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Seal
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Seal, in full Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel, is a British singer, songwriter and producer, born in 1963 in London to a Nigerian mother and a Brazilian father. He grew up in foster families in Westminster and trained in architecture. In the 1980s he sang in clubs and bars, joined the funk band Push in 1987 and toured Japan and Thailand. After that he travelled alone through India.
Music and breakthrough
His breakthrough came with Killer, a song by the producer Adamski on which he sang and which reached number 1 in the United Kingdom. He signed with ZTT Records and in 1991 released his debut album Seal, produced by Trevor Horn. It included Crazy and Killer. Crazy became an international hit in 1991. In 1992 he won three Brit Awards. The second album, also called Seal, appeared in 1994 and contains Prayer for the Dying and Kiss from a Rose. That last song later became far better known through the film Batman Forever. Human Being, Seal IV, System, Soul and Standards followed, among others. He won two Ivor Novello Awards and four Grammys.
Influence
Seal combines a warm, raw voice with pop, soul and dance. His first records show the sound of the producer Trevor Horn, who remained active after the 1980s, including for Seal and the Russian duo t.A.T.u. In School of Rock Seal therefore appears in the story of Horn.
Listening
Discography
Studio albums
- 1991Seal
- 1994Seal
- 1998Human Being
- 2001A Game of Chants
- 2003Seal IV
- 2007System
- 2008Soul
- 20106: Commitment
- 2011Soul 2
- 20157
- 2017Standards
- 2025ARIA Original Soundtrack Deluxe Edition (soundtrack)
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 7: The 1980sNL Reader