Nine things we learned from Craig David’s Mastertapes
Since the release of his debut album "Born To Do It" when he was just 19 years old, Craig David has had to wait a while to reach Number 1 once again. But his most recent work, "Following My Intuition", was hailed by critics, hit the top spot and was considered the comeback of the year. During his Mastertapes session Craig reflected on that first release, the impact it had on his life and the subsequent lessons he’s learned. Here’s what we found out about the great man...
That handy little voice
Craig grew up in a religiously disparate household with his mother coming from a Reform Jewish background and his father’s family having roots in Seventh-day Adventism.
"I felt very spiritual. I knew there was something intuitive that was guiding me. That voice popped up when I needed it."
That voice helped to keep him on the straight and narrow and focus on music when his peers were getting into trouble. Craig would stay at home and work while his friends were partying.
"That quiet voice was inside me saying, 'maybe you should finish that song.'"
Those songs made up the bulk of his first album that went on to sell eight million copies.
His dad can be embarrassing
Craig’s dad played bass in a reggae band named Ebony Rockers, which can lead to some embarrassment when he attends his son’s live shows.
"He’s got that bass player kind of face, like someone’s just let one go in a room. I think for 16 years he’s been edging his way into the band."
But he is responsible for getting Craig into classical guitar which, despite the disturbing length of his teacher’s fingernails, was an important part of his musical evolution.
DJ CD
Living on a council estate in Southampton and knowing he wanted a career in music, Craig initially saw himself as a DJ.
"There was a local DJ called DJ Flash. I’d go up there, grab the mic and vibe the crowd. He took me under his wing and that was my first introduction as an MC."
The two-word phrase that opened up a Universe
Rather than the "four on the floor" beats that were associated with US dance music, the UK Garage and Two Step scene used a more "skippy" beat that Craig would sing or MC over. Incorporating the classical acoustic guitar he’d mastered, he just needed one more thing to make the music his own. That came in the form of a simple two-word phrase.
"It all started with the 'Oooh yeah' for me. That was the big bang. The universe came around. From that 'Oooh yeah' my whole life happened."
"Took her for a drink on Tuesday"
Craig David - 7 Days
Craig David performing live at Maida Vale for Mastertapes
One song changed everything
"Re-Rewind by Artful Dodger" was Craig’s first taste of chart success and it drew attention to his music.
"You are always three minutes away from changing your life as an artist. Waking up in the morning and the song doesn’t exist. The end of the day, now something exists. I love that process. Don’t worry about how it goes on from there."
He knows his Wonka
"Born To Do It" comes from the original 1971 version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
"There’s a moment when one of the kids shouts, 'how does he do it?' And the Candy Man says, 'my dear boy, do you ask a fish how it swims? Do you ask a bird how to fly?'
'No'
'No siree you don’t. They do it because they were born to do it.'
I’m in that. That’s me."
"Enter, selecta"
Craig David - Rewind
Craig David performing live at Maida Vale for Mastertapes
There was no Jacuzzi
The first single from the album, that debuted at Number 1 in April 2000, caught the public’s imagination due to its romantic, possibly boastful lyrics. But Craig was still living at home when he wrote it.
"I think the Jacuzzi was more of a dream. There was a bathtub. The car situation, I’m not really sure how that worked out. I hadn’t got a driving licence. It was a tale of aspiration. Young people doing what young people do.
"There was a girl next door, but I was living in my mum’s council flat with her bedroom right next to mine."
The Midas Touch
"With the first album, I was surfing this wave. Everything I touched turned to gold. I was at the House of Blues in LA. J-Lo turns up to watch the show with Missy Elliott, I’m thinking 'That’s pretty cool'. The next night Beyoncé’s there. The third night I’m looking out and thinking 'that cannot be Stevie Wonder. If that’s Stevie Wonder I’m going to lose it right now'. Quincy Jones is with him. That’s how it went from boy in a council estate with a couple of dreams, wondering if he could find a Jacuzzi, to this. And it was so fast."
Finding a follow-up
"You’ve had the whole of your life up until the first album at your own pace. There were so many songs and they picked themselves. Some people wanted me to do more of the acoustic stuff. When you set the bar so high selling so many records… this is me expressing myself and it hasn’t always got to be about the number it sells or where it goes in the charts."
None of Craig’s subsequent releases reached the success and sales of "Born To Do It". Before he recorded his comeback album, "Following My Intuition", he knew he needed a change of direction.
"I had a moment of awareness, I was going completely down the wrong road. I put the brakes on. I need to get away from this for a minute."
"Calls diverted to answer phone"
Craig David - Fill Me In
Craig David performing live at Maida Vale for Mastertapes
