Craig David shares rare photo with his parents in sweet hometown post
Southampton's biggest garage star says thank you.
Noughties popstar Craig David has warmed his fans’ hearts after dedicating a sweet social media post to his loving parents.
The Hampshire-born garage star, 43, broke out 25 years ago with his singles Fill Me In and 7 Days, which launched him to the top of the UK charts.
His debut album Born to Do It topped the album charts for two weeks and spent almost an entire calendar year in the top 40, becoming the sixth biggest selling record of 2000.
Craig had continued success throughout the 2000s, with his last major hit coming in 2021, when he teamed up with YouTuber KSI for the song Really Love.
Reflecting on his years of success as he announced a June 2025 hometown gig in Southampton, Craig dedicated an adorable Instagram post to his parents.
‘Growing up on the Holyrood council estate in Southampton was where it all began,’ he said, fondly remembering his beginnings as an artist.
‘My wonderful parents, and the energy of the community – they all played such a huge role’ (Picture: Instagram/Craig David) Tina and George raised Craig separately after their divorce in 1989 (Picture: Instagram/Craig David)‘The records I collected, the influence of my wonderful parents, and the energy of the community – they all played such a huge role in shaping both the person and artist I am today.
‘Coming back home to perform is always a special moment and I can’t wait to return this summer on June 21st for a big TS5 show outside the Guildhall.’
Craig was born as an only child to mum Tina and dad George, growing up on the Holyrood estate, which is about a mile south of Southampton city centre.
Craig broke out with two number one singles while still a teenager (Picture: Steve Finn/Getty Images) The Holyrood estate in Southampton was his home (Picture: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)The estate was – and remains – made up of almost 20 blocks of council and housing association flats, and is less than a mile from the English Channel.
His parents split when Craig was eight years old, leaving him to be primarily raised by his mum, but he maintained a close relationship with his dad.
It was in his teen years that the Walking Away hitmaker began accompanying his dad to dance clubs, where DJs would allow him to take the microphone.
After being spotted in the clubs, Craig worked with UK garage stars like the Artful Dodger and Damage.
He’s had continued success in the 2010s and 2020s (Picture: Shirlaine Forrest/WireImage)From there, he was signed to Wildstar records at the age of just 17. Just over a year later, Wildstar released Fill Me In and 7 Days – his two breakout number ones.
And it sees Craig still holds those original hits of his very close to his heart, telling Metro in 2024 that he has no plans to revisit them or remix them any time soon.
‘To be honest, I wouldn’t go there,’ Craig said. ‘Another artist remixing your record or sampling your record is cool but I just feel it lives in that space now.
‘When you go in and try and change it, it just doesn’t land the same way as when you did it the first time around.
‘I think revisiting some tunes – you have to be really careful because they hold memories with people at certain times. When you go there in your different place and time, it’s like *sighs*.’
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