Southampton's Craig David is named an MBE at Windsor Castle

The performer received the honour during a Windsor Castle investiture that recognised his career comeback.

A life-long Saints fan, he first found fame with the release of his debut album Born To Do It in 2000.

David, 39, declined to speak to the press after the ceremony but at the time the award was announced he tweeted a snap of the envelope addressed to “Craig David Esq, MBE” and said seeing the title in writing “hits differently when you receive the letter though”.

Mr. Craig David is made an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle. Picture date: Wednesday December 15, 2021.

“Thank you for all the love you’ve all been showing me for so many years! I appreciate and love you.

“I am very honoured”.

Born To Do It entered at number one to become the fastest-selling debut by a British male solo act to date, making David the face of the UK garage genre.

As his subsequent albums failed to chart as well, he was ridiculed by Leigh Francis on the TV comedy show Bo’ Selecta! and eventually moved to Miami.

With the release of comeback record Following My Intuition in 2016, he returned to number one and landed headline gigs at Brixton Academy and a slot on Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage.

These were followed by regular radio slots and high-profile collaborations with artists including Bastille and AJ Tracey.

At school, David suffered at the hands of bullies and this would later inform his music, with the 2005 song Johnny about his memories of that time.

David’s father played bass in a reggae band called the Ebony Rockers and, as a teenager, he would accompany him to local clubs where DJs would let him take the microphone.

He found mainstream success singing on Re-Rewind (The Crowd Say Bo Selecta) by garage duo Artful Dodger, which reached number two in the charts in 1999.

The pair would later help David write and record much of his debut album, Born To Do It, including the tracks Fill Me In and 7 Days.