive-date=2 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002175444/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/obituary-rob-pilatus-1155008.html |url-status=live }} On the eve of the new album's promotional tour on 3 April 1998, Pilatus was found dead of a suspected alcohol and prescription drug overdose in a hotel room in Frankfurt, Germany.{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1998/04/17/mourning-rob-pilatus/|title=The Sad Truth|first=Chris |last=Willman|magazine=Entertainment Weekly|page=2|access-date=25 July 2008|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080918074615/https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,282696_2,00.html|archive-date=18 September 2008}}{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1624199/20091019/tlc.jhtml|title=TLC Ready To 'Change People's Lives' With New Music|last=Vena|first=Jocelyn|author2=Elias, Matt|date=9 October 2009|publisher=MTV|access-date=14 November 2009|archive-date=22 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091022140112/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1624199/20091019/tlc.jhtml|url-status=dead}} His death was ruled to have been accidental.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/milli-vanillis-rob-pilatus-dead-at-33-2-243519/|title=Milli Vanilli's Pilatus Dead At 33 |date=7 April 1998 |magazine=Rolling Stone|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080206120721/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/millivanilli/articles/story/5927796/milli_vanillis_pilatus_dead_at_33 |archive-date=6 February 2008 }}

Morvan spent the following years as a session musician and public speaker while working on writing and performing his new music. In 1998, he was a DJ at radio station KIIS-FM. During this period, he also performed at the station's sold-out 1999 Wango Tango festival concert before 50,000 people at Dodger Stadium. He then spent 2001 on tour before performing in 2002 as the inaugural performer at the brand-new Velvet Lounge at the Hard Rock Hotel in Orlando, Florida. In 2003, Morvan released his first solo album, Love Revolution.{{Citation|title=Love Revolution – Fabrice Morvan {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits {{!}} AllMusic|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-revolution-mw0001523204|language=en-us|access-date=25 July 2020|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725052844/https://www.allmusic.com/album/love-revolution-mw0001523204|url-status=live}}

In April 2011, Morvan released the single "Anytime" on iTunes.{{cite web |url= https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/anytime/id430872374?i=430872419 |title= Anytime on iTunes |publisher= iTunes Store |access-date= 13 March 2016 |archive-date= 12 November 2012 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20121112112418/https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/anytime/id430872374?i=430872419 |url-status= dead }} In 2015 TMZ reported that Morvan was working on an album with John Davis, one of the original Milli Vanilli singers, called Face Meets Voice.{{cite web |date=May 2015 |title=Milli Vanilli man attempts comeback – with the man who actually sang the songs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/01/milli-vanilli-fab-morvan-comeback-man-who-actually-sang |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623175653/http://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/01/milli-vanilli-fab-morvan-comeback-man-who-actually-sang |archive-date=23 June 2015 |access-date=2 May 2015 |website=The Guardian}} In 2016, he appeared in a documentary-style KFC commercial that focuses on his life and music career after Milli Vanilli.{{cite web |date=7 January 2016 |title=Milli Vanilli singer explains how to keep it real in KFC ad |url=https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/milli-vanilli-singer-explains-keep-real-kfc-ad/1378629 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210428115334/https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/milli-vanilli-singer-explains-keep-real-kfc-ad/1378629 |archive-date=28 April 2021 |access-date=3 May 2021 |website=Campaign}}{{cite web |last=Coffee |first=Patrick |date=7 January 2016 |title=The Surviving Member of Milli Vanilli Tells KFC About 'Being Real' |url=https://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/the-surviving-member-of-milli-vanilli-tells-kfc-about-being-real/100086/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210430065017/https://www.adweek.com/agencyspy/the-surviving-member-of-milli-vanilli-tells-kfc-about-being-real/100086/ |archive-date=30 April 2021 |access-date=3 May 2021 |website=Adweek |publisher=Shamrock Capital}} Davis died on 24 May 2021 from complications of a COVID-19 infection.{{cite web |title="Milli Vanilli"-Sänger John Davis gestorben (German) |url=https://www.mdr.de/meine-schlagerwelt/milli-vanilli-saenger-john-davis-gestorben-100.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525111449/https://www.mdr.de/meine-schlagerwelt/milli-vanilli-saenger-john-davis-gestorben-100.html |archive-date=25 May 2021 |access-date=25 May 2021 |website=MDR}}

In January 2014, the actual Milli Vanilli singers—Jodie Rocco, Linda Rocco, John Davis and Brad Howell—filmed an in-depth interview with the producers of Oprah: Where Are They Now for OWN TV.{{cite web |title=Why Some of the "Real" Voices Behind Milli Vanilli Kept Quiet |url=http://www.oprah.com/own-where-are-they-now/why-some-of-the-real-voices-behind-milli-vanilli-kept-quiet-video |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124055109/http://www.oprah.com/own-where-are-they-now/why-some-of-the-real-voices-behind-milli-vanilli-kept-quiet-video |archive-date=24 November 2018 |access-date=23 November 2018 |website=OWNTV Season 3 Episode 308 Aired on 21 February 2014}} The documentary Milli Vanilli: From Fame to Shame, directed by German Oliver Schwehm and produced by Hannah Lenitzki from Bremedia Produktion, was released in 2016.Milli Vanilli: From Fame to Shame {{Cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6693994/ |title=Archived copy |website=IMDb |access-date=21 July 2018 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308065102/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6693994/ |url-status=bot: unknown }} IMDb, 1h documentary, 23 July 2016 Previous attempts to produce a film had all failed:

• 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.{{cite magazine |author=Nicole Frehsee |date=19 June 2008 |title=Girl, You Know It's True: Milli Vanilli Biopic Will Reveal the Truth (!) : Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/20/girl-you-know-its-true-milli-vanill-biopic-will-reveal-the-truth/ |url-status=dead |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080619083951/http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2007/02/20/girl-you-know-its-true-milli-vanill-biopic-will-reveal-the-truth/ |archive-date=19 June 2008 |access-date=22 September 2016}}{{cite web |last=Catsoulis |first=Jeannette |year=2012 |title=Movie Reviews – The New York Times |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/449676/Untitled-Universal-Pictures-Milli-Vanilli-Project-/details |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121103192425/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/449676/Untitled-Universal-Pictures-Milli-Vanilli-Project-/details |archive-date=3 November 2012 |access-date=22 September 2016 |work=The New York Times |department=Movies & TV Dept.}} 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.{{cite web |title=No Filter |url=http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/02/the-milli-vanilli-film.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120909111437/http://www.ifc.com/news/2011/02/the-milli-vanilli-film.php |archive-date=9 September 2012}}{{cite web |title=IFITSMOVIES – Serving you the best. |url=http://www.ifitsmovies.com/2011/02/the-milli-vanilli-film-finds-oscar-winning-director/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215004759/http://www.ifitsmovies.com/2011/02/the-milli-vanilli-film-finds-oscar-winning-director/ |archive-date=15 February 2011}}
• Director Bret Ratner attempted to make his version of a Milli Vanilli biopic, but the project was eventually canceled in 2021 after numerous Time's Up sexual harassment allegations against Ratner became public.{{Cite magazine |last=Gardner |first=Chris |date=2021-02-25 |title=Brett Ratner's Milli Vanilli Biopic Dropped |url=https://www.billboard.com/culture/tv-film/milli-vanilli-biopic-dropped-9531204/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |magazine=Billboard |language=en-US}} For this project, Morvan had sold his exclusive life rights to Ratner's production company RatPac Entertainment,{{Cite web |last=Wiseman |first=Andreas |date=2021-02-20 |title=Brett Ratner Lines Up Directing Comeback On Milli Vanilli Biopic With Millennium Launching Sales |url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/brett-ratner-comeback-directing-milli-vanilli-movie-millennium-efm-1234697616/ |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} which is why Morvan could not be involved in any competing project in development.

{{Main|Milli Vanilli (film)}}

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. Korem said that "the truth of what happened is more bizarre than anyone knows...there are so many layers, characters, and twists that have never before been revealed".{{Cite web |last=Trakin |first=Roy |date=2021-05-13 |title=Milli Vanilli's Story to Be Told in Documentary, 'Girl You Know It's True,' From MRC Non-Fiction (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2021/music/news/milli-vanilli-documentary-mrc-nonfiction-fulwell-73-1234967433/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=Variety |language=en-US}} 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.{{Cite web |title=Fab Morvan |url=https://www.facebook.com/FabMorvanFanPage |access-date=2022-11-09 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en}}

On June 1, 2023, it was announced Paramount+ had acquired the film.{{Cite web |last=White |first=Peter |date=2023-06-01 |title=Paramount+ Snaps Up Milli Vanilli Feature Doc |url=https://deadline.com/2023/06/paramount-snaps-up-milli-vanilli-feature-doc-1235398248/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} It then premiered at the Tribeca Festival on June 10, 2023. 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".{{Cite magazine|last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |date=2023-06-12 |title='Milli Vanilli' Review: The Saga of the Infamous Pop Duo, Now Seen From the Inside, Becomes a Captivating and Moving Documentary |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/milli-vanilli-review-tribeca-festival-1235639867/|magazine=Variety}} The Hollywood Reporter released the trailer on September 13, 2023, and the documentary had a global release on October 24, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=2023-09-13 |title='Milli Vanilli' Trailer Tells Untold Story of Music's Most Infamous Con |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/milli-vanilli-documentary-trailer-paramount-1235589581/ |access-date=2023-10-03 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}}

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|100|7.8|24|With clarity and compassion, Milli Vanilli reframes one of pop's most infamous scandals as a sobering cautionary tale.|access-date=May 20, 2024}}{{cite web |title=Milli Vanilli |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milli_vanilli |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026200849/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/milli_vanilli |archive-date=October 26, 2023 |access-date=April 30, 2024 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}} The documentary was selected as a critic's pick by both The New York Times and Variety.{{Cite web |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |date=June 12, 2023 |title='Milli Vanilli' Review: The Saga of the Infamous Pop Duo, Now Seen from the Inside, Becomes a Captivating and Moving Documentary |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/milli-vanilli-review-tribeca-festival-1235639867/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |website=Variety}} Both The Telegraph and The Times gave the film four out of five stars.{{Cite news |last=Singh |first=Anita |date=October 25, 2023 |title=The Milli Vanilli story: from being 'better than McCartney' to being exposed as frauds |work=The Telegraph |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/tv/2023/10/25/milli-vanilli-paramount-review-pops-tragicomic-duo/ |access-date=November 10, 2023 |issn=0307-1235}}{{Cite news |last=Midgley |first=Carol |date=November 10, 2023 |title=Milli Vanilli review — how a lip-syncing scandal ended in tragedy |newspaper=The Times |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/milli-vanilli-review-how-a-lip-syncing-scandal-ended-in-tragedy-59nsx27c7 |access-date=November 10, 2023 |issn=0140-0460}} Variety named Milli Vanilli one of the best documentaries of 2023.{{Cite magazine |author=Peter Debruge |author2=Owen Gleiberman |author3=Manuel Betancourt |author4=Catherine Bray |author5=Dennis Harvey |author6=Lisa Kennedy |author7=Jessica Kiang |author8=Richard Kuipers |author9=Guy Lodge |author10=Chris Willman |date=December 29, 2023 |title=The Best Documentaries of 2023 |url=https://variety.com/lists/best-documentaries-2023/ |access-date=January 16, 2024 |magazine=Variety}}

{{Main|Girl You Know It's True (film) }}

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 2023.{{Cite web |last=Kroll |first=Justin |date=2022-08-31 |title=Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True' First-Look Photos Revealed By Leonine Studios |url=https://deadline.com/2022/08/leonine-studios-milli-vanilli-girl-you-know-its-true-1235104166/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} The movie stars Tijan Njie and Elan Ben Ali as Pilatus and Morvan as well as Matthias Schweighöfer as Farian.{{Cite web |title=Milli Vanilli is the subject of an upcoming biopic — see the 1st pics |url=https://www.today.com/popculture/music/milli-vanilli-subject-biopic-girl-know-true-rcna45947 |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=TODAY.com |date=September 2022 |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Roxborough |first=Scott |date=2022-09-01 |title=Milli Vanilli Biopic Players Revealed in 'Girl You Know It's True' First Look |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/girl-you-know-its-true-milli-vanilli-biopic-first-look-matthias-schweighofer-1235210126/ |access-date=2022-09-20 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} The film's North American premiere took place at the 2024 Berlin & Beyond Film Festival in San Francisco with Morvan in attendance. In June 2024, Vertical acquired North American distribution rights to the film, planning a day-and-date release on August 9, 2024.{{cite web|title=Milli Vanilli Biopic 'Girl You Know It's True' Acquired By Vertical |website=Deadline Hollywood|first=Matt|last=Grobar|date=18 June 2024|access-date=18 June 2024|url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/milli-vanilli-biopic-girl-you-know-its-true-acquired-vertical-1235969584/}}

Milli Vanilli

• Fab Morvan – visual performance
• Rob Pilatus – visual performance; died 1998

Session members

• Charles Shaw – vocals
• Brad Howell – vocals
• John Davis – vocals; died 2021
• Jodie Rocco{{cite web|url=https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/milli-vanilli-voice-steps-into-the-limelight/|title=Milli Vanilli voice steps into the limelight|date=17 February 2014|access-date=12 April 2017|archive-date=13 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170413071020/https://www.reviewjournal.com/news/milli-vanilli-voice-steps-into-the-limelight/|url-status=live}} – vocals
• Linda Rocco{{cite news |last1=Wiener |first1=Candice |title=Girl You Know It's True The Real Voice of Milli Vanilli: Meet Jodie Rocco |date=April 26, 2021 |url=https://realvegasmagazine.com/therealmillivanilli/ |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=Real Vegas Magazine}} – vocals
• Frank Farian – producer; died 2024

{{Main|Milli Vanilli discography}}

• All or Nothing (1988)
• Girl You Know It's True (1989)

• The Moment of Truth (1991) (as The Real Milli Vanilli)

• {{Portal inline|Germany}}
• {{Portal inline|Pop music}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{cite book |last1=Coddington |first1=Amy |title=How Hip Hop Became Hit Pop: Radio, Rap, and Race |date=26 September 2023 |publisher=University of California Press |isbn=978-0-520-38392-0 |doi=10.1525/luminos.165 |url=https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657/76431/9780520383920.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |language=en}}

:*{{cite journal |last1=Coddington |first1=Amy |title=Rap on the Radio: Making Hip Hop into Hit Pop, 1986-1994 |journal=Music - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, University of Virginia |date=August 2017 |doi=10.18130/V36N47 |url=https://libraetd.lib.virginia.edu/public_view/m039k510c |quote=A Dissertation presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Music University of Virginia|url-access=subscription }}

• {{cite news |last1=Warner |first1=Andrea |title=Girl You Know It's True: The rise and fall of Milli Vanilli 25 years later |url=https://www.cbc.ca/music/read/girl-you-know-it-s-true-the-rise-and-fall-of-milli-vanilli-25-years-later-1.5007687 |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=CBC/Radio-Canada |date=March 6, 2014}}
• {{cite magazine |title=15 Outrageously Faked Musical Performances |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/15-most-outrageous-faked-musical-performances-11297/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=6 February 2014}}
• {{cite news |title=Milli Vanilli was tanked by a lip syncing scandal. Then music changed. |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/milli-vanilli-paramount-documentary-lip-sync-b2435255.html |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=The Independent .co.uk |date=24 October 2023 |language=en}}
• {{cite news |last1=Reesman |first1=Bryan |title=Opinion: 30 years after Milli Vanilli hoax was exposed, we owe them an apology |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/mariah-carey-other-pop-stars-lip-sync-30-years-we-ncna1247687 |access-date=1 November 2023 |work=NBC News |date=14 November 2020 |language=en}}

{{commons}}

• {{cite web |author1=Park Rovers |title=The Milli Vanilli Lip Sync Incident • Lake Compounce July 21, 1989 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VYz_Sh4sPCU |website=youtube |date=18 February 2023 |access-date=1 November 2023 |language=en }}

Metadata

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060908004152/http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/milli_vanilli/artist.jhtml Milli Vanilli] Artist Arena: MTV
• [https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p4917 Milli Vanilli] Allmusic
• {{Discogs artist|Milli Vanilli}}
• {{IMDb name|id=2574357}}

Individual artists involved

• [http://www.frankfarian.com Frank Farian] official website
• [http://www.therealmillivanilli.com/ The Real Milli Vanilli] official website
• [http://www.johndavis-millivanilli.com/ John Davis] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210606080101/http://www.johndavis-millivanilli.com/ |date=6 June 2021 }} official website
• [http://www.fabmorvan.com/ Fabrice Morvan] official website
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20121116080326/http://articles.latimes.com/keyword/fab-morvan stories about Fab Morvan] at the Los Angeles Times

{{Milli}}

{{Navboxes

|title = Awards for Milli Vanilli

|list =

{{American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Song}}

{{Grammy Award for Best New Artist}}

}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:1988 establishments in West Germany

Category:1998 disestablishments in Germany

Category:1988 hoaxes

Category:Arista Records artists

Category:Controversies in Germany

Category:Entertainment scandals

Category:German dance music groups

Category:German musical duos

Category:German pop music groups

Category:Hansa Records artists

Category:People stripped of awards

Category:Musical groups established in 1988

Category:Musical groups disestablished in 1998

Category:Musical hoaxes