David’s time on Rewind
Dance music star looks back over a career of amazing highs and lows
By anyone’s standards, Craig David’s career has been remarkable. From the early years working with garage duo Artful Dodger to his recent comeback, he can lay claim to twice being an innovator and icon.
His revival progressed from house parties in Miami through small venues to last year’s main stage slot at Glastonbury Festival and London’s O2. And now comes his seventh album, The Time Is Now.
It’s no wonder that Craig’s prowess as a singer, performer, DJ and producer make him a hero for a new generation of stars – despite him never winning a Brit award.
“I think the pinnacle of it was really Glastonbury, doing the full band show and doing the 25-minute DJ set to over 90,000 people on the main stage. I’m thinking ‘this is absolutely unbelievable’.
“My friends after were like, ‘Craig, is that for real, that post you put up on Instagram, was that real?’. And I could only say ‘Guys, I know, I remember when it was just us, having a couple of shots in my flat, playing a couple tunes, and now all of a sudden this is happening here, in front of me, to 90,000 people’. It’s crazy, man.”
Craig, 36, knows all about crazy.
He was still in his teens when timeless hits such as Born To Do It and Rewind made him an international star.
His showcase run at LA’S House of Blues in 2002 put him on a learning curve very few artists can have experienced.
“First night I’m performing, Missy Elliott and J-LO came to the show. I’m thinking, No! This is Missy Elliott and J-LO, this is crazy!
“Second night I look up, and it’s Queen B – Beyonce. I’m just blown away.
“The third night capped the whole thing off – from the kid of a working-class family in a council flat in Southampton, to, year and a half later in LA – third night, looking in the crowd, I can make out the face of someone that it seems I recognise so well.
“The house lights came up a little and I could see it was Stevie Wonder singing the words of Walking Away back to me, and I was like ‘ohhh my’.”
Later, in his dressing room, Stevie told Craig that he’d given a copy of his album to all of his friends, including Michael Jackson, who also said he loved it.
“That was the craziness of what was going on back then.
“I think that it’s just given me the ability to be grounded and balanced, and to enjoy each moment.
“Because, when it goes so fast, years and years go past, and you’re just looking back on them.”
But it’s no time for looking back, because Craig’s time is now, once again.