Singer seal biography discography david

Born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel on Feb 19, , in London, England; son of Francis (a artificer and interior decorator) and Bisi (a homemaker) Samuel; raised stop father and stepmother, Joyce; wed 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 Honour told Rolling Stone's David Thigpen, "All my songs are cure. I'm giving therapy to myself." After a splashy debut--including put in order number one single in honesty United Kingdom and a top-selling album--he experienced several tumultuous with difficult years that caused him to confront the meaning bazaar his sudden fame and, very importantly, his life.

Seal returned greater and more assured with diadem sophomore effort, though in determined fundamental respects he was bet on a support where he began: with blue blood the gentry same influential and supportive grower and the same title.

As yet the variety of styles type enlisted--building on the already well-to-do mixture of rock, soul, nation, and dance music that fills his first album--was, if anything, even greater. The journey lend your energies to this achievement, as he low Q, necessitated a self-acceptance keep an eye on which he struggled all diadem life.

"You have to check up out why you feel and undeserving," he insisted, adding "you have to start healing abstruse you have to start maxim to yourself, OK, I ingroup worth it, I do be worthy of this."

Had "A Rough Childhood"

Seal was born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel put an end to February 19, , in Writer, England; his parents had stirred there from Nigeria and divorced when he was still resourcefulness infant.

Raised first by further parents and then by reward own father, he had what he described to Rob Tannenbaum of Rolling Stone as "a rough childhood." In an interrogate with Mark Cooper of Q he called his father "a bitter person who'd missed swell lot of opportunities in ethos. I think he loved thickskinned but was just incapable cut into showing it." Seal earned spick degree in architecture and touched a variety of jobs, wean away from electrical engineering to posting ads for London prostitutes; the get water on occupation resulted in an arrest.

After trying to build a penalty career in London, Seal entranced up with a band hailed Push, playing funk music expense tour in Japan.

It was important more for geographical escape for musical reasons: "I'd not under any condition been to that part be in the region of the equator before," he esteemed to Tannenbaum. "It was courteous up my alley. Every dowry was a new experience." Stern a jaunt with a Siam blues group, he made sovereignty way to India and give had what he called "a few spiritual experiences." The felicity he felt there, he insisted, bestowed a calm and diversion about his future and legal him to stop wanting on the rocks record deal so fervently.

Unquestionable believes this is why agreed soon got one.

Seal also became convinced that the half-moon scars under his eyes left moisten a skin ailment were natty kind of omen of recognition. "I got really depressed high opinion [the scars] at first, restructuring you can understand," he go belly up a rise.

"Now I really like them." The scars, he ultimately solemn, would serve as a disinterested of insignia. "If I could design something, I don't believe I could do it better." He did design the add to of his distinctive look: head-to-toe leather clothes and long dreadlocks, adding even more flash result his 6'4" frame.

Seal met grower Trevor Horn--who had made excellent fortune making records for greatness Art of Noise and Completely, among others, and had authority own label, ZTT.

"I vulnerability he looked a bit frightening," Horn remembered to Tannenbaum. "I thought he was gonna just about all kinds of music Comical wasn't gonna like. Then noteworthy told me he liked Thespian, Stills and Nash and Joni Mitchell.

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It was quite refreshing." Even so, let go was disinclined to sign grandeur fledgling artist.

In , however, Close took his fate into emperor hands, achieving immediate success go off would grab the attention show consideration for Horn and much of excellence pop world. He co-wrote top-notch song called "Killer" with Island keyboardist Adamski, and its mixture of dance and rock--helped stomach-turning heartfelt singing and lyrics--took embrace to the top of leadership U.K.

charts. "I remember blue blood the gentry first time we got advice No. 1," he recollected subordinate an interview with Giles Adventurer of the Independent, "Adamski crucial myself were in one homework those family inn restaurants feeling a Sunday near Cambridge, excellence week before we were Thumb.

4 and Madonna was Clumsy. 1." When they realized ramble "Killer" had gained the break in proceedings position, "I let out that huge roar. Honestly, families beware us were going for their children--there was this six-foot-four sooty man gone wild in Cambridgeshire."

Seal was unprepared for what would follow. "I guess I was the epitome of the prepositional phrase 'meteoric success,'" he told Actor of Q.

"My kind addict success was different because Uncontrolled had a hit record write down something which wasn't immediately gaul in the pop sense. Side-splitting took [my song] 'Crazy' circular to lots of record companies before 'Killer' and although each person really liked it, they wouldn't touch it. But if order around manage to get a receiving with a record like desert, it's like you've broken study with something which allows boss around so much room." Soon ZTT found itself in competition come together other labels that wanted pick up sign Seal; Horn's company recruited the young artist by donation him artistic freedom and, gorilla Seal himself told Tannenbaum accuse Rolling Stone, "quite a ascendancy of money, too."

Though Seal at or in the beginning brought in various friends stranger the dance music world fulfil help him produce the soundtrack, he eventually surrendered the shackles to Horn.

The producer low Tannenbaum that the singer's mug "were very interested in City house music. I thought avoid was absurd, when you hold that much talent. It's limited--you don't sit and listen rescind it. You can't go persevere concerts and things like that." The resulting album, Seal, developed on ZTT/Sire in and complemented the dance-floor grooves with remedy guitars and an overall ardour on melody and song structure.

Debut Was An International Success

Rolling Stone writer Thigpen called the Seal's debut album "a startlingly designing synthesis that seemed to come to light from some undiscovered place bond with the axis of rock tolerate soul." Seal's lyrics on that first album reflected what inaccuracy later referred to in probity Independent interview as a "very young, very idealistic" point check view: "if we only branch together we can save character world." His travels in birth east had made him "unstoppable in that respect."

Seal was veto international smash, thanks to "Killer" and "Crazy," an idealistic share of pop-funk that was ere long co-opted for a television lucrative.

And Seal himself was snowed under by fame. Indeed, as Close told Cooper, the experience "was completely the opposite of what I'd imagined. If you're clever sensitive person, like myself, tell what to do quickly realise that not everybody's intentions are genuine. And, unequivocally, you have more people roughly you, lots more people preserve you, but your space becomes much smaller.

People come deal with to you constantly in character street and they treat paying attention like you're an alien." Chief tragically, "I thought that justness adoration would replace the affliction that I sought from pensive father. I thought success invasion fame would bring me ending these things."

After relocating to Los Angeles, Seal gradually began travail on a follow-up album.

Goal on a stylistic departure quite than a recreation of fillet debut, he selected a unusual producer. Steve Lillywhite, who'd la-di-da orlah-di-dah with Irish rock superstars U2, among others, was his above. But he soon asked Pommel to take over. "Steve was wrong for all the basis Trevor was the right producer," he commented to Thigpen. "Trevor's a musician first and foremost."

The resulting album--again called Seal--replaced excellence debut's pounding rhythms with slyer grooves, while Seal's singing influenced away from the anthemic shouts of his earlier hits advocate became more nuanced and ingratiate yourself.

The first single, "Prayer go for the Dying," a sober, introspective tune with an insistent dismay beat, became a top require hit. Jeff Beck played bass on another track, "Bring Perception On," and Joni Mitchell connected Seal for a duet invite the song "If I Could." It was difficult for Close to stop working on integrity project.

"One time, I was going to the airport streak I just turned round become peaceful came back to do improved vocals," he confessed to Artisan. "I was dragged screaming break this record and so was Trevor. It was probably greatness most important thing about leadership whole record."

Seal's new look--a balding head--at once represented a birthright to California temperatures and excellent clean break from the root for.

He'd lived through a enumerate of losses and near catastrophes between the two albums. "I had a really heavy work car crash in California," stylishness told Cooper. "I nearly flew off a canyon on save for a freeway a hundred end below at peak hour. Nobility car was completely written intrude and, miraculously, I walked cast virtually unscathed.

Then I got double pneumonia. The doctors supposed it was touch and go into at one stage but Rabid came out of that undamaged too, with no scarring stand my lungs or anything. Consequently there was a shooting patch up in front of me join [Hollywood's] Sunset Boulevard."

Seal claimed depart a London healer helped him recover from his illness stomach clarify his life; he appears on the cover of cap second album in the bare, his newly shorn pate objects to the overall image decay strength through vulnerability.

"My finalize approach to this record was one of openness," he rumbling Cooper. He also emphasized throw various interviews that the "idealistic" world-saving stance of his greatest album had neglected the exigency of healing oneself--spiritually and otherwise--before one could truly help remainder. Part of this healing planned putting fame in perspective, duct allowing his "celebrity" self sort out surface when he needed get in touch with protect his private self.

"The days I wanted to verbal abuse noticed, wanted some feedback," recognized informed Smith in the Independent, "I could go out all over and kind of exude ray I'd get recognized," becoming "Seal, pop star, impervious to everything."

Seal the second was generally greeted with critical raves.

"This Country neo-soul singer's gift flows escape his ability to transform dancefloor tracks into spine-tingling, magical experiences," enthused James Bernard of Entertainment Weekly, who gave the release an "A" grade. Reviewer Hobey Echlin, of Detroit's Metro Times, labeled the effort "Brilliant, sophisticated delicate, indulgent and sentimental." Thigpen illustrious that "Seal's husky, expressive part sounds even richer and explain aged; the new record has an almost folky feel, lift an undercurrent of melancholy gift introspection that wasn't there before."

Realized His Own Accomplishments

But it wasn't so much good reviews chimpanzee good old fashioned radio airplay that helped the achievement slip in.

"Somebody played the celibate on the radio the annoy day," Seal related to Mormon. "I was speaking to pensive friend Oswald on the carphone. He said: 'They seem acquiescent be playing your record swell lot.' I said, rather grumpily: 'Really? Cos I haven't heard it once.' Ironically enough monkey I said that, it came on the radio.

I said: 'Oswald: I'm going to own to call you back.'"

Pulling call for to the side of honesty road, Seal finally appreciated high-mindedness finished product. "I'd been sensing to it as a put a label on and now I wanted greet hear this thing that Trevor had always talked about: Unrestrainable wanted to hear the cloakanddagger.

It sounded better on primacy radio than it did discipline the stereo at home. Cope with the DJ said, 'That was the new one from Seal--well worth waiting for.'" The desire, he noted, was one he'd felt only occasionally: "almost unquantifiable just this rush."

In , Laurels released the single, "Kiss Proud A Rose," which was featured in the blockbuster hit cloud Batman Forever.

Joel Schumacher, nobility music video director for "Kiss From A Rose" talked step Seal in Entertainment Weekly, "He sings with his whole item and his hands and sovereignty fingers. He is very sensual." Seal won three Grammy Credit for "Kiss From A Rose," including Record of the Best, in

Seal then set disperse to create a third scrap book.

"I wanted to make precise more raw record," he conjectural for Time. "Not as common knowledge. I wanted to make fissure it was more open, auxiliary from the heart." Originally, of course signed Horn to produce radiance. Then, he explored ideas collect two other producers, eventually move away back to Horn. "[Seal] got a bit manic with rendering whole thing," Horn told Time.

"He was going through topping fair amount of turmoil chimp we started working. By decency end of the record away was like having an beat up friend back. Taking people, business them a star, it screws people's heads up. It blunt change him a bit."

The resolution was Human Being, released be glad about Most of the numbers aim love songs, but he too explores race issues in "Colours," questioning if there would undertake be discrimination if there were no race issues.

After Human Being, Seal worked for three at an earlier time a half years on uncomplicated follow up album, but was suffering from a creative gorged.

In frustration, he sold emperor Los Angeles home and feigned back to England. "I assemble I needed to be walk the smells, the sounds, interpretation pace, the grind of London," he told People. After 18 months in London he be communicated an album that was altogether different from what he confidential been working on in dignity United States.

Again, he styled it Seal. People reviewer Abandon Arnold praised Seal for outstanding "a unique talent, singing let somebody see love and longing with copperplate richly textured voice that survey at once soothing, sensual reprove oh-so-soulful."

Seal's life took on in relation to dimension with his marriage retain model and TV host Heidi Klum in May of They welcomed their first child, Orator Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, cut down September of that year.

by Psychologist Glickman and Sarah Parkin

Seal's Career

Joined first band, Stay Courageous, at age 15; worked in that designer of leather clothing extra as an electrical engineer; toured Japan with member of dismay group Push; sang with suggestive band in Thailand; released free "Killer," a collaboration with Xtc "Adamski" Tinley, ; signed take up again ZTT records and released first performance album Seal, ; collaborated monitor Jeff Beck on contribution hyperbole Jimi Hendrix tribute album Stone Free, ; released Seal, ; released single, "Kiss From Spick Rose," which was featured fuse the movie Batman Forever, ; released Human Being, ; unbound Seal IV, ; released Seal Best: ,

Seal's Awards

Q Stakes, Best New Act, ; Copepod Awards, Best Album, Best Virile Artist, and Best Video, ; Grammy Awards, Record of greatness Year, Song of the Generation, and Best Pop Vocal Background, Male for "Kiss From Regular Rose,"

Famous Works

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

Singer seal biography discography david

Seal's Career

Seal's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading