Born on 5 May 1981 in Southampton,
England, to the Caribbean parents, Craig David worked
on the local radio station as well as performed
in several clubs before collaborating with Artful
Dodger's Mark Hill. Craig started producing with
Hill after winning a national writing competition.
Craig’s big break came when he put his own
additives on such songs as ‘I'm
Ready’ and ‘Wonderful
Tonight’. Soon after that, he remixed
his own version of ‘Human’
and ‘Rewind’
which became another underground hit.
Craig and Hill's specialty show on Capital Radio
provided Craig an outlet to shape his musical work
of genius. He was 19 years old when his song ‘Fill
Me In’ became a hit, shooting to number
one in summer 2000. Craig now was the youngest British
male solo artist to have a number one single.
Craig landed a deal with Wildstar Records in the
UK as he gained praise for his next songs, ‘Re-Rewind’
and ‘7
Days’. An agreement with Atlantic Records
in the US also led to more global market. He had
sold 3.5 million records worldwide and it was his
debut album Born to Do It (2000)
that was at the head.
Despite winning three awards at the MOBO's in October
2000, Craig walked away empty handed at the 2000
Brit Awards in February 2001 although he was nominated
in six categories, including Best British Male Solo
Artist, Best British Newcomer, and Best British
Single for ‘7
Days’.
Still, his record sales continued to rise in the
UK with sales of Born to Do It increasing over one
hundred percent. Following the release of Born to
Do It in the US in summer 2001, mainstream radio
flocked to him immediately. Missy Elliott, Beyoncé
Knowles, and Usher called themselves fans.
Craig returned with his second album Slicker Than
Your Average in November 2002, featuring his single
‘What's Your Flava?’
which became one of the hottest singles that year..
