‘Girl, You Know It's True’? On Milli Vanilli, Frank Farian and the Question of Who Actually Cheated Whom

‘Milli Vanilli’ has become synonymous with imposture. It is not the songs created by producer Frank Farian that first come to mind when many people hear the band name, but rather the deception behind it, as the supposed singers Robert Pilatus and Fabrice Morvan did not sing a single note in ‘their’ songs. However, contrary to the widely held narrative perpetuated by the media, it was not a botched playback that exposed the deception, but creator and producer Frank Farian himself. This article explores how the scandal unfolded, what consequences it had for those involved and for the world of pop music, and what roles were played by Farian, the duo Pilatus-Morvan, and the ongoing conflict between them. The case represents an unusual instance of “forced imposture”. It is rooted in the long history of the widely racist construction and portrayal of supposedly foreign cultures in German pop music.