Craig David 2.0

The noughties garage idol and his immaculate facial hair are back in the charts after years in the wilderness. Here’s why Craig David is doing things differently this time around – including his very own feminist agenda.

- Lucy Pavia

IS CRAIG DAVID THE NICEST MAN IN MUSIC?

I am told as much before we meet, but even with advance warning I can’t say I’m entirely prepared for the human freight train of positive energy that steams into our Heathrow hotel meeting place – the sort of venue totally at odds with this level of unbridled joy – for an interview that begins with a hug (‘come on Lucy, bring it in’) and ends with Craig dashing back to his hotel room to retrieve a supersized bar of milk chocolate – ‘It’s a present for you. Look how happy you are! Chocolate makes people happy!’

Craig is all about the positives right now, riding high on a massive pop comeback after nearly a decade in the wilderness. If you were born before 1990, you’ll be familiar with the rise and fall of the Craig David empire. He was the Southampton teen who got his big musical break in the late-90s garage wave with Artful Dodger track Rewind (which, if you’re anything like me, you’ll have just read as ‘Re-ee-wind’), that propelled him to early Noughties stardom, an 8 million selling debut album, Born To Do It, and as many white beanies as he could get his hands on. There were solid follow-ups in Slicker Than Your Average and The Story Goes..., but by 2008 things had started to go off the boil. Lacklustre sales of his fourth album Trust Me were followed by a greatest-hits CD (pop’s answer to an RIP).