Seal was born Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel. "Olusegen" means "god is victorious." His parents are both immigrants of Nigerian and Brazilian descent.
Despite various rumors, the scars on Seal's face are the result of a type of lupus called discoid lupus erythematosus, a condition that specifically affects the skin above the neck. When his kids were little, he told them they were battle scars from fighting evil demons.
Seal proposed to supermodel Heidi Klum in a quinzhee, which was made by hollowing out a pile of snow that has already settled. It was built on a glacier in Whistler, British Columbia. The two married on May 10, 2005 on Mexico's Costa Careyes near Seal's home. Of his marriage, Seal revealed, "Each year, Heidi and I get remarried. It's a great party, but for about an hour, we go off on our own down to a private beach. We sit there with the kids and read vows to each other as the sun sets. It's a very special moment to us."
The good times didn't last: The couple split in 2012 and their divorce was finalized in 2014.
When referring to his music, Seal has been quoted as saying, "My songs are like kids, I love them all, I encourage them to grow, to reach their full potential, and then send them out into the world. " He added, "If you get too comfortable, then the listener gets too comfortable and everyone's bored."
Seal has identified Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder and Jimi Hendrix as key influences.
Seal performed the duet "Wedding Day" with his wife Heidi Klum at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in 2007. Other performers included the Spice Girls and wil.i.am from The Black Eyed Peas.
Seal's 2001 album, Togetherland, was never released. The official cause was that Seal just didn't think the album was up to his standards. Other reports say that the record label turned down the album because they didn't think it would be commercially successful. However, one single from the album, "This Could Be Heaven," was released as a single and also appeared in the Nicholas Cage film, The Family Man.
Seal had impressive head of hair but shaved it off in 1994 because he got tired of his dreadlocks. He never grew it back, maintaining his shiny dome by shaving it once every three days.
It was Mr. Wren, a primary school teacher, who initially inspired Seal to pursue singing. He gave him his earliest opportunity to showcase his talent when he sang Johnny Nash's "
I Can See Clearly Now" in front of his parents at a school concert when he was just 11 years old.
As a teenager, Seal regarded his singing ability primarily as a hobby and a party trick rather than a true calling. He eventually left home, gained a two-year diploma in architecture, and briefly considered pursuing a career in fashion design. It was a girlfriend he had when he was 23 who persuaded Seal that his true potential lay elsewhere.
"She heard me sing for the first time and took me straight down to Tottenham Court Road, bought me a drum machine and Portastudio recorder, gave me a clip round the ear and said: get on with it, stop wasting your time,"
he told The Guardian. "I didn't want to hear it, but it is one of the most sound pieces of advice I ever had."
Seal is a devoted tennis player. He incorporates his training sessions into his routine to maintain his physical and mental fitness.
"Tennis is an allegory for life. A lot of the time, a tennis player is competing against themselves, not the other person," he said. "You have to work daily on your technique and you have to go through the repetition in order to let go. It's the same as singing, where technique is only there to prevent the body from interfering with the soul's free expression. When I walk up to the mic and open my mouth, I'm letting go and trusting that I will be caught by the hours of preparation that I have put in. I am trying to relinquish control."
Seal's son Henry followed in the footsteps of his mom, Heidi Klum, and became a model. He made his runway debut at Paris Fashion Week in 2025.
