Singer seal biography discography david

Born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel on Feb 19, , in London, England; son of Francis (a artisan and interior decorator) and Bisi (a homemaker) Samuel; raised stop father and stepmother, Joyce; wedded conjugal Heidi Klum (a model/television host), May ; child: Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, September Education: Received degree in architecture.

Addresses: Record company--Warner Bros., Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA , phone: () , website: Website--Seal Official Website:

Eclectic British pop artist Tape-record told Rolling Stone's David Thigpen, "All my songs are healing. I'm giving therapy to myself." After a splashy debut--including dexterous number one single in nobleness United Kingdom and a top-selling album--he experienced several tumultuous added difficult years that caused him to confront the meaning most recent his sudden fame and, other importantly, his life.

Seal returned improve and more assured with government sophomore effort, though in consider fundamental respects he was uphold where he began: with greatness same influential and supportive impresario and the same title.

All the more the variety of styles explicit enlisted--building on the already well-heeled mixture of rock, soul, ethnic group, and dance music that fills his first album--was, if anything, even greater. The journey profit this achievement, as he expressed Q, necessitated a self-acceptance check on which he struggled all rule life.

"You have to thought out why you feel middling undeserving," he insisted, adding "you have to start healing remarkable you have to start dictum to yourself, OK, I association worth it, I do merit this."

Had "A Rough Childhood"

Seal was born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel bank February 19, , in Writer, England; his parents had laid hold of there from Nigeria and divorced when he was still alteration infant.

Raised first by propose parents and then by fulfil own father, he had what he described to Rob Tannenbaum of Rolling Stone as "a rough childhood." In an conversation with Mark Cooper of Q he called his father "a bitter person who'd missed well-ordered lot of opportunities in dulled. I think he loved not up to it but was just incapable fall for showing it." Seal earned efficient degree in architecture and unnatural a variety of jobs, pass up electrical engineering to posting ads for London prostitutes; the drift occupation resulted in an arrest.

After trying to build a harmony career in London, Seal drug-addicted up with a band named Push, playing funk music keep on tour in Japan.

It was important more for geographical outstrip for musical reasons: "I'd not at all been to that part go along with the equator before," he wellknown to Tannenbaum. "It was fully up my alley. Every lifetime was a new experience." Pinpoint a jaunt with a Siam blues group, he made sovereignty way to India and adjacent to had what he called "a few spiritual experiences." The joyfulness he felt there, he insisted, bestowed a calm and amusement about his future and permissible him to stop wanting expert record deal so fervently.

Earth believes this is why without fear soon got one.

Seal also became convinced that the half-moon scars under his eyes left induce a skin ailment were uncomplicated kind of omen of dignitary. "I got really depressed get the wrong impression about [the scars] at first, orang-utan you can understand," he go to the loo. "Now I really like them." The scars, he ultimately studied, would serve as a model of insignia.

"If I could design something, I don't estimate I could do it better." He did design the sojourn of his distinctive look: head-to-toe leather clothes and long dreadlocks, adding even more flash study his 6'4" frame.

Seal met grower Trevor Horn--who had made top-notch fortune making records for high-mindedness Art of Noise and among others, and had her highness own label, ZTT.

"I notion he looked a bit frightening," Horn remembered to Tannenbaum. "I thought he was gonna intend all kinds of music Wild wasn't gonna like. Then let go told me he liked Crooner, Stills and Nash and Joni Mitchell. It was quite refreshing." Even so, he was hesitant to sign the fledgling artist.

In , however, Seal took cap fate into his hands, exactness immediate success that would catch the attention of Horn charge much of the pop earth.

He co-wrote a song titled "Killer" with British keyboardist Adamski, and its mix of certificate and rock--helped by heartfelt revealing and lyrics--took it to say publicly top of the U.K. charts. "I remember the first revolt we got to No. 1," he recollected in an ask with Giles Smith of rendering Independent, "Adamski and myself were in one of those consanguinity inn restaurants on a near Cambridge, the week heretofore we were No.

4 captain Madonna was No. 1." While in the manner tha they realized that "Killer" difficult gained the top position, "I let out this huge yell. Honestly, families around us were going for their children--there was this six-foot-four black man be as tall as wild in Cambridgeshire."

Seal was unplanned caught nappin for what would follow.

"I guess I was the abridgment of the phrase 'meteoric success,'" he told Cooper of Q. "My kind of success was different because I had grand hit record with something which wasn't immediately commercial in goodness pop sense. I took [my song] 'Crazy' round to piles of record companies before 'Killer' and although everybody really appeal it, they wouldn't touch smash down.

But if you manage surrounding get a hit with a- record like that, it's passion you've broken through with hint which allows you so untold room." Soon ZTT found strike in competition with other labels that wanted to sign Seal; Horn's company recruited the adolescent artist by offering him beautiful freedom and, as Seal living soul told Tannenbaum of Rolling Stone, "quite a bit of ready money, too."

Though Seal initially brought update various friends from the testimonial music world to help him produce the album, he at the end of the day surrendered the reins to Scare.

The producer told Tannenbaum go off at a tangent the singer's crowds "were extremely interested in Chicago house symphony. I thought that was preposterous, when you have that unnecessary talent. It's limited--you don't take a seat and listen to it. Pointed can't go to concerts sit things like that." The derived album, Seal, appeared on ZTT/Sire in and complemented the dance-floor grooves with acoustic guitars abstruse an overall emphasis on air and song structure.

Debut Was Small International Success

Rolling Stone writer Thigpen called the Seal's debut notebook "a startlingly original synthesis drift seemed to come from generous undiscovered place along the trunk of rock and soul." Seal's lyrics on this first publication reflected what he later referred to in the Independent press conference as a "very young, unpick idealistic" point of view: "if we only stick together amazement can save the world." Monarch travels in the east abstruse made him "unstoppable in dump respect."

Seal was an international pulp, thanks to "Killer" and "Crazy," an idealistic slice of pop-funk that was soon co-opted leverage a television commercial.

And Stick himself was overwhelmed by renown. Indeed, as Seal told Histrion, the experience "was completely high-mindedness opposite of what I'd nonexistent. If you're a sensitive particularized, like myself, you quickly actualize that not everybody's intentions unadventurous genuine. And, yes, you conspiracy more people around you, dozens more people around you, on the other hand your space becomes much slighter.

People come up to support constantly in the street boss they treat you like you're an alien." Most tragically, "I thought that the adoration would replace the attention that Raving sought from my father. Comical thought success or fame would bring me all these things."

After relocating to Los Angeles, Close gradually began work on unmixed follow-up album.

Intent on clean up stylistic departure rather than marvellous recreation of his debut, noteworthy selected a new producer. Steve Lillywhite, who'd worked with Island rock superstars U2, among rest 2, was his choice. But no problem soon asked Horn to particular over. "Steve was wrong safe all the reasons Trevor was the right producer," he commented to Thigpen.

"Trevor's a instrumentalist first and foremost."

The resulting album--again called Seal--replaced the debut's bump rhythms with slyer grooves, one-time Seal's singing moved away reject the anthemic shouts of ruler earlier hits and became a cut above nuanced and intimate. The important single, "Prayer for the Dying," a sober, reflective tune attain an insistent funk beat, became a top ten hit.

Jeff Beck played guitar on concerning track, "Bring It On," extract Joni Mitchell joined Seal engage a duet in the tune "If I Could." It was difficult for Seal to point working on the project. "One time, I was going go to see the airport and I fair turned round and came stalemate to do more vocals," oversight confessed to Cooper. "I was dragged screaming from this not to be mentioned and so was Trevor.

Invalidate was probably the most crucial thing about the whole record."

Seal's new look--a shaved head--at formerly represented a concession to Calif. temperatures and a clean subsection from the past. He'd ephemeral through a number of dead and near catastrophes between excellence two albums. "I had wonderful really heavy duty car cracking in California," he told Player.

"I nearly flew off spruce canyon on to a superhighway a hundred feet below concede defeat peak hour. The car was completely written off and, assuage, I walked away virtually indifferent. Then I got double pneumonia. The doctors said it was touch and go at undeniable stage but I came rough idea of that unscathed too, inspect no scarring on my lungs or anything.

Then there was a shooting right in forward movement of me on [Hollywood's] Night Boulevard."

Seal claimed that a Author healer helped him recover flight his illness and clarify her majesty life; he appears on nobleness cover of his second sticker album in the nude, his without delay shorn pate adding to influence overall image of strength give the brushoff vulnerability.

"My whole approach cause somebody to this record was one obvious openness," he told Cooper. Yes also emphasized in various interviews that the "idealistic" world-saving consequence of his first album locked away neglected the necessity of remedial oneself--spiritually and otherwise--before one could truly help others. Part have this healing meant putting designation in perspective, and allowing rulership "celebrity" self to surface while in the manner tha he needed to protect queen private self.

"The days Funny wanted to be noticed, necessary some feedback," he informed Mormon in the Independent, "I could go out there and remorseless of exude and I'd verve recognized," becoming "Seal, pop skill, impervious to everything."

Seal the next was generally greeted with depreciative raves.

"This British neo-soul singer's gift flows from his dependability to transform dancefloor tracks be converted into spine-tingling, magical experiences," enthused Criminal Bernard of Entertainment Weekly, who gave the album an "A" grade. Reviewer Hobey Echlin, clasp Detroit's Metro Times, labeled probity effort "Brilliant, subtle, indulgent remarkable sentimental." Thigpen noted that "Seal's husky, expressive voice sounds smooth richer and more aged; honesty new record has an seemingly folky feel, with an riptide of melancholy and introspection ramble wasn't there before."

Realized His Pervade Accomplishments

But it wasn't so unwarranted good reviews as good repress fashioned radio airplay that helped the achievement sink in.

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"Somebody played the nonpareil on the radio the carefulness day," Seal related to Explorer. "I was speaking to reduction friend Oswald on the carphone. He said: 'They seem amount be playing your record uncomplicated lot.' I said, rather grumpily: 'Really? Cos I haven't heard it once.' Ironically enough slightly I said that, it came on the radio. I said: 'Oswald: I'm going to keep to call you back.'"

Pulling dream to the side of integrity road, Seal finally appreciated rendering finished product.

"I'd been attentive to it as a number cheaply and now I wanted letter hear this thing that Trevor had always talked about: Crazed wanted to hear the tilt. It sounded better on justness radio than it did decant the stereo at home. Innermost the DJ said, 'That was the new one from Seal--well worth waiting for.'" The throb, he noted, was one he'd felt only occasionally: "almost unquantifiable just this rush."

In , Band released the single, "Kiss Deprive A Rose," which was featured in the blockbuster hit pic Batman Forever.

Joel Schumacher, excellence music video director for "Kiss From A Rose" talked transfer Seal in Entertainment Weekly, "He sings with his whole target and his hands and coronet fingers. He is very sensual." Seal won three Grammy Fame for "Kiss From A Rose," including Record of the Assemblage, in

Seal then set wellread to create a third stamp album.

"I wanted to make exceptional more raw record," he affirmed for Time. "Not as be awarded pounce on. I wanted to make glass it was more open, excellent from the heart." Originally, grace signed Horn to produce argue with.

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Fortify, he explored ideas with fold up other producers, eventually coming at present to Horn. "[Seal] got marvellous bit manic with the inclusive thing," Horn told Time. "He was going through a item amount of turmoil as surprise started working. By the want of the record it was like having an old keep count of back.

Taking people, calling them a star, it screws people's heads up. It did disturb him a bit."

The result was Human Being, released in Outdo of the numbers are attraction songs, but he also explores race issues in "Colours," skeptical if there would still rectify discrimination if there were ham-fisted race issues.

After Human Being, Stick worked for three and uncomplicated half years on a go up album, but was agony from a creative block.

Beginning frustration, he sold his Los Angeles home and moved put your name down for to England. "I think Berserk needed to be around honesty smells, the sounds, the storage, the grind of London," proceed told People. After eighteen months in London he produced place album that was entirely chill from what he had antediluvian working on in the Coalesced States.

Again, he titled agent Seal. People reviewer Chuck General praised Seal for remaining "a unique talent, singing about adore and longing with a sumptuously textured voice that is livid once soothing, sensual and oh-so-soulful."

Seal's life took on another proportions with his marriage to proforma and TV host Heidi Klum in May of They welcomed their first child, Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, in Sept of that year.

by Simon Glickman and Sarah Parkin

Seal's Career

Joined first band, Stay Brave, deem age 15; worked as constructor of leather clothing and slightly an electrical engineer; toured Nippon with member of funk piece Push; sang with blues convene in Thailand; released single "Killer," a collaboration with Adam "Adamski" Tinley, ; signed with ZTT records and released debut manual Seal, ; collaborated with Jeff Beck on contribution to Jimi Hendrix tribute album Stone Free, ; released Seal, ; loose single, "Kiss From A Rose," which was featured in decency movie Batman Forever, ; loose Human Being, ; released Seal IV, ; released Seal Best: ,

Seal's Awards

Q Award, Finest New Act, ; Brit Brownie points, Best Album, Best Male Principal, and Best Video, ; Grammy Awards, Record of the Twelvemonth, Song of the Year, brook Best Pop Vocal Performance, Man for "Kiss From A Rose,"

Famous Works

Selected discography
"Killer" (single),
Seal ZTT,
(Contributor) Stone Free: Trig Tribute to Jimi Hendrix Give up,
Seal ZTT,
(Contributor) Batman Forever (soundtrack), Atlantic,
Human Being Sweet Brothers,
Seal IV Warner Brothers,
Seal Best: Warner Brothers,

Singer seal biography discography david

Seal's Career

Seal's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading