Essay and Biography on Enigma and Michael Cretu.

ENIGMA - United Colors of Music

"Old rules and habits have to be rejected and dismissed, so that something new can be created," states Michael Cretu. Out of this philosophy ENIGMA was born.

ENIGMA is not a band, it's a project. The ENIGMA project has been coined as a "Pop Sculpture" and has to be credited with single-handedly bringing about the popularity of Gregorian chant, world wide.

Michael Cretu was born in Bucharest, Romania on May 18th, 1957 and at the age of 5 began playing the piano. At eight years old, Cretu was accepted into the Lyzeum #2, a college for gifted young musicians in Bucharest. Three years later he was offered and accepted an opportunity to study in Paris for three years. After which, he returned to Bucharest. At the age of 18, Cretu moved to Germany and was admitted into Frankfurt's academy of music. He graduated with honors three years later and pursued a career as a classical pianist.

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Before ENIGMA, Cretu had an accomplished career as a producer, classical pianist, writer, lyricist, composer and arranger. He has worked with various artists in his life, including international sensation Sandra (now his wife), Moti Special, Huber Kah, as well as the Irish superstar Enya, who have collectively sold almost one hundred million recordings.

Cretu's first solo project, "Legionare (which means Legionnaires in English)," was released in 1983 on the Virgin label. Although not as huge a success as it was thought it would be, it definitely formed the basis for his breakthrough idea, ENIGMA.

Capturing the essence of ENIGMA is not an easy task. When asked to describe ENIGMA, Cretu replied "No words can explain music. Music explains itself. It is to be sensed, to be felt." The ENIGMA project is definitely an enigma in itself.

Cretu is...