Enigma, created by Romanian-born Mishael Cretu, revolutionized new age music by blending Gregorian chants with electronic beats, selling over 70 million records worldwide. Despite massive success, Cretu remained reclusive, faced lawsuits over unauthorized samples, and experienced a discreet divorce from singer Sandra. This article explores Enigma's journey, controversies, and Cretu's unique approach to music and fame.
Enigma's songs were iconic, selling more than 70 million records and topping charts in over 20 countries. The Enigma Project revived the new age genre by combining Gregorian chants with electronic beats and sultry whispers, creating a global phenomenon. However, the mastermind behind Enigma, Mishael Cretu, made a radical decision to reject celebrity status and remain reclusive.
This article delves into the story of Mishael Cretu, his musical journey, the legal battles he faced for unauthorized use of voices from a German choir and an indigenous couple, and his personal life, including his marriage and divorce from German singer Sandra.
Mishael Cretu was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1957. From a young age, he showed signs of being a musical prodigy, fascinated by medieval knights and outer space. He imagined piano keys as spaceship controls, and teachers predicted he would become a great concert pianist.
In the early 1970s, Mishael moved to Germany, became a citizen, and graduated from the University of Frankfurt in composition and conducting. However, his career path shifted dramatically when he discovered electronic music and synthesizers, trading orchestral scores for studio work.
His talent caught the attention of major figures like Frank Ferriion, who hired him as a studio keyboardist for the pop group Bony M. Mishael also released solo albums, with his hit "Samurai" topping charts across Europe.
In 1982, Mishael met singer Sandra Lauer, a standout member of the group Aberk. He fell in love and took control of her career, producing the hit "Maria Magdalena," which reached number one in 21 countries. They married in 1988 and formed an unbeatable duo in the studio.
During the 1980s, Mishael's reputation as a studio wizard grew, working with artists like Peter Schilling and Mike Oldfield, and producing albums for his close friend Hubert Ka.
By the late 1980s, Mishael felt exhausted by the commercial and predictable pop music formula. Seeking a new challenge, he and Sandra moved to Ibiza, Spain, in 1988. The peaceful island atmosphere allowed him to reconnect with his childhood passions: the Middle Ages and outer space.
He decided to blend ancient Gregorian chants with hypnotic electronic beats and a mysterious female voice, aiming to create a faceless musical project focused purely on sound rather than image. In a 2016 interview, Mishael said, "At first, I wanted to find out whether music could succeed on its own without people knowing who created it, and it worked."
The project was released in 1990 as MCMXC AD (1990 in Roman numerals). The album featured no photos, Sandra was uncredited, and Mishael used the pseudonym Curly MC. The risky combination of Gregorian chants, pop beats, and sultry whispers became a worldwide sensation.
The album's hit "Sadness Part One" sold over 14 million copies and reached number one in 24 countries, popularizing new age music in the mainstream. However, the mystery behind Enigma's creator ended in court.
Mishael assumed that centuries-old sheet music meant the audio recordings were free to use, but he sampled 1976 recordings by the prestigious German choir Capella Antiqua München without permission. The choir was outraged by their sacred voices being mixed with club beats and sultry whispers.
The choir won the lawsuit, received financial compensation, and demanded a formal apology. Despite the scandal, Enigma's success continued.
In 1993, Enigma released its second album, The Cross of Changes, replacing the monks' chants with vocals from an indigenous group in Taiwan. The album featured the global hit "Return to Innocence," famous for its music video showing a man's life in reverse.
However, the lead vocals belonged to Defang and Eigay, a couple from Taiwan's Amis community, who had recorded a traditional drinking song in the 1970s for a cultural archive. Mishael used their recording without permission or knowledge.
The couple discovered their voices were used years later when "Return to Innocence" was featured in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics campaigns. They sued for copyright infringement, and the case was settled in 1999. They received official credit, royalties, and platinum records.
Enigma's third album, Le Roi Est Mort, Vive Le Roi! (1996), balanced elements from the first two albums, bringing back Gregorian and ethnic chants with a distinct identity. Mishael described making Enigma records as "practicing alchemy in musical terms."
From the 2000s onward, Enigma's sound evolved. The 2000 album The Screen Behind the Mirror incorporated samples from composer Carl Orff, known for Carmina Burana. Later albums like Voyageur (2003) and A Posteriori (2006) moved towards pure electronic and ambient music, almost abandoning ethnic influences.
Despite the changes, Enigma remained relevant. The 2008 album Seven Lives, Many Faces topped the New Age charts in the United States.
After an eight-year hiatus, Mishael returned in 2016 with The Fall of a Rebel Angel, bringing back the mystical atmosphere and releasing "Sadness Part Two," completing a full circle more than 25 years after the original hit.
Mishael Cretu never sought celebrity status. Coming from a communist country, he emigrated to Germany with only a suitcase half-filled with sheet music. He described himself as a "stateless immigrant" with a mix of southern European heart and Prussian discipline.
His perfectionism led him to take on multiple roles in Enigma's production, including producer, arranger, sound engineer, singer, composer, lyricist, and keyboardist. He preferred isolation to protect his vision.
The Catholic Church in Germany protested Enigma's use of Gregorian chants, but Mishael expressed frustration with the institution and the German mentality, citing a "culture of envy." He retreated to Ibiza to raise his children away from that environment.
Mishael and Sandra had twin sons but divorced in 2008. Their separation was mature and discreet, and they continued living on Ibiza for their children. Mishael stated they maintain a good relationship without hostility.
Today, Mishael lives a reclusive life, rejecting stardom and ostentation. For him, money is a tool for peace, and music is his religion. He once said, "I could have stopped working at 28. Why didn't I? Because I love music, not money. Music is my religion."
Mishael's innovative blending of mysticism and electronic beats created a new formula for success in the music industry. Enigma paved the way for other producers to explore mysterious and atmospheric sounds in the 1990s.
One notable project inspired by Enigma's style was Era, which replaced Gregorian monks with epic medieval atmospheres, heavy rock guitars, and choirs singing in an imaginary language, achieving worldwide success with the hit "Ameno."
Enigma's story is one of groundbreaking musical innovation, massive commercial success, legal controversies, and a creator who shunned fame to focus on his art. Mishael Cretu's dedication to music as a form of religion and his quest for the perfect sound left an indelible mark on the new age and electronic music genres.
Did you know the full story behind Enigma? Share your thoughts and memories of their music in the comments.
