After the success of his album 7, Seal announced that he won’t be releasing any new albums. This doesn’t signal the end of his music career, instead he is choosing to release music more frequently in the format of “raw and refreshing” singles.
This year, Seal toured his album 7, the last to be released through his contract with Warner Bros. In an interview with Billboard about the direction of his music career he announced that he would be releasing music in the format of regularly released singles, rather than albums. At the same time, he announced his intention not to sign on to a major record label. He reflected that these decisions will change the focus of his creative output, allowing him to produce music which is fresher and more dynamic. He commented that the traditional method of releasing music through album format was perhaps not so relevant to the current music market.
Reflecting on the benefits of his new approach, Seal told Billboard that releasing songs individually as they’re made had
“…a kind of refreshing rawness about it. [Music] 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.”
Touring 7, Seal has been utilising sound engineering technologies which allowed him to mix music on stage, bringing a sense of improvisation to the performances. He said that the decision was designed to keep him and his touring musicians “interested […]enthused and inspired” by their work. He attributed this approach to his zest for his career moving forward, commenting that he “appreciated his work more [now] for the fact that he “didn’t take it so seriously”.
The concept of releasing individual songs rather than a holistic body of work isn’t a new one. As early as 2006, indie artist Jonathan Coulton embarked on his Thing a Week project in order to maximise his creative output. Similarly, multi-instrumentalist Imogen Heap created her 2014 album Sparks by digitally releasing a new song every three months. This project allowed her to dynamically produce music with the help of fans who sent in the audio samples which Heap integrated into her music.
Seal’s album 7 is currently touring North America. For a full list of dates click here.
