Seal

Born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel on February 19th, 1963 in London, England, singer-songwriter Seal shot up to the top of the charts the old-fashioned way: through superior songwriting, polished production, and the discipline and dedication required to survive and succeed in the music industry. Seal's lineage can be traced to Nigerian, Brazilian and Afro-Caribbean roots; it is thus no surprise that his music transcends genres and appeals to a wide array of listeners.

While his first performance came at the tender age of 11, he navigated through peaks -- but mainly valleys -- through Asia, only to return to England in the early 1990s. Hooking up with producer Trevor Horn, Seal recorded his debut album in LA, which went on to sell 3.5 million copies worldwide.

At the 1992 BRIT Awards, he cleaned house with his album Seal 1991. He earned more accolades for his second album in 1994 (Seal 1994). By 1995's Grammy Awards, Seal had firmly established himself as a force to be reckoned with, walking away with Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance.

After a brief hiatus in North America, Seal is back with a vengeance and a new album called Seal IV.