Craig David has spoken of how his Jewish mother and a strong sense of community shaped his early life, as he returns to the council estate where he grew up to back Shelter’s campaign for more social housing.
The singer, now 43, lived on the Holyrood Estate near Southampton city centre from the age of one until his music career took off in his early 20s. In a new short film made with the housing charity, he revisits the estate with his mother Tina and reflects on how a secure home gave him the space to dream, create and thrive.
“Growing up in a social home meant everything to me,” he said. “It wasn’t just a place to live – it was a space where I felt secure, supported and able to be myself. The sense of community was so strong too – we looked out for each other and that made all the difference.”
David said the house was where he wrote some of the defining songs of his debut album Born to Do It, including 7 Days, Walking Away and Fill Me In. The record went on to become the fastest-selling debut by a British male solo artist and helped define the UK garage sound of the early 2000s.
“Going back with Shelter to visit my old home, and still feeling that same energy, reminded me just how powerful the foundation of a stable, loving home can be,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to think so many children today don’t have that same chance.
“Every child deserves the security, support and sense of belonging I was lucky enough to grow up with – and that means investing in social housing.”
The new film shows David meeting the family now living in his former home and speaking about how his childhood shaped his career. His Jewish and Afro-Grenadian heritage, and his experiences of bullying at school, have informed much of his music, including the 2005 track Johnny.
His father played bass in a reggae band, and as a teenager David would accompany him to local clubs, where DJs gave him the mic. His breakout moment came with Re-Rewind alongside garage duo Artful Dodger, who later helped him write and produce Born to Do It.
Mairi MacRae, director of campaigns and policy at Shelter, said David’s support highlighted how transformative a social home can be. “That’s a world away from what growing numbers of homeless children are facing today – living in temporary accommodation where instability looms over them, never knowing if they’ll be forced to move again,” she said.
She called on the Government to use June’s spending review to commit to building 90,000 social homes a year for the next decade.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics in September 2024 showed 80,530 households with children were in temporary accommodation – a 15 percent rise year-on-year. Between 2014/15 and 2023/24, the number of families waiting for a house with three or more bedrooms rose by 36.6 percent, according to Shelter, Crisis and the National Housing Federation.
A Government spokesperson said it was “taking urgent action” to fix the system, pledging £2 billion to deliver the largest boost to social and affordable housebuilding in a generation. Ministers said the funding would help build 18,000 new homes.
Now an MBE with chart-topping records and Glastonbury appearances under his belt, David says the home he once shared with his mother remains at the heart of his story.
“I remember sitting in that home and dreaming. That’s where the music started. And that’s why I’ll keep speaking up – because every child deserves the same chance to dream.”
