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Seal
in Moscow, 2011
basic information
Birth name	Henry Olushegan Adeola Samuel
Date of Birth	February 19, 1963(1963-02-19)[1](age 56)
Place of Birth	Paddington, London, England, UK
A country	Great Britain
Professions	singer, songwriter, musician
Years of activity	1987 - present time
Singing voice	tenor
Tools	guitar, bass guitar
Genres	pop music[2], rhythm and blues[3] and soul[3]
Nicknames	Seal
Labels	ZTT, Sire, Warner Bros.
Awards	"Grammy"
seal.com
Audio, photo, video on Wikimedia Commons

Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel

(English: Henry Olusegun Adeola Samuel), better known under the pseudonym
Seal
(English: Seal; born February 19, 1963, London) is a British singer and songwriter, winner of three Grammy awards and several Brit Awards. He gained fame in the 1990s, releasing the songs “Killer”, “Crazy” and “Kiss from a Rose”, which became popular at the same time. Former husband of top German model Heidi Klum.

Biography[ | ]

Childhood[ | ]

Henry Olushegan Adeola Samuel was born on February 19, 1963 in Paddington, London. Seal's parents, Francis Samuel, a Brazilian of African descent, and Adebisi Samuel, a native of Nigeria, moved to England from Nigeria. Since they were both students and working at the time, they placed him in foster care in Essex shortly after their son was born. When Seal was four years old, his parents' marriage broke up, Adebishi took Seal back to live with her, and they lived in London for two years. Then, due to illness, the mother had to return back to Nigeria, and Seal remained to live with his father. He calls his childhood "harsh", mentioning that his father treated him poorly, and admits that this period greatly influenced who he is now.[4]

Seal was diagnosed with discoid lupus erythematosus as a child, and the characteristic scars on his face are a consequence of the disease.[4][5]

At 15, Seal dropped out of school and ran away from home. He graduated from the institute with a diploma in architecture.[4]

The beginning of a musical career[ | ]

After graduating from the institute, Seal often changes jobs, trying his hand at a variety of professions - from an electrical designer to a leather goods designer, and also works at McDonald's.[4] In the mid-1980s, after several attempts to earn money by singing in various clubs and bars, Seal went with the British punk band Push

on a tour of Japan. For some time, Seal traveled around Thailand with a blues band, and then went alone to India.[6]

Returning to England, Seal meets DJ and producer Adam Tinley, known as Adamski, and presents him with the lyrics to the song "Killer". For Seal, this song marked his first public performance as a vocalist. In May 1990, the single "Killer" topped the UK charts for four weeks and also peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart.

In 1991, Seal signed a contract with the record company ZTT Records and released his debut album entitled "". The album was produced by musician and producer Trevor Horn, who previously worked with Rod Stewart, and later with the projects Frankie Goes to Hollywood and ATB. The duo Wendy and Lisa also participated in the recording of the album. The debut album also included a re-recorded version of the song "Killer".

The album was released in June 1991 and was warmly received by critics, peaking at number 24 on the US charts and selling over three million copies worldwide.[6] The singles "Crazy", "Future Love Paradise" and their own version of the single "Killer" were high on the charts. In the US, the song "Crazy" became a hit, reaching number seven on the Billboard Music Charts.

and number 15 in the UK. At the 1992 Brit Awards, Seal wins the category "Best British Artist", the album "" receives the title of "Best British Album of the Year", and the video for the song "Killer" o.[7] The singer was also nominated for a Grammy in the categories “Best New Artist” and “Best Male Vocal,” but did not receive the award.[8] The video for the song "Crazy" received four nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. In November 1991, the singer's debut album received gold status in the United States.

Later, in an interview with The Independent, Seal spoke about his first album:

It was a very idealistic view of the world. The main slogan of that album could be considered something like: “if we unite, we will certainly save this world.” I had recently returned from a long trip to Asia and was full of grandiose plans for remaking the world.[9]
Original text (English)
This was very young, very idealistic point of view: “if we only stick together we can save the world.” I'd just come back from a longtrip to Asia and I was unstoppable in that respect.

Success[ | ]

Despite the success and fame that had come, Sil began a difficult period in his life - frequent stress and illness, a car accident.[9]

Together with guitarist Jeff Beck in 1993, Seal recorded a cover version of the song "Manic Depression", which was included in the album "Stone Free: A Tribute To Jimi Hendrix" and was also released as a single.[4]

The singer released his second album, which was named the same as the first - “”, in the summer of 1994. For clarity, the second album is often referred to as "Seal II". The album cover featured a silhouette of Seal against a white background, sitting with his head bowed and his arms spread up behind his back. This image was later used several times for Seal's album covers, as well as for his greatest hits compilation "".

Already in August, the album received gold status, and in January of the following year - platinum disc status. Two songs from the album, "" and "Newborn Friend", were released as singles. The album received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album of the Year, and Seal was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his performance of "Prayer for the Dying".

The third single, "Kiss from a Rose", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995[10] and spent four weeks at number one.[11] Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher later decided to use composition on the film soundtrack. The single was re-released and a new video was shot to support it, which was nominated for the MTV Movie Awards as "Best Video from a Film".[12] The song "Kiss from a Rose" was written by Seal back in 1988.[9][13]

At the 1996 Grammy Awards, “Kiss from a Rose” won two awards: “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year,” and the singer won the “Best Male Pop Vocal” category.

Seal records a cover version of the Steve Miller Band's "Crazy", adding some of the lyrics to his song "Crazy". His version of "Fly Like an Eagle" was used in the film "" starring Michael Jordan. The composition performed by Seal reached 13th place in the UK charts and 10th place in the USA.

In 1998, Seal released his next album entitled "". In an interview with the magazine, Seal said that the sad mood of the title track of the new album “Human Beings” was inspired by the death of rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious BIG [14]. The album was certified gold two months after its release. Three singles were later released: "Human Beings", "Latest Craze", and "Lost My Faith".

2000s[ | ]

In 2001, the release of a fourth album entitled “Togetherland” was announced. However, its release was cancelled, and the album's material was released as a single.

Two years later, in 2003, Seal released his fourth album, for the third time named after the singer - “”. Only in Australia the album was released under the name "Seal IV". Seal says the following about working on the album:

Many claim that it took 5 years to record the album. I don't agree with this. I worked on this album twice. The first time it all started 4.5 years ago and took 2 years, but then I decided that the songs weren't good enough. This was not what I was aiming for. So, I erased everything that was written down and started over again.[15]
Original text (English)
People are saying it's taken five years to make an album, but I disagree with that a little bit. I made the album twice. It started four and a half years ago, and I got two years into it and decided that it wasn't good enough, that it wasn't what I needed to be doing. So I scrapped that and started again.[16]

Seal live in Frankfurt, Germany, 2006
However, the album's sales failed to reach the level of Seal's previous works.

The following year, Seal released his greatest hits album "".

In June 2005, Seal recorded a special concert, which was released in 2006 under the title "". Recorded live in Düsseldorf, Germany with orchestra and choir accompaniment, the disc contains a version of Brahms' "Lullaby" performed by Seal in German.

Seal has performed live twice at the world-famous Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Current projects[ | ]

Force at a concert in Porto Alegre, May 2008
The album "" was released in November 2007. Seal described it as more danceable, somewhat of a return to the style of his first album. Seal performed the song “Wedding Day” as a duet with his wife Heidi Klum. The album's first single, "Amazing", was released in September 2007 and was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Male Pop Vocal category.[17]

Personal life[ | ]

Seal and Heidi Klum at the 59th Emmy Awards
In 1996, Seal dated American model and actress Tyra Banks. Their romance ended in October 2003.[18]

In 2004, in New York, Seal met German top model Heidi Klum. They became engaged in December, and the couple married on May 10, 2005. The wedding ceremony took place in Mexico.

Seal and Heidi are raising four children: two daughters - Helen (biological father - Italian businessman, Formula 1 manager Flavio Briatore) and Lou Sulola Samuel (b. October 9, 2009), as well as two sons - Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel (born Henry Günther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, born September 12, 2005) and Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel, born November 22, 2006.[19][20]

On January 21, 2012, it became known that Heidi was filing for divorce due to irreconcilable differences. However, the singer does not remove the rings, explaining that he “still loves Heidi.”[21]

Strength

British singer and songwriter, winner of three Grammy music awards and several Brit Awards.

KinoPoisk: https://www.kinopoisk.ru/name/612664 IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0780499 Official website: https://www.seal.com

Seal's parents, Francis Samuel, a Brazilian of African descent, and Adebisi Samuel, a native of Nigeria, moved to England from Nigeria. Since they were both students and working at the time, they placed him in foster care in Essex shortly after their son was born. When Seal was four years old, his parents' marriage broke up, Adebishi took Seal back to live with her, and they lived in London for two years. Then, due to illness, the mother had to return back to Nigeria, and Seal remained to live with his father. He calls his childhood "harsh", mentioning that his father treated him poorly, and admits that this period greatly influenced who he is now.

As a child, Seal was diagnosed with discoid lupus erythematosus; the characteristic scars on his face are a consequence of the disease.

At 15, Seal dropped out of school and ran away from home. He graduated from the institute with a diploma in architecture.

After graduating from the institute, Seal often changed jobs, trying his hand at a variety of professions - from an electrical designer to a leather goods designer, and also worked at McDonald's. In the mid-1980s, after several attempts to earn money by singing in various clubs and bars, Seal went on tour with the British punk band Push in Japan. For some time, Seal traveled around Thailand with a blues band, and then went alone to India.

In 1991, Seal signed a contract with the record company ZTT Records and released his debut album entitled “Seal”. The album was produced by musician and producer Trevor Horn, who previously worked with Rod Stewart, and later with the projects Frankie Goes to Hollywood and ATB. The duo Wendy and Lisa also participated in the recording of the album. The debut album also included a re-recorded version of the song "Killer".

The album was released in June 1991 and was warmly received by critics, peaked at number 24 on the US charts and sold over three million copies worldwide. The singles "Crazy", "Future Love Paradise" and their own version of the single "Killer" were high on the charts. In the US, "Crazy" became a hit, peaking at number seven on the Billboard Music Charts and number 15 in the UK. At the 1992 Brit Awards, Seal won the category “Best British Artist”, the album “Seal” received the title “Best British Album of the Year”, and the video for the song “Killer” by Fr. The singer was also nominated for a Grammy in the categories “Best New Artist” and “Best Male Vocal,” but did not receive the award. The video for the song "Crazy" received four nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards. In November 1991, the singer's debut album received gold status in the United States.

Despite the success and fame that had come, Sil began a difficult period in his life - frequent stress and illness, a car accident.

The singer released his second album, which was named the same as the first - “Seal”, in the summer of 1994. For clarity, the second album is often referred to as "Seal II". The album cover featured a silhouette of Seal against a white background, sitting with his head bowed and his arms spread up behind his back. The image was later used several times for Seal's album covers, as well as for his greatest hits compilation, Best 1991-2004.

Already in August, the album received gold status, and in January of the following year - platinum disc status. Two songs from the album, "Prayer for the Dying" and "Newborn Friend", were released as singles. The album received Grammy nominations for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album of the Year, and Seal was nominated for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for his performance of "Prayer for the Dying".

The third single, "Kiss from a Rose", peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1995 and spent four weeks at number one on the ARC Weekly Top 40. Batman Forever director Joel Schumacher later decided to use the song in soundtrack to the film. The single was re-released and a new video was shot to support it, which was nominated for the MTV Movie Awards as “Best Video from a Film.” The song “Kiss from a Rose” itself was written by Seal back in 1988.

At the 1996 Grammy Awards, “Kiss from a Rose” won two awards: “Song of the Year” and “Record of the Year,” and the singer won the “Best Male Pop Vocal” category.

Seal records a cover of the Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle", adding some of the lyrics from his song "Crazy". His version of "Fly Like an Eagle" was used in the movie "Space Jam" starring Michael Jordan. The composition performed by Seal reached 13th place in the UK charts and 10th place in the USA.

In 1998, Seal released his next album entitled “Human Being”. In an interview with Yahoo! Music magazine, Seal said that the sad mood of the title track of the new album “Human Beings” was inspired by the death of rappers Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. The album was certified gold two months after its release. Three singles were later released: "Human Beings", "Latest Craze", and "Lost My Faith".

In 2001, the release of a fourth album entitled “Togetherland” was announced. However, its release was cancelled, and the album's material was released as a single.

Two years later, in 2003, Seal released his fourth album, for the third time named after the singer - “Seal”. Only in Australia the album was released under the name "Seal IV".

The following year, Seal released his greatest hits album, Best 1991–2004.

In June 2005, Seal recorded a special concert, which was released on CD in 2006 under the title "One Night to Remember". Recorded live at the Altes Kesselhaus (Dusseldorf, Germany) with orchestra and choir accompaniment, the disc contains a version of Brahms' Lullaby, which Seal performed in German.

Seal has performed live twice at the world-famous Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

In 2004, in New York, Seal met German top model Heidi Klum. They became engaged in December, and the couple married on May 10, 2005. The wedding ceremony took place in Mexico. Seal and Heidi have four children: two daughters and two sons. On January 21, 2012, it became known that Heidi was filing for divorce due to irreconcilable differences. However, the singer does not remove the rings, explaining that he “still loves Heidi.”

Discography[ | ]

date of release	Name	Label	Sales	Chart positions	Certification
1991	ZTT Records, Sire Records	3 million
1994	ZTT Records, Sire Records
1998	Warner Bros.
2001	Togetherland	was not published
2003	Warner Bros.
2004	Warner Bros. Records
2005
2006
2007	Warner Bros. Records
2008	Warner Bros. Records
2010	Warner Bros. Records
2011	Reprise Records
2015	Warner Bros. Records
2017	Standard

Awards and nominations[ | ]

Awards[ | ]

1991 - “Q Award” (annual music award of the magazine “”
) - “Best New Act”[22]
1992 - Brit Awards - "Best British Performer"
1992 - Brit Awards - “Best British Album of the Year” (album “”)
1992 - Brit Awards - “Best British Video of the Year” (video for the song “Killer”)
1995 - Grammy Award - Record of the Year (“Kiss from a Rose”)
1995 - Grammy Award - “Song of the Year” (“Kiss from a Rose”)
1995 - Grammy Award - “Best Male Pop Vocal” (“Kiss from a Rose”)
1996 - Award - Best Song for a Film (“Batman Forever”, composition “Kiss From a Rose”)
2004 - German media award ""[23]

Nominations[ | ]

1991 - nomination for the MTV Video Music Awards in the categories “Best New Artist”, “Best Special Effects”, “Best Editing” and “Breakthrough of the Year” (clip for the song “Crazy”)
1991 - Grammy nomination in the categories “Best New Artist” and “Best Male Vocal” (“Crazy”)
1994 - Grammy nomination in the categories "Album of the Year", "Best Pop Album of the Year" and "Best Male Pop Vocal" ("Prayer For The Dying")
1996 - nomination for the MTV Movie Awards in the category “Best Video from a Film” (the film “Batman Forever”, the composition “Kiss From a Rose”)
2007 - nomination for a Golden Globe Award in the category “Best Song” (film “The Pursuit of Happyness,” composition “A Father’s Way”)
2007 - Grammy nomination in the category “Best Male Vocal” (single “Amazing”)

Personal life

Due to the singer’s secretive personal life, it is unknown whether he has a girlfriend. Fans of Hovannii claim that the musician is in a relationship. The performer denied these rumors and indicated that he was not married. Hayek Hovhannisyan shares detailed information about musical events and everyday life on the social network Vkontakte and the photo sharing service Instagram. The Contractor maintains its accounts independently and does not hire additional administrators. The musician publishes notes about upcoming concerts and posters of new compositions.

Hovannii interacts with the audience by responding to comments from its subscribers. He accepts constructive criticism and takes into account the opinions of his listeners. In his free time from his musical career, the singer plays sports. He enjoys playing ball games, spending time with his family, and performing at private events with other famous people. On June 29, he gave a concert at the Moscow restaurant “Papa Carlo”, performing together with the Russian musician Vahram Vazyan.

Sorry, there are no surveys available at this time.

The performer organizes paid performances at private events and public holidays. The concerts are organized by Hovannii manager Ilnur Gainullin. To clarify organizational issues, you must contact the musician’s representative by phone, WhatsApp messenger or email. You must first indicate the conditions, location of the performance and name the performer’s fee.

Hovannii's biography goes back 23 years, but the singer was able to acquire a large fan base and became one of the most popular performers of the summer of 2020 in the Russian Federation and the CIS. Now the singer is writing remixes and preparing to tour Russian cities.

Notes[ | ]

SNAC - 2010. https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:P3430″>https://wikidata.org/wiki/Track:Q29861311″>
https://www.vh1.com/celebrity/2012-01-25/seal-and-heidi-klum-doomed-to-split-or-destined-to-reunite/
↑ 12
https://www.mtv.com/artists/seal/
↑ 12345
Biography of Seal (English) on the Richard De La Font Agency website Archived May 9, 2008 on the Wayback Machine Retrieved May 18, 2008
Interview: Seal picture (English). AskMen.com. — interview with Seal. Retrieved May 18, 2008. Archived March 13, 2012.
↑ 1 2 Stephen Thomas Erlewine.
Seal - Biography (English) (unavailable link -
history
).
AllMusic
. Retrieved May 18, 2008. (inaccessible link)
Brit Awards Winners 1992 Archived 12 May 2008. (English) - data on the official website of the award Retrieved May 18, 2008
List of Grammy Award nominees in 1992 (English) Retrieved May 18, 2008
↑ 1 2 3 Elena Kaydalova.
SEAL: History
(undefined)
. music.com.ua (November 2003). - biography of the singer. Retrieved May 18, 2008. Archived March 13, 2012.
The Billboard Hot 100 1995 (English) Retrieved May 18, 2008
THE ARC weekly TOP 40 Archives: September 2, 1995 (English) Retrieved May 19, 2008
1996 Movie Awards Winners anf Nominees (English) Retrieved May 19, 2008
Robin Finn.
AT LUNCH WITH: Seal;From a Crucible Of Early Pain Comes the Gold Of Stardom (English). The New-York Times (June 5, 1996). Retrieved May 21, 2008. Archived March 13, 2012.
Dave DiMartino.
Seal With A Kiss (English) (unavailable link).
Yahoo!
Music (07/20/1999). Retrieved May 18, 2008. Archived June 5, 2005.
Article “The Long-Awaited Seal” Archived February 16, 2009. on the MTV Russia website Retrieved May 18, 2008
Alicia Quarles.
For one-name British singer, new album a long time coming (English) (inaccessible link -
history
). The Associated Press (10/31/2003). Retrieved May 18, 2008. (inaccessible link)
List of nominees and winners for the 50th Grammy Awards Archived February 13, 2009. (English) Retrieved May 19, 2008
Biography of Tyra Banks
Mila Kravchuk
Seal and Heidi Klum
gave birth to
a boy
(unspecified)
(November 24, 2006). Retrieved January 7, 2010. Archived March 13, 2012.
Sarah Michaud
Heidi Klum & Seal Welcome a Daughter (English) (12 October 2009). Retrieved January 7, 2010. Archived March 13, 2012.
Heidi Klum to File for Divorce From Seal | TMZ.com
List of Q Award winners 1990–2004 (English)
A Selection of international BAMBI-Award-Winners (English) Retrieved May 18, 2008