Atelier/Festival in Dubai

Craig David
He notoriously ‘chilled on Sunday’ after a long week of partying and tomfoolery – yet the smooth British singer likes to rest more than he used to. ‘I’m in a really nice balanced place in my life,’ he tells us coolly. ‘When you first start out you’re young and hungry and trying to find your way.’ He makes the first of many comparisons to footballer David Beckham. ‘He realised he could make the ball work for him – and I’ve realised I can let the songs do the talking.’

Craig, 31, enjoyed phenomenal success in the ’90s as the ‘new kid’ on the UK garage scene, topping the charts with early singles ‘Fill Me In’ and ‘Seven Days’. He’s since moved out of the limelight, relocating to Miami.

But there’s one thing he didn’t pack many of – his gold records. ‘Most of them are at my mum’s in Southampton,’ he says. ‘They’re a reminder of my old life – they’re not what’s happening with me right now.’

Craig is working on album number six, and has recently been writing with the Backstreet Boys, yet ‘right now’ David is as concerned with peace of mind as he is with music. He puts much of this down to his four-word ‘personal philosophy’ – ‘eat clean, train dirty’. He adds: ‘I’ve been very blessed with my career. I’ve played arenas and stadiums, I’ve sold millions of albums, and I don’t need that justification. Ego is a scary thing – if you’re always trying to outdo what you’ve done before, you’ll never be happy.’