Craig David
During a period of three years, Craig David transitioned from aspiring songwriter and DJ to major U.K. pop star. When his meringue-smooth, garage-tinged R&B single "Fill Me In" reached the top of the U.K. chart during the summer of 2000, the singer, only 19 years old at the time, became the youngest British male solo artist to achieve the feat. Not only that, but he also achieved mainstream U.S. acceptance and platinum sales in 18 additional countries. Though he did not sustain that level of popularity, David released solid modern R&B albums every few years. Through 2015, he had racked up a total of 14 Top Ten U.K. pop hits.
Prior to his breakthrough, David, a native of Southampton, was a local radio jock and later found himself spinning records at clubs, which enabled him to cross paths with some of England's up-and-coming producers. It was during this time that he hooked up with Artful Dodger's Mark Hill, but his first real break came when he won a songwriting contest held by the group Damage, who recorded "I'm Ready," the track he submitted, and released it as a B-side to their 1997 single "Wonderful Tonight." Two years later, Artful Dodger produced and wrote the mellow yet rhythmically tricky "Rewind," for which David provided the lead vocal -- the release was billed as Artful Dodger Presents Craig David -- and the song went to number two on the U.K. pop chart.