Michael Cretu is a German-Romanian musician who, apart from the fact that he was married to one of the 80s divas namely Sandra, is also reputed to be behind the Enigma project. Project that will have sold around 50 million records worldwide.
His uncle, Ion Voicu, violin player and director of the Bucharest Philharmonic, will detect real musical skills in his house.
This is how young Michael went to take classical music lessons in the 1960s first in Romania, then in France. Finally at the Frankfurt Music Academy in the 1970s.
He released his first Single "Wild river" in 1978. And his first album "Moon, light and flowers" a year later in 1979. All with modest success.
From the 80s, he first collaborated with the group Hubert Kah for which he wrote several titles which, for some, became successful. And produce artists like Mike Olfield and Peter Schilling.
In 1983, in his solo career, he released the album "Legionäre". Album going relatively unnoticed.
A year later in 1984 he participated in the group Moti Special which released a single album and some good Singles.
He returned solo in 1985 with the album "Die Chinesische Mauer". An English version of the same album, released under the name of "The invisible man", will bring him his first major hit namely "Samurai", Single which will have a good run in the charts.
An extremely prolific year for the artist who produced a Single by the name of "Maria Magdalena", a song performed by a complete stranger by the name of ... Sandra. The title will make a huge planetary success and make Sandra one of the biggest tube factories of the 80s. Cretu will ultimately produce 7 albums for the singer.
In 1988, he joined forces with a former Moti Special member, Tissy Thiers, to form the duet Cretu & Thiers. Duo which we will mainly remember the excellent title "Mona Lisa".
It was in 1990 that he became aware of interplanetary consecration thanks to his flagship project "Enigma". Project based on a New-Age dance music concept, the fruit of a brilliant idea which is to mix Gréogoriens and / or oriental songs with Dance sounds typical of the 90s.
The result will amaze the whole world with its innovative side. And the album "MCMXC aD" (which means 1990 followed by the abbreviation of Anno Domini) will make a real worldwide success with sales figures which will make you dizzy : 4 million copies in the USA, 1 Million in Germany , 1 Million in England and almost 1 million in France.
Even if the album creates controversy by its blasphemous side, the shock wave that it arouses is phenomenal and will remain as one of the major events of the 90s in music. The title "Sadeness (Part I)" will be the biggest success.
He did it again with Enigma three years later in 1993 with the album "The cross of changes". Album which will not have the same success as its predecessor but will nevertheless carry out a very beautiful course in the Charts, in particular thanks to the flagship title "Return to innocence".
Other albums will be released later for Enigma without meeting the same level of success as the first two.
One of the group's latest hits will be "Gravity of love", a flagship Single released in 1999 which will be taken from the album "The screen behind the mirror".
Michael Cretu will remain one of the most gifted musicians of his generation and will have participated in 2 of the greatest musical successes of the 80s.
With Sandra on the one hand that he will have raised to the rank of planetary star. And Enigma on the other which will remain as one of the most innovative projects of the last 30 years. Respect !
To discover or rediscover...
Discography (among others ...) :
70s Decade :
• Shadows over my head 1978
• Wild river 1978
• Moonlight flower 1979
• Love me 1979
80s Decade :
• Zeitlose reise 1983
• Der planet der verlorenen zeit 1983
• Today today 1983
• Schwarzer engel 1984
• Carte blanche 1985
• Die chinesische mauer 1985
• Samurai 1985
• Gambit 1986
• School’s out (Cretu & Thiers) 1987
• When love is the missing word (Cretu & Thiers) 1987
• Mona Lisa (Cretu & Thiers) 1988
• Don't say you love me (Let me feel it) (Cretu & Thiers) 1988
• Captain Right 1988
90s Decade :
• Sadeness (Part I) (Enigma) 1990
• Rettungsringe sterben aus 1992
• Return to Innocence 1993
Moti Special adventure :
Sandra adventure :
Enigma adventure :
Tracks :
1978 ... a particularly promising start which shows obvious potential on the part of this young German. A potential that will do wonders in the years to come ...
1978 ... he confirms with this title all the good that one can think of him. You just have to give him a little more time to show us what he is really capable of ...
1979...an end of the 70s decade that rhymes with softness and lightness. One could imagine that it is in this area that he will reveal himself. Not really...
1979 ... a year 1979 resolutely oriented register 'with emotions'. And the least we can say is that he is particularly effective in this area. And yet it is in the area of Dance that he will explode everything ...
1983...we find him again a few years later and this time he is no longer the same man musically speaking. The metamorphosis is underway...
1983...projects multiply for the artist and he becomes de facto one of the most fashionable composers of the moment...
1983 ... the foundations of the Cretu Empire are now in place and all that remains is to unroll... And to unroll, it will unroll !
1984 ... the first version of the title. A 100 % Germanic version that will go relatively unnoticed in this form. But the title will come out in a few years and there it will be a whole different story ...
1985 ... the artist's first BIG year. First with this solo title but, also and above all, with the shattering start of the career of a certain Sandra ...
1985 ... the hit that will change everything and reveal him for good. A decidedly exceptional year in all respects for this artist with truly extraordinary talent. HU-GE !
1986 ... the top gear is now engaged and everything the artist touches immediately turns into gold. Totally stunning !
1987 ... the beginning a very prolific association. Anyway, whether solo or with others, it's a winning move every time ...
1987 ... we take the same and put back the cover. And guess what, it works again, necessarily !
1988 ... the culmination of their collaboration thanks to this new version of the 'Schwarzer Engel' released in 1984 only for Cretu at that time. A new mega hit to the credit of the artist. One more !
1988 ... another title with more than certain quality. Admittedly, it will not be the most famous title of the magic duo but it largely holds the road !
1988 ... the end of a great adventure. Which precedes another of an unprecedented scale. After making Sandra one of the phenomena of the 80s, he is about to launch another project which will be the phenomenon of the 90s ...
1990 ... the global musical shock of this early 90s ! What will remain as its Masterpiece. Unquestionably, one of the most incredible works of this end of the XXth century. And yes, he is also Enigma !
1992 ... new shock duo. He multiplies the duets, the concept-projects with a truly incredible ease. Undoubtedly one of the most outstanding artists of the end of the 20th century !
1992...most associations will have greatly benefited all the artists for whom he composed. A true benefactor...
1993 ... an artist of incredible talent who has produced an incredible number of hits over two distinct decades !
Wiki :
Official Website :
Discography :