Michael Cretu, pseudonym of Mihai
Crețu, is a Romanian musician, singer, songwriter and record producer born in
Bucharest on May 18, 1957. Born to a Romanian father and an Austrian mother, in
1965 Mihai began studying piano and classical music at the “Colegiul Tehnic Nr
2” in Bucharest. In 1968, having just come of age, Mihai spent five months in
Paris for further musical studies. In 1975 he moved to Bad Homburg Vor De Hohe
in Germany to study at the "Frankfurt Academy of Music", and in 1978
he graduated in music composition. Cretu's first solo album, "Moon, Light
& Flowers", was released in 1979. His second album,
"Legionäre", was released in 1983 and contains German lyrics sung by
him. Cretu's third solo album was "Die Chinesische Mauer", released
in 1985. This album was released later with English-language lyrics and with a
slightly different track list taking the name "The Invisible Man".
This album included the song "Samurai", which became a worldwide hit.
In this same period, during the studio sessions with the band
"Arabesque" he met the singer Sandra, by coincidence born on the same
day and month as him. In 1985, Michael Cretu produced, arranged and played
keyboards and drums for the album "The Long Play", the musical debut
of the very famous German pop singer Sandra. The two artists began a romantic
relationship and married on January 7, 1988. After bringing "Sandra"
to global success, Michael Cretu was encouraged to pursue a new musical project
by his friend Mike Oldfield and decided to found the band "Enigma".
The formation of "Enigma" involved Fabrice Cuitad, under the
pseudonym David Fairstein, and Frank Peterson. The trio worked to create their
groundbreaking debut single "Sadeness (Part I)", which within months
became an international hit and reached #1 in 17 countries. A few months later,
the album "MCMXC ad" (1990) followed, which achieved resounding
success thanks to the new musical style that combined ancient Gregorian chants
with the sound of modern electronic keyboards. Sandra will figure as a vocalist
of "Enigma" until 2003. In July 1995, Michael Cretu and Sandra gave
birth to twins and subsequently lived for a few years on the island of Ibiza
(Spain). The couple divorced in November 2007 and Michael Cretu currently lives
in Munich, Germany.
Album
1979 - Moon, Light & Flowers
1983 - Legionare
1985 - Die Chinesische Mauer
1985 - The Invisible Man
Singles
1978 - Wild River
1978 - Shadows Over My Head
1979 - Love Me / Streets Of Time
1979 - Moonlight Flower
1979 - Sparks Of Imagination
1983 - Today Today
1983 - Zeitlose Reise
1983 - Der Planet Der Verlorenen Zeit
1984 - Schwarzer Engel
1985 - Die Chinesische Mauer
1985 - Silver Water
1985 - Samurai (Did You Ever Dream)
1985 - Carte Blanche
1986 - Gambit
1992 - Cornelius + Cretu - Rettungsringe Sterben Aus