Craig David facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Craig David
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David performing at The Queen's Birthday Party in April 2018
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Craig Ashley David |
| Born | 5 May 1981 Southampton, Hampshire, England |
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| Years active | 1999–present |
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Craig Ashley David (born 5 May 1981) is an English singer, songwriter, and rapper. He became famous in 1999 when he was featured on the song "Re-Rewind" by the group Artful Dodger.
David's first album, Born to Do It, came out in 2000 and was a huge success. Since then, he has released seven more albums: Slicker Than Your Average (2002), The Story Goes... (2005), Trust Me (2007), Signed Sealed Delivered (2010), Following My Intuition (2016), The Time Is Now (2018), and 22 (2022). His ninth album, Commitment, is set to be released in August 2025. Over his career, David has worked with many famous artists, including Sting, Big Narstie, and Bastille.
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Early Life and Family
Craig David was born in Southampton, Hampshire, England. His mother, Tina, worked in a shop, and his father, George, was a carpenter. His father is from Grenada, an island in the Caribbean, and his mother is Anglo-Jewish. His parents separated when he was eight years old, and he was raised by his mother.
David attended Bellemoor School and Southampton City College. He has spoken about being bullied at school. He later wrote a song called "Johnny" about this experience to share his story.
Music was a big part of his family. David's father played bass guitar in a reggae band. As a teenager, David would go with his dad to dance clubs. DJs there would let him use the microphone, and he started to work as an MC (Master of Ceremonies) and DJ.
Music Career
1999–2003: Becoming a Star
David's career took off when he sang on tracks for the UK garage group Artful Dodger. Their song "Re-Rewind" reached number two on the UK charts in 1999. This success helped him start his solo career.
His first solo single, "Fill Me In", went straight to number one in the UK. It was the first of four top 10 singles from his debut album, Born to Do It. The album was a massive hit, selling over 8 million copies around the world. In 2009, MTV viewers voted Born to Do It the second-best album of all time, right after Michael Jackson's Thriller.
In 2002, he released his second album, Slicker Than Your Average. It also had several hit singles in the UK, including "What's Your Flava?" and "Rise & Fall", a duet with the famous singer Sting.
2005–2009: More Albums and Hits
David's third album, The Story Goes..., was released in 2005. The first single, "All the Way", was another top 3 hit for him in the UK.
In 2007, he released the album Trust Me. For the single "Hot Stuff (Let's Dance)", he got permission from David Bowie to use a sample from his famous song "Let's Dance". The song became a top ten hit.
In 2008, David released his first Greatest Hits album. It included new songs like "Insomnia" and "Where's Your Love".
2010–2015: New Music and TS5
David's fifth album, Signed Sealed Delivered, came out in 2010. It featured songs that were inspired by the classic Motown sound.
Around this time, David started hosting parties at his home in Miami, which he called 'TS5'. He would DJ and sing for his friends. This became so popular that he turned it into a radio show on Capital Xtra in 2013. His TS5 shows are now famous worldwide.