Michael Cretu

Michael Cretu (Romanian: Mihai Crețu, pronounced [miˈhaj ˈkretsu]; born 18 May 1957) is a Romanian-German musician, singer, songwriter, composer, and record producer. He gained worldwide fame as the founder and musician behind the musical project Enigma, which he formed in 1990. Cretu began his music career in 1976 as a solo artist, releasing three studio albums as well as writing and producing albums for his then-wife, German pop singer Sandra. He also worked with other artists through the 1980s, including Peter Cornelius, Hubert Kah, and Mike Oldfield. Cretu was sometimes identified as "Curly" or "Curly M.C.", in reference to his curly hair and creț meaning "curly" in Romanian. He scored an unexpected worldwide commercial hit with the debut Enigma album, MCMXC a.D. (1990), helped by its lead single, "Sadeness (Part I)". The project's most recent album is 2016's The Fall of a Rebel Angel, its eighth overall. Enigma has sold an estimated 70 million albums worldwide, and Cretu's produced recordings have sold 100 million copies.