See Private Sessions exclusive photos of Seal.
Seal emerged from England's house music scene in the early '90s to become the most popular British soul vocalist of the decade. By the mid-'90s he had created a distinctive fusion of soul, folk, pop, dance, and rock that brought him success on both sides of the Atlantic. Now, he's back and visits host Lynn Hoffman of Private Sessions to discuss the anticipated release of his new album, System.
The son of Nigerian and Brazilian parents, Seal was raised in England. After graduating with an architectural degree, he took various jobs around London, including electrical engineering and designing leather clothing. Once he began singing in local clubs and bars, he joined an English funk band called Push, toured Japan with them in the mid-'80s and when he was in Asia, joined a Thailand-based blues band.
Upon returning to England, Seal met Adamski, a house and techno producer, and provided the lyrics and vocals for "Killer," which quickly became a number one hit in 1990. After its success, Seal signed a solo record contract and worked with famed producer Trevor Horn on his debut self-titled album. Its first single, "Crazy", was released in 1991 and quickly rose up the charts and became a number 15 hit in the U.K. and reached number 7 in the US. The album was also a hit, reaching number 24 in the US and selling over 3 million copies around the world.
In the summer of 1994, he released his eagerly awaited second album, which was also titled Seal which did well upon its release, peaking at number 20 and selling a million copies by the spring of 1995, but it really took off a year after its release, when "Kiss From a Rose" was featured on the soundtrack of the film Batman Forever. "Kiss from a Rose" became a number one pop single in the US and spent a total of 12 weeks at the top of the adult contemporary charts; the single spent a total of 45 weeks on the adult contemporary charts. Its success sent its parent album, Seal, into multi-platinum status and two years after its original release, the album had sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. alone. Human Being hit the shelves in 1998 with hit singles "Latest Craze" and "Lost My Faith" and Seal IV followed 5 years later with "Love's Divine" among others.
This morning, pop sensation Seal tells all – from his beginnings in the UK to winning his Grammy Awards to what his music means to him today. Plus, he performs "Amazing", "Dumb" and "Wedding Day" (a duet with his supermodel wife Heidi Klum) off his latest album System as well as his smash hits "Crazy" and "Kiss from a Rose".
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