Seal
Seal in Hannover, Germany 2011
Background information
Birth name	Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel
Born	(1963-02-19) 19 February 1963 (age 49)
Origin	Paddington, London, England
Genres	Soul, R&B, adult contemporary, soft rock, pop
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass guitar
Years active	1989–present
Labels	ZTT, Sire, Warner Bros., Reprise
Website	http://www.seal.com

Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel (born 19 February 1963 in Paddington, London, England), popularly known simply as Seal, is a British soul and R&B singer-songwriter, of Nigerian and Brazilian background.^[1] Seal has won numerous music awards throughout his career, including three Brit Awards—winning Best British Male in 1992, four Grammy Awards, and an MTV Video Music Award.^[2][3] Seal is known for his numerous international hits; the best known being "Kiss from a Rose", which appeared in the soundtrack to the 1995 film Batman Forever. He has sold more than 20 million albums worldwide.^[4] He is a coach on The Voice Australia.

Early life[link]

Seal Henry Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel was born on 19 February 1963 in Paddington, London, England. He is the son of Adebisi and Francis Samuel.^[5][6] His mother is Nigerian, while his father is Brazilian. Seal's name, Olusegun, means "God is victorious" in the Yoruba language.^[7] He was raised in a district of the City of Westminster in inner London by his foster family. He received a two-year diploma, or associate's degree, in architecture and worked in various jobs in the London area.^[8] Although there have long been rumours as to the cause of the scars on his face, they are in fact the result of a type of Lupus called Discoid lupus erythematosus – a condition that specifically affects the skin above the neck.^{[9][10][11][12]}

Music career[link]

Early career[link]

After a short time singing in local clubs and bars, in the 1980s, he joined Push, a British funk band, and toured with them in Japan. In Asia he joined a blues band in Thailand for a while before separating from the group and journeying throughout India on his own. Seal returned to England, sleeping on the couch of friend Julian Bunster, then a model. He sometimes asked him "Do I sing well?"; to which he often received the response that he sang better than most current artists. His break came when he met the producer Adamski. He was given the lyrics of the song "Killer", which was a huge hit in 1990.^[8]

[edit] Seal (1991)

Seal first came to public attention as vocalist on the Adamski single "Killer" in 1990. The single eventually reached number one in 1990 in the UK.^[13] Seal subsequently signed to ZTT Records and released his self-titled début album (produced by Trevor Horn) 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."^[14]

Seal was positively received by critics. The singles "Crazy", "Future Love Paradise", and his own rendition of "Killer" performed well on the charts. In particular, "Crazy" became an international hit in 1991, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart and number seven on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.^[13][15] Seal stole the show at the 1992 Brit Awards held at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, with the first hat-trick of wins in the history of the event.^[2] He won in the categories; Best British Male, Best British Video ("Killer"), and Best British Album (Seal).^[2]

In April 1992 Seal performed with the surviving members of the rock band Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert held at Wembley Stadium.^[16] Seal performed on his own singing the 1986 hit "Who Wants To Live Forever" and joined the rest of the acts for the all star finale singing "We Are The Champions."^[16]

In 1992 Seal appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation CD Red Hot + Dance, contributing an exclusive track "Crazy (If I Was Trev Mix)." The album, featuring George Michael and Madonna among others, raised money and awareness in support of the AIDS epidemic by donating all proceeds to AIDS charities.

[edit] Seal II (1994)

His second album, also self-titled, was released in 1994. A success, the album featured the singles "Prayer for the Dying" and "Newborn Friend", later receiving a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. "Prayer for the Dying" became a minor pop hit in the U.S., peaking at #21 on the Billboard charts. A third single, "Kiss from a Rose", performed modestly when released but was later featured to much wider popularity when it was remixed for the soundtrack to Batman Forever. "Kiss from a Rose" won a Grammy Award for Record of the Year and Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1996, becoming Seal's best performing single on the US market (it topped the Billboard Hot 100 in late August 1995) and hit number four in the UK.^[13][15]

[edit] Human Being

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 panned upon its release. It received Gold record certification by the RIAA just two months after its release date.^[17] The album provided three singles, "Human Beings", "Latest Craze", and "Lost My Faith".

[edit] Togetherland

In 2001 fans awaited the arrival of a new album, announced as Togetherland. After a protracted post-production period the album was cancelled. 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 because producers felt the album wouldn't be commercially successful. Even so, one single was released from the album. "This Could Be Heaven" was released in the US and featured on The Family Man soundtrack. Since December 2006, Seal has indicated that he has plans to excerpt cuts from Togetherland and make them available for streaming download. Meanwhile, Seal co-wrote and provided vocals for the hit single "My Vision" from Jakatta in 2002. He also recorded a successful duet with French icon Mylène Farmer called "Les Mots" during that same period.

[edit] Seal IV

In 2003 Seal released his fourth album, which was again self-titled, except for Australia, where it was released under Seal IV. Although it didn't sell as well 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).

[edit] Greatest hits album: Best 1991-2004

In 2004 a greatest hits album entitled Seal: Best 1991–2004 was released, including a cover of the Bacharach / David classic "Walk on By" and a cover of Echo & the Bunnymen's song "Lips Like Sugar". An edition of the album was available which included an extra CD with acoustic versions of some of Seal's hits.

[edit] Live in Paris

Also in 2004, Seal performed shows at the Olympia Theatre in Paris, France. The 6 July 2004 show was recorded and released about one year after as CD/DVD package, simply titled Live in Paris.

[edit] One Night to Remember

In June 2005 Seal recorded a special concert which was subsequently released in 2006, entitled One Night to Remember, as CD/DVD combination. The DVD includes a special "the making of" documentary in addition to the live performance. Recorded in a historic steel mill, the Altes Kesselhaus ("old boiler house"), in Düsseldorf, Germany, this performance includes a special version of Brahms' Lullaby which Seal sings in German and then in English for the exclusive audience. Unlike earlier recordings in which Seal is accompanied by his band, a full orchestra and choir of 52 musicians accompanies the singer.

[edit] System

Seal in March 2008

System was released in the UK on 12 November 2007 and in the U.S. on 13 November 2007.^[18] Seal describes the album as more dance-oriented, apparently a return to the roots of his first album. On the track titled "Wedding Day", Seal sings a duet with his wife, model Heidi Klum. The album's first single, "Amazing", was released on 25 September 2007, and was nominated for the "Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" Grammy at the 2007 50th Annual Grammy Awards.^[19]

Seal performed "Amazing" and The Beatles' "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" at the 2007 Royal Variety Performance.

Seal also performed "Amazing" at the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in December, as well as the duet "Wedding Day" with his wife. Other performers at the 2007 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show include the Spice Girls and will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas. He appeared on the American Idol Season 7 Finale, singing with third-place contestant Syesha Mercado.

[edit] Soul

Seal's sixth studio album Soul was released on 11 November 2008, in the United States and 3 November 2008, internationally, and contains eleven soul classics produced by David Foster.^[20][21] The video for the first single, a cover of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" is up on his official YouTube page. As well, he will be mentoring the top 9 on Deutschland sucht den Superstar and performing one of his songs from the album.

Seal coached the participants of Germany's TV show "Deutschland sucht den Superstar" (Popidol) in February/March 2009.^[22]

[edit] Hits

On 4 December 2009, Hits, a compilation album was released. It contains two new tracks, "I Am Your Man" and "Thank You".

[edit] Commitment and Soul 2

Seal's seventh studio album, Commitment was released on 20 September 2010 internationally and 28 September 2010 in the US. The first single "Secret" was released 10 August 2010 on iTunes U.S. and in the UK on 13 September 2010. This album was said to be inspired by his wife, Heidi.^[23] On 7 November 2011, Seal released his second cover album of classic soul songs, Soul 2 through Reprise Records.

Other projects[link]

Jeff Beck and Seal performed a cover of "Manic Depression" for the 1993 album Stone Free: A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix. Seal also contributed vocals to a cover of John Lennon's "Imagine" for the 2010 Herbie Hancock album, The Imagine Project along with P!nk, India.Arie, Jeff Beck, Konono N°1, Oumou Sangare and others.^[24]

On November 23, 2011, Seal was confirmed as one of the four vocal coaches in the upcoming Australian version of the reality singing competition The Voice.^[25]

Kadyrov controversy[link]

In October 2011 Seal came under criticism from human rights groups for appearing at an event in Grozny, Chechnya, that turned into a birthday celebration for Ramzan Kadyrov, the President of Chechnya.^[26] Kadyrov and the militia he controls have been accused of torture, disappearances, and extrajudicial killings of political opponents and human rights workers in Chechnya by Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations.^[27] Also appearing at the event were the actress Hilary Swank, actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, and violinist Vanessa Mae. The New York-based Human Rights Foundation claims that it sent letters to invitees in advance of the event noting Kadyrov's record and asking them to decline the invitations.^[28] Human Rights Watch sent an inquiry to Seal regarding his performance at the event and released a statement about the incident which said, "Ramzan Kadyrov is linked to a litany of horrific human rights abuses. It's inappropriate for stars to get paid to party with him. It bolsters his image and legitimizes a brutal leader and his regime. And getting paid to be part of such a lavish show in Chechnya trivializes the suffering of countless victims of human rights abuses there."^[29][30][31] Seal refused to apologize for appearing at the event, sending a message from his Twitter account telling people to "leave me out of your politics."^[28] Seal was reported to have made $500,000 for singing at the party.^[32]

Personal life[link]

Relationships and family[link]

Seal first began dating German model Heidi Klum in February 2004,^[33] shortly after she announced her pregnancy and end of relationship with then director of the Italian Renault Formula One team, Flavio Briatore.

Seal proposed to Klum on 23 December 2004 in a quinzee^[34] he had built on a glacier in Whistler, British Columbia.^[35] On 10 May 2005, the couple married on a beach in Mexico near Seal's home on Costa Careyes.^[36] Every year during their marriage Seal and Klum renewed their vows on their anniversary with their close friends and family. About these renewals Seal said in 2010,^[37] "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." In November 2009, Klum officially adopted Seal's surname and became legally known as Heidi Samuel.^[38]

Klum gave birth to Briatore's daughter, Helene "Leni" Boshoven Klum on 5 May 2004 in New York City^[39] with Seal at her side. According to Klum, Briatore is not involved in Leni's life, and Klum has stated emphatically that "Seal is Leni's father".^[40][41] Seal is her only father figure, and he has praised Briatore for keeping his distance and not disrupting Leni's life.^[42] In late 2009 Seal officially adopted Leni, and her last name was changed to Samuel.^[43] The couple have three other children: sons Henry Günther Adeola Dashtu Samuel (born 12 September 2005)^[44] and Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel (born 22 November 2006),^[45] and daughter Lou Sulola Samuel (born 9 October 2009).^[46]

On 22 January 2012, Seal and Klum announced that they were separating after nearly 7 years of marriage.^[47][48]

In the media[link]

On 11 June 2009, Seal, on tour with his new album Soul, revealed, "It is nice to be in newspapers and magazines for something other than my marriage." He said his marriage to Klum may take away the attention, but doesn't detract from what he loves doing: making music.^[49] In February 2011, Klum praised Seal for his good parenting skills. "When I first met Seal he had a kindness and compassion that was so sincere I knew he'd be a good father...But it wasn't until Leni was born and we had our three other children that I grasped what a great dad he is...He has infinite amounts of love and patience for our kids...He puts me and the children first".^[50] Klum also remarked how lucky she was to have a husband like Seal.^[23]

On March 10, 2012, Seal shared the stage with Kanye West, Soul Rebels Brass Band and Snoop Dogg at Brad Pitt’s Night to Make It Right Foundation New Orleans after-party, hosted by comedian Aziz Ansari.^[51] The charity event, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, raised money to build homes for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Other work[link]

Seal and wife Heidi Klum announced in June 2010 that they would be making a reality series on Lifetime titled Love's Divine (after Seal's song of the same name).^[52]

Seal was also a judge for the 10th annual Independent Music Awards to support independent artists' careers.^[53]

Discography[link]

Studio albums[link]

• Seal (1991)
• Seal II (1994)
• Human Being (1998)
• Seal IV (2003)
• System (2007)
• Soul (2008)
• Commitment (2010)
• Soul 2 (2011)

See also[link]

• Brazilians in the United Kingdom
• List of artists who reached number one in the United States
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. dance chart
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of number-one hits (United States)

References[link]

• Entertainment Weekly, 3 June 1994.
• Guitar Player, October 1994.
• The Independent, 12 May 1994.
• Metro Times (Detroit), 22 June 1994.
• Q, July 1994.
• Rolling Stone, 28 November 1991; 25 August 1994.

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Seal (musician)

• Official website
• Seal discography at MusicBrainz
• Seal at the Internet Movie Database
• Seal's imeem page featuring his entire catalog
• A Conjurer of New Age Vagaries and Lush Grooves Reynolds, Simon. 14 August 1994. The New York Times page 26

Heidi Klum
Klum at The Heart Truth Fashion Show, 2008
Born	(1973-06-01) June 1, 1973 (age 39) Bergisch Gladbach, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany
Other names	The Body, Heidi Samuel
Ethnicity	German
Occupation	Actress, television host, model
Years active	1992–present
Height	5 ft 9.25 in (1.76 m)[1]
Spouse	Ric Pipino (m. 1997–2002) Seal (m. 2005–2012; filed for divorce)
Children	4
Website
www.heidiklum.com

Heidi Samuel Klum (born June 1, 1973),^[2] better known by her birth name Heidi Klum,^[3] is a German and American model, actress, television host, businesswoman, fashion designer, television producer, and occasional singer. In 2008 she became an American citizen while maintaining her native German citizenship.^[4][5][6][7] In January 2012, Klum separated from her husband, British musician Seal and filed for divorce on April 6, 2012.^[8]

Early life and discovery[link]

Klum was born and raised in Bergisch Gladbach, a town outside Cologne. She is the daughter of Erna, a hairdresser, and Günther Klum, a cosmetics-company executive. A friend convinced her to enroll in a national modeling contest called "Model 92".^[9] Out of 25,000 contestants, Klum was voted the winner on April 29, 1992 and offered a modeling contract worth US$300,000 by Thomas Zeumer, CEO of Metropolitan Models New York.^[10] After winning, she appeared on the Gottschalk Late Night Show, a top German television show with host Thomas Gottschalk. She accepted the contract a few months later after graduating from school and decided not to try for an apprentice position at a fashion design school.^[11]

Career[link]

Acting and modeling[link]

Klum is the current host of Project Runway, filmed at the Parsons The New School for Design. She has been featured on the covers of Vogue, Elle, and Marie Claire, and became widely known after appearing on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and for her work with Victoria's Secret as an "Angel".^[12] Klum has hosted the 2002, 2006, 2007 and 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Shows. On October 1, 2010, the New York Post reported in its "Page Six" gossip column that Heidi Klum would be leaving Victoria's Secret, which was later confirmed by Klum.^[13]

In addition to working with well-known photographers on her first husband's Sports Illustrated shoots, she was the object and subject of Joanne Gair body painting works in several editions from 1997 to 2010. She wrote the foreword to Gair's book of body paint work, Body Painting, Masterpieces.^[14] She was a spokesmodel for McDonald's, Braun, Dannon, H & M, and Liz Claiborne, among others. She is currently a celebrity spokesmodel for Jordache^[15] and Volkswagen. In addition to modeling, she has appeared in several TV shows, including Spin City, Sex and the City, Yes, Dear, and How I Met Your Mother. She had a role as an ill-tempered hair model in the movie Blow Dry, played a giantess in the movie Ella Enchanted and was cast as Ursula Andress in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers. She had cameo appearances in The Devil Wears Prada and Perfect Stranger.

Her other projects include dance and video games. She is featured in the 2006 James Bond video game Everything or Nothing, wherein she plays the villain Dr. Katya Nadanova.^[16] She has appeared in several music videos, including Jamiroquai's video "Love Foolosophy" from their album A Funk Odyssey, Kelis's "Young, Fresh n' New", off her second 2001 album Wanderland and, most recently, the second video for her husband Seal's song "Secret" off his 2010 album Seal 6: Commitment. The latter video depicts the married couple sharing intimate moments while naked in bed; the concept was Klum's idea.^[17]

In July 2007, having earned $8 million in the previous 16 months, Klum was named by Forbes as third on the list of the World's 15 Top-Earning Supermodels.^[18] In 2008, Forbes estimated her income at $18 million, putting Klum in first place. For 2007, Forbes estimated her income at $16 million.^[19] Klum is signed to IMG Models in New York City.^[20]

In 2008, Klum was a featured guest on an American Volkswagen commercial, where she was interviewed by a black Beetle. When she commented that German engineering is so sexy, she caused the Beetle to blush and turn red. She has been a part of several commercials for Volkswagen and McDonald's on German television.^{[citation needed]}

In November 2008, Klum appeared in two versions of a Guitar Hero World Tour commercial, wherein she did a take on Tom Cruise's iconic underwear dancing scene in Risky Business. In both versions, she lip-synced to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll" while dancing around the living room with the wireless guitar controller.^[21]

In October 2009, Klum was the often-nude one-woman subject of Heidilicious,^[22] a photo book by photographer Ian Rankin. Klum ventured into web-based videos, starring in "SPIKED HEEL: Supermodels Battle the Forces of Evil". The web-series starred model Coco Rocha and was directed by fashion documentarian Doug Keeve. In the story, Klum aka 'The Kluminator,'^[23] and her stylish sidekick Coco "The Sassy Superhero" Rocha battle the evil Dr. Faux Pas who is plotting to destroy Fashion Week. The heroines employ everything from blow-dryer guns to fist fights, in order to thwart Dr. Faux Pas' dastardly plans. The Kluminator and Girl Wonder avoid a chain of fashion disasters to neutralize a death ray that threatens to vaporize the community of fashionistas gathered in Bryant Park.^[24]

In 2010, Klum became the new face and creative advisor for European cosmetics brand Astor, for which she sets artistic direction and designs new products and fashion forward color collections.^[25]

In October 2010, Klum parted ways with Victoria's Secret after 13 years of working with the brand. She provided a simple explanation in her official statement, stating: "All good things have to come to an end. I will always love Victoria and never tell her secret. It's been an absolute amazing time!"^[26]

It was reported in May 2011 that Klum trails far behind Gisele Bündchen at No. 2 with estimated earnings of $20 million on Forbes' list of the World's Top-Earning Models (2010-2011). Forbes noted that since ending her 13-year run as a Victoria's Secret Angel, Klum has become more of a businesswoman than a model. She's partnered with New Balance and Amazon.com to launch a clothing line and signed a 20-episode deal to host a new show on Lifetime, called Seriously Funny Kids.^[27] In fact, some noted fashion designers have long been commenting on Klum's limited role as a fashion model. Karl Lagerfeld, for example, in 2009 agreed with German designer Wolfgang Joop, who called Klum after she had posed naked on the cover of the German edition of GQ magazine,^[28] "no runway model. She is simply too heavy and has too big a bust".^[29] Lagerfeld observed that neither he nor Claudia Schiffer knew Klum, as she has never worked in Paris and was insignificant in the world of fashion, being "more bling bling and glamorous than current fashion."^[30]

Producing[link]

Project Runway season three finalist Laura Bennett interviews Klum and Seal at the 59th Emmy Awards.

In December 2004, Klum became the host, judge and executive producer of the reality show Project Runway on the U.S. cable television channel Bravo (airing on Lifetime television beginning in 2009), in which fashion designers compete for the opportunity to show their line at New York Fashion Week and receive money to launch their own fashion line. She received an Emmy Award nomination for the show for each of the first four seasons.^[31][32] In 2008, Klum and Project Runway received a Peabody Award, the first time a reality show won the award.^[33] Klum was nominated for an Emmy in 2008 for "outstanding host of a reality or reality-competition show" for Project Runway, the first year that category was recognized by the Emmys.^[32]

Klum has been the host, judge and co-producer of Germany's Next Topmodel, the German version of the internationally successful reality television show, since 2006. All five seasons aired on the German TV station ProSieben.

Design and other business ventures[link]

Klum designed clothing lines (one for men), featured in the German mail-order catalog "Otto". She designed shoes for Birkenstock, jewelry for Mouawad, a clothing line for Jordache, and swimsuits – featured in the 2002 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.^{[citation needed]} She was one of the designers of the Victoria's Secret lingerie line "The Body", named after the nickname she received following her first Victoria's Secret Fashion Show appearance.^[34] Her Mouawad jewelry collection debuted on the cable shopping network QVC on September 14, 2006, and 14 of the 16 styles sold out after 36 minutes.^[35] Klum's clothing line for Jordache launched on April 30, 2008.^[36]

Klum has two fragrances, called "Heidi Klum" and "Me". She designed makeup for Victoria's Secret as part of their "Very Sexy Makeup Collection", titled "The Heidi Klum Collection". The first run debuted in Fall 2007. A second run was released in Fall 2008.^[37]

Klum was involved in the development of a namesake rose, the Heidi Klum rose,^[38][39] which is available in Germany.

For the 2008 US Open, Klum designed a screen print t-shirt which was sold at the US Open shop. It featured child-like butterfly pictures. Proceeds will go to a non-profit organization maintaining the park, which is home to the US Open.^{[citation needed]}

Heidi became Barbie's official ambassador for the doll's 50th anniversary in 2009, even having made a Barbie doll out of herself.^[40] On April 1 that same year, she appeared on the CBS television special, I Get That a Lot, as a girl working at a pizza shop.^{[citation needed]} That same year, she appeared in advertising for Dannon's Light & Fit brand.^{[citation needed]}

Klum and husband Seal announced in June 2010 that they will be making a reality series on Lifetime titled Love's Divine (after Seal's song of the same name.)^[41]

In January 2010, Klum launched two lines of maternity wear: Lavish by Heidi Klum for A Pea in the Pod, and Loved by Heidi Klum for Motherhood Maternity. Klum stated, "I experienced fashion challenges during my four pregnancies and combined my knowledge of what works in terms of style, comfort and practicality to create these lines".^[42]

In October 2010, Klum with New Balance, HKNB, launched a line of active woman's wear fashion clothing on Amazon.com.^{[citation needed]}

Klum is a "Real Celebrity" on the website Stardoll, where she has a line of virtual jewelry, and a virtual clothing line called Jordache. Users can go to Klum's suite (address) and interact with her by doing interviews, sending pending requests or dressing Klum's doll.^{[citation needed]}

Other work[link]

Klum is an artist, and had several of her paintings appear in various art magazines in the U.S. On September 27, 2002 she dedicated a sculpture she painted called "Dog with Butterflies" to commemorate the role of rescue dogs in the aftermath of September 11.^[43]

In 2004, Klum co-authored Heidi Klum's Body of Knowledge with Elle magazine editor Alexandra Postman. The book gives Klum's biography as well as her advice on becoming successful. Prior to that, Klum had been an occasional guest columnist for the German television network RTL's website. She wrote an essay for the German newspaper Die Zeit.^[44]

In November 2006, Klum released her debut single "Wonderland", written for a series of television advertisements for the German retailer "Douglas". Proceeds were given to a children's charity in her hometown of Bergisch Gladbach.^{[citation needed]} She contributed to her husband Seal's 2007 album System, singing the duet "Wedding Day", a song that Seal wrote for their wedding.^[45]

Personal life[link]

In 1997, Klum married stylist Ric Pipino; the couple divorced in 2002.^[46]

She began a relationship with 53 year old Flavio Briatore (the managing director of Renault's Formula One team)^[47] in 2003. The following year, Klum publicly announced her pregnancy. She gave birth to their first child, Helene Boshoven "Leni" Klum, on May 4, 2004 in New York City.^[48]

In early 2004, while still pregnant, Klum began a relationship with musician Seal.^[49] Seal was present for Leni's birth and Klum has stated emphatically that "Seal is Leni's father".^[50]

Klum and Seal became engaged in December 2004 on a glacier in Whistler, British Columbia^[51] and married on May 10, 2005 on a beach in Mexico.^[52] They have three biological children together: sons Henry Gunther Ademola Dashtu Samuel (born September 12, 2005)^[53] and Johan Riley Fyodor Taiwo Samuel (born November 22, 2006),^[54] and daughter Lou Sulola Samuel (born October 9, 2009).^[55] On November 21, 2009, Klum officially adopted Seal's surname and became legally known as Heidi Samuel.^[56] Soon after, in December 2009, Seal officially adopted Leni, and her last name was changed to Samuel.^[57] During their marriage, Klum and Seal renewed their vows to one another each year on their anniversary in front of family and friends.^[58] On January 22, 2012, the couple announced that they were separating after almost seven years of marriage.^[59][60][61] She filed for divorce three months later on April 6, 2012. She also requested that her name be restored to her birth name of Heidi Klum.^[62]

Philanthropy[link]

Klum spends time at Children's Hospital Los Angeles visiting patients.^[63] On April 30, 2011, Klum led Walk for Kids, a community 5k to raise funds as part of the hospital's community awareness efforts.^[64]

Legal issues[link]

An unemployed Chemnitz butcher who used Klum's picture in advertising for a local dance on a flyer and a web page, contested her subsequent takedown notice in court and lost, forcing him to pay court costs of €2,300. German actress Jenny Elvers Elbertzhagen has pledged to pay on his behalf.^[65][66]

Filmography[link]

Heidi Klum appeared in episodes of TV shows like Malcolm in the Middle (as a toothless hockey player) and Cursed. She has also guest-starred as herself in I Get That a Lot, Spin City, Sex and the City, CSI: Miami, How I Met Your Mother, Yes, Dear, Ugly Betty and Desperate Housewives. Further, the character of Katya Nadanova in the video game James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing features her voice.^{[citation needed]}

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Heidi Klum

• Official Website
• Heidi Klum at the Internet Movie Database
• Heidi Klum at the Fashion Model Directory
• Heidi Klum at People.com
• Interview with Der Spiegel, February 12, 2006
• AOL Books Interview about the book Body of Knowledge