The Diary of a CEOCraig David Opens Up About His Painful Rise, Fall & Redemption | E135
CHAPTERS
- 1:00 – 13:00
Bullying, ‘Johnny’ and the hidden reality of school trauma
Steven opens by reading lyrics from Craig’s 2006 track ‘Johnny’, about a bullied boy with troubled parents. Craig explains the song was his first honest expression of his own and others’ experiences with bullying in an all‑boys secondary school. He describes physical intimidation, the complexity of ‘telling a teacher’, and why music became his way to process pain without preaching.
- 13:00 – 29:00
Weight, body image and childhood shame as fuel
Craig talks about being overweight as a teenager and how that shaped his self‑worth. He was the empathetic friend girls confided in, not the ‘captain of the football team’ they dated. These early comparisons to societal ideals later drove his fixation on fitness and appearance, which he now sees as rooted in unexamined childhood shame.
- 29:00 – 47:00
Parents, divorce and early models of love and relationships
Craig unpacks how his parents’ divorce when he was eight, plus a loving but fragmented family setup, shaped his views on relationships. Surrounded by nurturing feminine energy from his mum and grandma and a protective but separate father, he grew up without a living model of a working partnership. This, plus his first heartbreak, led him to keep his heart closed for years.
- 47:00 – 59:00
Council estate dreams, early hustle and musical DNA
Growing up on a Southampton council estate, Craig dreamed of simple upgrades like a house with a garden, inspired by his grandma’s home. He recalls his mum going into debt to make his childhood feel normal, his own entrepreneurial streak selling near‑expiry chocolate at school, and the deep musical influences from his dad’s reggae band and his mum’s soul records.
- 59:00 – 1:19:00
From bedroom tapes to Damage and the Artful Dodger connection
Craig describes his DIY recording experiments with a Studio 100 hi‑fi system as a preteen and his first songwriting ‘break’ writing for boyband Damage at 14. He then details how DJing and MCing in local clubs led to a chance meeting with Mark Hill and Pete Deveraux (Artful Dodger), whose nearby studio became the launchpad for ‘Rewind’ and early UK garage success.
- 1:19:00 – 1:33:00
‘Rewind’, ‘Fill Me In’ and the euphoric wave of global fame
Craig recounts the creation and reception of ‘Rewind’, including its halftime bassline that initially confused club crowds but became its unique hook. He then moves into the explosion of ‘Fill Me In’ and ‘Born To Do It’, describing hysteria at shows, celebrity fans like Missy Elliott, Beyoncé, J.Lo, Stevie Wonder and even Michael Jackson listening to his album.
- 1:33:00 – 1:47:00
Expectation, misalignment and the slide into box‑ticking music
With his second album ‘Slicker Than Your Average’, Craig encountered the darker side of success: label forecasts of 10–11 million sales and disappointment at ‘only’ 3.5 million. This reframed achievement as failure in his mind, nudging him into projects he didn’t feel—culminating in the live‑leaning ‘Trust Me’ and a Motown covers album that felt like being someone else.
- 1:47:00 – 2:08:00
Miami highs, overtraining, injury and the crash into depression
Craig moves to Miami around 2010, initially enjoying an intense period of parties, women, cars and status. But as music output dwindled and gym culture escalated, a catastrophic back injury from deadlifts caused persistent nerve pain and triggered major depression. He candidly describes dark thoughts, the limits of ‘positive reframing’, and learning to read his body’s warnings.
- 2:08:00 – 2:20:00
Men’s mental health, dropping ‘man up’ and the dark night of the soul
Reflecting on his depression, Craig criticizes the ‘man up’ narrative and links it to male suicide rates. He advocates open conversation, including with anonymous listeners, and frames recovery as a ‘dark night of the soul’ where you systematically unpack old stories and trauma rather than sweeping them under the carpet.
- 2:20:00 – 2:35:00
Returning to London, TS5 and the joy of cultural comeback
Craig describes coming back to the UK, immediately feeling embraced by Big Narstie, Kurupt FM, Stormzy and others at a 1Xtra performance. A spontaneous ‘Fill Me In’ remix over ‘Where Are Ü Now’ goes viral, with Justin Bieber, Skrillex and Diplo sharing it. He explains how TS5 evolved from tiny house parties to major sets at Ibiza and Glastonbury, reconnecting him with his DJ roots and the pure fun of music.
- 2:35:00 – 2:50:00
Relationships, masculinity and choosing heart‑led living
Craig reflects on how childhood models and early heartbreak led him to avoid deep relationships and objectify women during his peak fame years. He now values emotional connection, laughter and mutual consciousness over looks, and emphasizes owning his role in past toxic dynamics. He also gently rejects his own old ‘foot on the gas’ language, advocating rest and intuition over hustle.
- 2:50:00 – 3:09:00
‘22’: recapturing the kid, integrating the journeyman
Approaching the release of his album ‘22’, Craig explains how the pandemic gave him the same unhurried space he had making ‘Born To Do It’. Writing at home with a giant subwoofer, collaborating with younger writers for fresh language, he aimed to blend R&B and garage with the emotional honesty of a man who has been through the highs and lows. He likens himself to Charlie in ‘Willy Wonka’, returning the everlasting gobstopper—choosing integrity over temptation and finally getting the whole factory.
- 3:09:00
Message to his 14‑year‑old self and closing reflections
In response to the previous guest’s question, Craig delivers a heartfelt ‘whisper’ to his 14‑year‑old self, promising euphoria, acknowledging upcoming hardship, and reassuring younger Craig that his older self will be there holding his hand. Steven closes by highlighting the impact of Craig’s vulnerability, and both acknowledge a genuine sense of brotherhood and the importance of modelling open, emotionally honest masculinity.
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