Dear Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus, members of Milli Vanilli,
I started to hear your music because of my parents, who played “Girl, You Know It’s True” in the car whenever we had to go anywhere, the destination or the duration to get there did not matter. That is how I fell in love with your music. I started listening to “Blame it on the Rain,” “Girl, I’m Gonna Miss You,” and “Baby, Don’t Forget My Number” on my own, but my favorite was still the song my parents would always play. That is why I was shocked when my parents told me the story behind your success, the story of the lip-sync you made; how you were merely the face of the whole project while other people were singing. Quickly, I started watching every video about you and the scandal that followed your rise in fame to know more about it and deeply understand what happened behind the scenes. I started watching your music videos and I figured out something: the moves you made on-screen were great and astonished me, but at the same time they just added to the fact that you were not actually singing. The far angles that were recorded, the emphasis on the actual dance, your hair that covered your faces, the very few scenes focused on your faces while singing, and the fact you only appeared singing the crucial parts of the song made it more visible to see that you were not actually singing. Still, I keep loving your music; it does make sense why you had to return your Grammy, for it is unethical to fake that you were singing while stealing credit from someone else, yet your music should be known because it made an impact in pop culture in the 90s, especially nowadays, years after the backlash you faced. I understand that you did not really choose to not sing and that it was all your manager’s fault who manipulated both you and the ones who really sang. I also admire how, even after the scandal was made public and your career basically died with it, you kept trying to reach the top with your own means, your own voice. My parents never accepted the “Real Milli Vanilli,” that is the actual singers of the group who tried to get famous to no avail, and keep thinking that you are Milli Vanilli, even though you did not sing any of the lyrics that for many years gave you money and fame. I appreciate the impact you had in pop culture not only in the 90s but also nowadays and I really hope that your music could be praised once again.
With deep admiration and esteem, thank you,
Alejandro Hillenbrand Covas.
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