16 Years of ‘Born To Do It’

This weekend - August 14th to be exact - marked 16 years since the release of Craig David’s debut album Born To Do It. Yes, you read that right, six. teen. years!

I was just 10 years old when this album hit the shelves, and I was definitely one of the youngest girls in the crowd at one of his sold out Wembley Arena shows in 2001. Born To Do It sold millions, and flew to number 1 in the charts. Craig David holds the record for the fastest selling debut studio album ever by a British male solo act, and in 2009 MTV viewers voted Born To Do It their second favourite album of all time, losing out to Michael Jackson’s Thriller.

From 7 Days to Walking Away, and Rewind to Rendezvous, Born To Do It is a worthy winner of any awards, and to this day is still one of my most played albums on Spotify. Sixteen years ago, Craig David was undoubtably one of the only R’n’B / Garage artists to sit in the mainstream charts alongside an array of Pop acts, and it was a massive breakthrough for an ordinary 19 year old boy from Southampton.

Since Born To Do It, Craig David has encountered success some people could only dream of. As well as being nominated for 12 Brit Awards and 2 Grammys, he has worked with the likes of Sting, Kano, Jay Sean, Backstreet Boys, Tinchy Stryder, and is arguably the person that put Rita Ora on the map with 2008′s Where’s Your Love.

It’s now 2016, and Craig David is currently at the peak of one of the biggest comebacks the UK has ever seen. A radio appearance last year featuring Fill Me In perfectly placed over Skrillex & Justin Bieber’s Where Are U Now went viral, and suddenly everyone is back on the CD hype.

Last year I saw Craig David bring his TS5 DJ set to the tiny 400 capacity Oslo in Hackney, and now the 35 year old has sold out London’s Brixton Academy. As well as this, he’s currently doing a summer residency in Ibiza, and is pretty much playing every single festival you can think of.

His sixth studio album, Following My Intuition, is due for release this year, and if the past 16 years is anything to go by, we’ve got another timeless record on our hands.

It’s good to have you back, Craig. Happy Born To Do It-aversary!