Born To Do It (25th Anniversary)

25 years ago, a then largely unknown Craig David dropped his debut album ‘Born To Do It’, a record which became a landmark in UK garage and British R&B and instantly made its creator a household name. All these years later, and with Craig David still at the very top of his game, he now celebrates the impact of his debut record with the news that he will release ‘Born To Do It: 25th Anniversary Edition’ on December 12th.

As that title proudly exclaimed, Craig David was ‘Born To Do It’. If anyone doubted him, they were soon proved wrong as it fired straight to #1 in the UK and became the fastest-selling debut by a British male solo artist. Suddenly he was everywhere, building on his breakthrough Artful Dodger collab ‘Rewind’ with two iconic #1s (‘Fill Me In’ and ‘7 Days’) and another big hit with ‘Walking Away’.

By the time the album’s era came to a close, he had also claimed three Ivor Novellos, his first four MOBO Awards, two Grammy nominations, and two MTV Europe Awards. Ultimately certified 6 x Platinum in the UK, ‘Born To Do It’ was a global smash too, earning further Platinum certifications in the US, Australia, Germany, France and beyond.

Even more impressively, ‘Born To Do It’ emerged from modest circumstances, with Craig collaborating with Artful Dodger’s Mark Hill in a small studio in Southampton: the duo’s creative liberation free from any influences from the wider industry. Yet what they created made a phenomenal impact, from the irresistible 2-step grooves of ‘Fill Me In’ to the classic R&B ballad ‘Walking Away’. And ‘7 Days’ was such a cultural moment that it’s still impossible to live in the UK and not be aware that Craig likes to chill on Sunday.