Craig David

Craig Ashley David is an English singer who rose to prominence in 1999 after featuring on the single "Re-Rewind" by the UK garage duo Artful Dodger. He achieved commercial success with his 2000 debut studio album, Born to Do It. Across his career, he has released nine studio albums and collaborated with a wide array of musical artists.

David was born on 5 May 1981 in Southampton, Hampshire, and grew up in the Holyrood estate. He is the child of Tina, a retail assistant, and George David, a carpenter. His father is from Grenada, and his mother is Anglo-Jewish. Raised by his mother after his parents separated when he was eight, he attended Bellemoor School and Southampton City College. Inspired by his father, who played bass in a reggae band, David began attending local dance clubs as a teenager, where he took the microphone, wrote lyrics, and worked as an MC and DJ in youth clubs.

David began his music career by working on a B-side track for the group Damage and providing vocals for Artful Dodger tracks. After discovering his work, Wildstar Records co-owner Colin Lester signed David to a contract. Following "Re-Rewind," which reached number two in the UK in 1999, David released his debut solo single, "Fill Me In," which topped the UK chart.

His debut album, Born to Do It, released in 2000, sold over eight million copies globally and produced top ten singles such as "7 Days" and "Walking Away." David followed this with several studio albums, including Slicker Than Your Average, The Story Goes..., Trust Me, Signed Sealed Delivered, Following My Intuition, The Time Is Now, 22, and Commitment. He released a Greatest Hits album in 2008 and a UK garage compilation with DJ Spoony in 2010.

David has collaborated with artists including Sting, Tinchy Stryder, Big Narstie, Tiwa Savage, JoJo, Kano, Jay Sean, and Erick Morillo. Beyond recording, he has engaged in songwriting projects, world tours, and charity events, including participating in Soccer Aid 2008 and completing a 100-kilometer Kenyan desert trek for Comic Relief in 2011.

David was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Southampton Solent University in 2008. In 2009, Born to Do It was voted second on MTV's Greatest Album of All Time poll.