In 1989, one of the hottest acts in music was performing a concert in front of 80,000 people in Bristol, Connecticut. While singing their big hit, “Girl, You Know It’s True,” something odd happened. The lead singer appeared to repeat one phrase, “Girl, you know it’s ...” over and over again before running off the stage. The band was Milli Vanilli, and the singer was not repeating the phrase, but the recording to which he had been lip-syncing was skipping. When word got out about the incident, the band explained the need for lip-syncing from time to time, and the public was quick to forgive.

            A few months later, the accolades for Milli Vanilli continued, as they received the Grammy Award for Best New Artist. But the acclaim was beginning to backfire. Rumors were swirling about how often they lip-synced in concert. Finally, in November 1990, their producer sold them out, telling the world in a press conference that Rob and Fab, the two people we knew as Milli Vanilli, had not sung a single note in any concert or on their very popular album. The men we had seen on stage, receiving all the applause and awards, were dancers and models who had been lip-syncing to the voices of studio vocalists hired to record all the songs. Days later, Milli Vanilli’s Grammy was rescinded.

            In the wake of the controversy, they released another CD where the two men sang, but very few bought it. Milli Vanilli’s career was over.

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