Seal resurfaced in 1994 after a time out of the public eye, with one visible difference: his hair, quite prominent at the release of his first album, was shorn. None of his charm or talent went with the hair. People continued to swoon in the aisles at his performances, and the songs, though more tinged with loss, continued to be loved by critics and listeners. And he appeared in a sweepingly shot video by the director of "Batman Forever."

Early Years

The British pop sensation was born to a Brazilian father and a Nigerian mother in Paddington, England on February 19, 1963. His name is a fusion of both Brazilian and British culture. In Brazilian culture the honor of naming the first male child is given to the grandparents; who favored the name Seal. Despite this custom, his parents, fascinated by British royalty, wanted to name him Henry. A compromise was made and Sealhenry Samuel was introduced to the world. Eventually he was known simply as Seal.

The singer and songwriter spent his infant years with a guardian away from his family. After four years he was reunited with his family and continued to grow up with his older sister and four younger siblings in a section of northwest London called Kilburn.

As a child, Seal was introduced to pain, a subject that flavors his music.
His experience with lupus, a physical disorder, has left the recognizable facial scar. His life changed when his mother was forced to leave the country and left Seal in his father's custody. He experienced the pain of child abuse, until he decided to runaway at the age of 15.

Seal's early move into the adult world was tough. He survived on "the dole", the British equivalent to welfare, and by putting up call-girl ads in telephone booths.
His tough entrance seemed to pan out when he and friend, club producer and DJ, Adamski, recorded the dance record "Killer" in 1990. This began the rise of his career; "Killer" climbed the British charts and did not stop until it reached number 1.

Seal (1991)

After the success of "Killer", Seal, along with a group of talented musicians, including Wendy and Lisa (formerly of Prince's Revolution), recorded "Seal" (1991) with Trevor Horn as the producer. One critic reflected , "with a smooth, clear voice somewhere between soul and rock, and looks and charisma to spare, he was hailed, instantly and loudly as a new British pop sensation." Seal's critically acclaimed debut album created an instant worldwide sensation and made him a household name throughout England.

Trevor Horn is no stranger to producing successful albums. He had previously produced albums for such artists as Rod Stewart, Art of Noise, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and ABC. When first approached to work on the project, Horn was intimidated by Seal's physical stature, but their passion for music has allowed the two to grow close musically and personally. Seal remarks, "what I did not take into consideration was the rapport that Trevor and I had built up during and after the first album, and that he and I were both thinking along the same lines. He is in my opinion the only producer for me."

Seal produced the hit singles "Crazy" and "Killer" and sold a million copies in the United States and millions more overseas. It was described in Rolling Stone as "urgent and richly detailed... intertwining Motown, British glam rock, and Chicago house music." "Seal" exudes a fresh idealistic view of the world, what the artist calls the "if we only stick together we can save the world thing".

The success of "Seal" caused another change in the life of this level- headed vocalist. Not fully prepared for his new-found fame, he credits his friends for helping him adjust from obscurity to popularity. "People around me helped me through it, my best friend Paul and my manager, and a couple of romances. Personal modification was needed for the man who suffered from anxiety attacks and lived by modest means.

Change and pain, two recurring themes in Seal's life emerged once again, this time in New York City. "Prayer for the Dying" is a classic Seal song where change proceeds from hurt:
"Harsh words spoken,/And lives are broken./ Forceful ageing,/ Help me I'm fading./ Heaven's waiting, /It's time to move on."
In the spring of 1992, he went to have his palm read and was told that he would soon face a series of personal trials. Not giving the prediction much thought, he continued with his daily life and went to California to begin recording his next project. A short interval later Seal was diagnosed with pneumonia which progressed into double pneumonia. After recovering, Seal accidentally lost control of his car, driving off a LA road and into two telephone poles. Sometime later, a health threat returned as he was informed that he was suffering from post-viral fatigue.

Seal (1994)

These personal trials did not deter Seal as an artist or person, but served as a catalyst for his upcoming projects. Once again he set the tone for his anticipated return. He replaced the producer of his sophomore project and returned to Trevor Horn. With the team who produced his debut reunited, a new image and a new attitude, Seal recorded "Seal" (1994) (same name as his debut album); Seal says the album was a "manifestation of lots of personal battles with myself, with my health, state of mind and coming to terms with the things happening around me."

Seal and his team took a different approach to the more recent "Seal." According to Seal the difference is "a hint of realism" not found on the first album. With lyrics flavored by the painful experiences of his three-time bout with death, and the extensive usage of the depth of his vocal range, "Seal" produced the singles "Prayer for the Dying", "Kiss From A Rose", "Newborn Friend", and "I'm Alive". His unique style has not gone unnoticed, a Program Director at a D.C. radio station comments on it's success; "It appeals to everyone, because Seal doesn't adapt his music to any format. He's being himself, rather than trying to fit in somewhere."

"Seal" afforded Seal the opportunity to once again collaborate with Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman, and guitarist Jeff Beck. But the real pleasure for Seal was working with his musical influence, Joni Mitchell. Their mutual appreciation has grown since Seal's declaration of admiration was reinforced in an interview after his live performance at the 1992 Grammys. "The best thing that came out of the Grammys was that I did an interview for the LA Times and for the umpteenth time I said I really like Joni Mitchell and reeled off this whole piece why." Joni Mitchell responded with a note and flowers, and now they sing together on the cut "If I Could." Seal says he finds in Mitchell's lyrics and phrasings great inspiration for his own music.

Joel Schumacher, director of "Batman Forever" says that as soon as he heard the single "Kiss From A Rose" he knew that it fit the movie. "Kiss From A Rose" is part of the movie soundtrack and has been re-released on the "Batman Forever" soundtrack. This move proved to be successful for the soundtrack, the re-released single and for Seal as well. As a added pleasure, Schumacher directed the video, which features excerpts from the movie along with the over six-foot Seal exuding musical masculinity.

Seal recently wrapped up an American tour with Des'ree in San Antonio,Texas. According to critics, he's doing quite well. A review in the New York Times states "Seal... captures that new mood of somber revelry, a mixture of hope and mourning... Seal and his producer Trevor Horn, have devised a combination of Peter Gabriel's imposing melodrama and Sade's romantic haze...
The arrangements are rich and reverberant." As is the atmosphere of promise around Seal's musical career.