An Interview With Craig David
As I look out of the window, the leaves brought to the ground by autumn's arrival evoke the memory of a certain music video- barren trees on either side and auburn leaves beneath his feet, a sole figure walks purposefully towards and unnamed somewhere. The song was Walking Away and the figure was Craig David who has just passed the window. Whilst some may consider Monday morning in Traders bar a strange place for a major star like David to be interviewed, he displays a carefree attitude, which many mistake for arrogance, from the moment he exuberantly bursts through the double doors. He is alone- which is a refreshing sight in this age of the entourage- and he greets me with a perfect blend of friendliness and professionalism.
It has been over a year and a half since David was at the peak of his popularity in Britain with success in both the single and album charts. So, where has he been? "I needed time to rethink my music" he says sincerely, "the last album received a lot of vibes I wasn't expecting and, if I'm honest with myself, I don't think it was true to who Craig David really is". He is referring in particular to the now somewhat notorious Seven Days, which seemed to portray David as something of a 'player' with the ladies. "Craig David isn't about the fast life- sex, drugs and rock & roll- that's what I tried to show in this album". Entitled Slicker Than Yo Average, the new material sees David taking a fresh tangent musically, though it is the lyrics that he cites as the major transition artistically.
The first release from the new album, What's Yo Flava? seems to me at first to cleverly draw parallels between ice cream and women, with the effect of being suggestive sexually. "It's about ice cream" corrects a clearly frustrated David, "there is nothing metaphorical about it, as I keep having to tell people". Intrigued by this revelation, I enquire about the video for the song, which sees David leading a bevy of beautiful women on some king of tour, a la Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. "It was a homage. I love that movie, man- the bit where the fat kid gets stuck in the tube- fantastic!" he cackles wildly. "But the women weren't my idea" he continues, "I suppose that might explain the misinterpretation. What I originally envisaged was this whole kind of majestic tour through my amazing factory of ice-cream where everything is made of ice-cream, even the walls, so there has to be some kind of elaborate coolant system to keep everything from melting down. Somewhere down the line, the video just kind of took a different direction". David speaks with an infectious energy and is unfashionably passionate about his work.
One wonders why a man would dare risk the comfortable position he has worked so hard to earn, but the controversial move is one of principle for David and one which will hopefully put an end to the critics who believe he is trying to be someone he is not. "It has almost become a pretence now in Garage, R&B and Hip Hop, that you have to be 'from the streets', so to speak." This is evidently something that annoys David and he grimaces at the crudeness of the term. "I'm from Southampton" he admits with earnest, "where I grew up, we didn't have streets, we had closes and avenues. I'm not gonna' write about things I cant relate to at the risk of being branded a fake. I like ice-cream, so I'm gonna' write about ice-cream, its as simple as that".
Indeed it is that simple. What's Yo Flava? waxes lyrical on the spectrum of flavours on offer, the 'chocolate sprinkles', the 'toffee crisp', and as the conversation delves deeper into his fascination with the topic, it becomes clear that ice-cream is something very close to David's heart. His favourite flavour? "At the moment its vanilla, but it goes in cycles. One of my fondest memories from my youth was taking day trips down to Portsmouth" muses David with a distant melancholy, "our dad would always buy us ice creams. I love the seaside".
And it is a sense of this 'love' that characterises the new album. "Slicker than Yo Average is about the things that make Craig David smile" he beams, "life's small pleasures- for example, there is a song on the album about how I like taking baths (Lets Take a Bath, Baby). Another is about my favourite fabric- fleece (I want you on my body) and Ain't Getting to Sleep Straight Away Tonite, Honey, is about having a naps on Sunday afternoons". Only time will tell whether or not the fans will take to this new write-what-you-know approach to song writing, but one senses that either way David will be content in the knowledge that he is finally 'keeping it real'.
Next comes the December release of the title track, Slicker than Yo Average- "of Earths natural resources, I'd say oil is the one that gets the least recognition. Without it, we wouldn't have plastic. Without plastic wed have, well...chaos". But what does the future hold in the long term for Craig David? "All Craig David can is be Craig David" he says pensively, "because that's who Craig David is". Poignant words indeed.
It is the end of the interview. David leaves to attend a Q&A at The Portcullis down Fishponds Road. And, as I sit back and once again direct my gaze outside, I suddenly understand the purpose of that sole figure in that so memorable video; I realise he is heading towards a different season, away from the leaves...
And then I woke up and realised it was all a dream- but what a ride!
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