Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel (born February 19, 1963 in Paddington, London, England) is an English soul singer and songwriter. He is professionally known only by his first name, Seal. He won three Grammy Awards for his 1995 single "Kiss from a Rose".

As the vocalist on the Adamski single "Killer", Seal became a hot property when the single reached number one in 1990 in the UK. Like many other Adamski tracks, the single was also a hit in night clubs. Seal subsequently signed to ZTT Records and released his debut album (produced by Trevor Horn), titled Seal, in 1991. Two versions of the album are known to be in circulation: the original "premix" version and a second, more common version with an updated mix. This is attributed to the demand for a produced single rushing the final album edit, and as Seal puts it, his and producer Horn's "inability to let go." The album was positively received by critics and the singles "Crazy", "Future Love Paradise", and his own rendition of "Killer" from the album all performed well on the charts, with "Crazy" becoming a big worldwide hit, reaching the number one in several countries.

His second album, also eponymous, was released in 1994. A critical success, the album featured the singles "Prayer for the Dying" and "Newborn Friend", receiving a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. A third single, "Kiss from a Rose", performed modestly when released but was later featured in the film Batman Forever which resulted in its worldwide success. It went on to win Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year in 1996 and became Seal's best performing single in the US market. Later, he recorded a cover of Steve Miller Band's "Fly Like an Eagle" for the soundtrack of the film Space Jam, which was again a hit.

Four years after the release of his previous album, in 1998, Seal released Human Being. The album was the product of a turbulent time in his life, including a split and later reconciliation with producer Horn as well as Seal's parting with ZTT Records and his signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1997. The record was critically panned upon its release. However, it received Gold record certification by the RIAA just two months after its release date. The album provided three singles, "Human Beings", "Latest Craze", and "Lost My Faith".

In 2001, fans awaited the arrival of a new album, announced as Togetherland. However, after a protracted post-production period the album was cancelled in its entirety. The official word was that Seal simply didn't think it made the grade, although this conflicts with other reports that said the album was turned down by the label, which felt that it wouldn't be commercially successful. Although one single was released from the album. "This Could Be Heaven" was released in the US and featured on theFamily Man soundtrack. Since December 2006, Seal has been indicating that, while still feeling the album as a whole is "not worthy", he plans to excerpt certain cuts fromTogetherland and make them available for streaming download.

Meanwhile, Seal made something of a comeback in dance and club scene when he co-wrote and provided vocals for the hit single "My Vision" from Jakatta in 2002.

In 2003, Seal released his fourth album, which was again self-titled, except for Australia, where it was released under Seal IV. Although it did not sell as much as either of his first two albums, this release brought him back into the public eye in the United States and continental Europe. Singles from the album included "Waiting For You", "Get It Together", and "Love's Divine" (released in 2004, and a big hit in several European countries).

In 2004, a greatest hits album entitledSeal: Best 1991-2004 was released, including a cover of the Bacharach / David classic "Walk on By" and a cover of Echo and the Bunnymen 's song "Lips Like Sugar". Also in 2004, Seal performed a couple of shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France. The July 6, 2004 show was recorded and released about one year after as CD/DVD package, simply titled Live In Paris.

In June 2005, Seal recorded a special concert which was subsequently released in 2006 entitled One Night To Remember as CD/DVD whereby the DVD includes a special "the making of" documentary in addition to the live performance. Recorded in a historic steel mill, theAltes Kesselhaus ('old boiler house'), in Dusseldorf, Germany, this 16-track package includes a special version of Brahms'Lullaby which Seal sings in German and then in English for the exclusive audience. Unusually, he is accompanied by his band, and a full orchestra comprised of 52 musicians and singers. This CD/DVD is not yet available in the USA.

During his 2007 spring tour, Seal announced his new album,System, to be released in October 2007. He said it would be more dance-oriented, apparently a return to the roots of his first album.

Seal married German supermodel Heidi Klum on May 10, 2005, on a beach in Mexico. Seal and Heidi have three children, daughter Helene "Leni" Klum (biological father is Flavio Briatore), and sons, Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel, born September 12, 2005 and Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel, born November 22, 2006.

Seal's younger brother, Jeymes Samuel, is also a singer and musician.

Sade was born in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. Her parents, Bisi Adu, a Nigerian lecturer in economics of Yoruba background, and Anne Hayes, an English nurse, met in London and moved to west Africa. Later, when the marriage ran into difficulties, Anne returned to Clacton-on-Sea, Essex, England, taking four-year-old Sade and her older brother Banji to live with her parents. Living in Colchester, Essex, Sade read a good deal, developed an interest in fashion, acquired a taste for dancing and with pleasure listened to soul artists like Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway and Marvin Gaye.

In 1977 Sade arrived in London for a three-year course in fashion design at St. Martin's College. On graduating, she set up a small fashion company, making mens' clothes, in London's Chalk Farm, with a friend, Gioia Mellor. She also found work as a photographic model.

Her first foray into the music business came about this time, as a member of a short-lived Latin-soul group named Arriva. It was as a member of Arriva that she first performed the song "Smooth Operator," which would eventually become her first US hit. This song was co-written by guitarist/bassist Ray St. John. Shortly thereafter, she joined St. John's band Pride, which also included guitarist Stuart Matthewman, bassist Paul Denman, and drummer Paul Anthony Cook. Ray St. John left Pride soon afterwards, later resurfacing in the UK indie band Halo James; the other four members then formed a splinter group, the eponymously-named "Sade" and began to write their own material. Keyboardist Andrew Hale joined the band as a keyboard player in mid-1983, and in 1983 she signed a solo deal with Epic Records and sister imprint Portrait Records for the US and Canada. All of the Sade albums are Sony Music releases.

In 1985 Sade appeared in the film Absolute Beginners, directed by Julian Temple. She played singer Athene Duncannon, performing "Killer Blow," co-written by her with Simon Booth of soul/jazz band Working Week.

In 1986 Sade moved to Madrid, Spain. On 11 October 1989, in the old castle Vinuelas in Madrid, she married Carlos Scola, a Spanish film-maker. However, the marriage was short-lived, and afterwards Sade returned to London. In the mid-1990s Sade moved to Ocho Rios, Jamaica, where she lived with Bob Morgan, a Jamaican producer. On 21 July 1996 she gave birth to her daughter Ila.

In 1997 Sade was cited for dangerous driving and disobeying a police officer in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Later a Jamaican court issued an arrest warrant for Sade after she failed to appear in court to face charges, but medical proof of her daughter's hospitalization allowed the arrest warrant to be stayed. In 2005, Sade recorded a new track, "Mum," which she performed at the Voices For Darfur charity concert on 8 December 2004 at the Royal Albert Hall in London, to raise awareness and funding for the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

Throughout her career, she has generally stayed out of the headlines, and shunned publicity. Though not viewed as a superstar, she has maintained a loyal fanbase, and enjoys solid record sales whenever a new one is released.

Part of Sade's backup band continued the Sade style and are now known as Sweetback.