Singer Seal plans to release the most raw music of his career now that he's an unsigned artist again.
The Kiss from a Rose hitmaker has wrapped up his recording contract with Warner Bros., with his 2015 album 7 serving as his final offering for the label, and now that he's a free agent, he is planning on keeping it that way.
"I won't be making albums in the same way. I will be releasing songs," the singer explains to Billboard. "I think there's an immediacy and a freedom which comes with that, to release music as and when I see fit. The playing field is different these days. The concept of going into a studio for however long and making a concept album, so to speak, I don't know if that's relevant these days or if indeed that is practical to do. It's certainly not so effective."
"I don't intend on signing with another major (label)," he adds. "It's not something I really want to do."
Instead of going the traditional route, Seal aims to titillate listeners by offering them a variety of sounds they may not have expected to hear from him.
"There are a tonne of songs, absolutely," he shares. "I have a tonne of ideas, and some pretty interesting collaborative opportunities. If anything, I think the music becomes more exciting because it's fresher. There's a kind of refreshing rawness about it. It doesn't get overcooked, overbaked and is not necessarily refined or finished as it would be when an album is released. And there's something to be said for that."
Seal is currently touring across North America and as part of his concerts, he is now incorporating his new philosophy about the modern relevance of songs into his stage performances.
"It's a pretty eclectic mix of showcasing both my new and old material," he says of his gigs. "I'm doing a hybrid of embracing technology from the visual standpoint and also from the sonic standpoint, but with real musicians as well. Ultimately it's designed around the song. The song is of paramount importance to me, but it's also designed to keep us interested because we have to be enthused and inspired by it. If we're not, I don't really expect anyone else to be."
