For more than two decades, Craig David MBE has been the global ambassador of the UK R&B/garage sound. The Southhampton native scored his first breakthrough in 2000 with the single “Fill Me In”. From his debut album, Born to Do It the hit song peaked at number 15 on the US charts. The LP spawned other hit singles such as "7 Days", "Walking Away", and "Rendezvous", eventually selling more than 8 million records worldwide.

David went on to release 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). 

In total, he has sold more than 15 million records, earned two Grammy nominations, and five MOBO Awards.

Fresh off his first US tour in six years, David has announced his “Commitment Tour” where he'll be playing live shows in arenas across the UK beginning February 2025.

In an exclusive interview, David spoke about his musical influences and how his father, acclaimed bassist George David, inspired him to want to be a musician.

“Growing up listening to Michael Jackson was so innovative, and impactful.  “Human Nature” was one of my favorite songs from him. I also loved Stevie Wonder. My dad was a bass guitarist in a roots revival group called Ebony Rockers and he'd be playing loads of reggae,” David told BET.com. “I was hearing Beres Hammond, Sanchez, Freddie McGregor, and a whole bunch of people from that scene.”

“My first concert was with Terrence Trent Darby who had one of the most incredible albums. He sounded like Prince, Marvin Gaye, and was like James Brown on stage. He had that presence,” he continued. “And I remember being front row in Southampton, where I grew up, like watching him in a place called The Guild Hall. Little did I know I'd go back and play that same place on that same stage early doors of my career.”

Along with being a singer/songwriter, David began his career as an in-demand DJ on the club scene in the UK in the 90s. He shared how his experience as a DJ shaped his perspective as an artist.

“I have so much love for DJs because I understand the importance of being on the front line of playing songs and seeing how a crowd reacts to them. While I was breaking that first album, I'd be in the clubs DJing, putting things onto CD and I'd be playing them. I played “Fill Me In” and “Rendezvous” in the club first,” David recalled.  “No one would understand unless you were in the scene. When you're on the pulse and you understand the people, you can make decisions that really impact them. So I was just really grateful to have that ability.” 

David also expressed that the late 90s and early 2000s was a golden era for R&B throughout the world and he was thankful that he launched his career during that time.

"I’m very grateful that I came out as an artist at that time. That was before social media really kicked in and before the internet had gone ham,” David said. “We could just listen to music, put the headphones on, and hear a new release every Monday. Those were good times.”

For his latest song “In Your Hands”, David brings his signature R&B pop sound giving him another bop in his collection. He described the creative process behind the song and how he reimagined the African American spiritual “He's Got the Whole World in His Hands".

“I wrote that song about a year ago and I didn't have that chorus. I had something different. When I came back to the studio a month later, we revisited it. I started humming the hook speaking to my younger self, having that faith,” he explained. “Sometimes you lose faith and then it comes back to you. I didn’t overthink this one but I wanted to make sure I landed it in the right way.”

“I have not sung that melody of the hook in many years. It just popped in like it was a download. You have the world, you've got the whole world in your hands,” he continued. “When a woman's holding a baby, she has the world in her hands. It's an empowering song because God is in all of us. You've got the world in your hand."

He is also featured on Jorja Smith’s “Lately” (Remix) and he expressed his excitement about collaborating with a fellow UK singer.

“We dropped a new tune with Jorja Smith, a remix of her “Lately”. It's a repackaged version of her last album. It's a great duet,” he said. “It's nice, new vibes.”

In early 2025, David plans to release his 9th LP Commitment, which is a fresh take on his R&B/garage roots.

“The forthcoming album is Commitment, and we're finishing the mixes and getting it mastered. We're in that mode right now where we’re listening to mixes and making sure they sound right. At the top of next year, we’ll have a date for the official release,” he said. “I'm gassed because it's R&B again." 

Along with his upcoming tour, David expressed his gratitude for being able to still write and perform his music around the world 25 years later.

“The “Commitment Tour” that is starting in February here in the UK is just the catalyst for everything I’m working on. I just came back from the States a few months back, and we were doing some shows there to set the tone,” David said. “When you go on the road, you want to stay on the road like Coldplay. I'm so grateful to be doing this for this amount of time, and to be continuously making music that’s still relevant.”