NEWS
Craig David says chopping up his new track with Tiwa Savage turned out ‘better than he could have imagined’
05 March 2025
This morning, Craig David joined Capital XTRA Breakfast with Robert Bruce and Shayna Marie.
UK R&B legend Craig David popped into the Capital XTRA studio, where he talked up working with Tiwa Savage on their new single ‘Commitment,’ with Craig saying the track turned out even ‘better than he could have imagined.’ Craig also revealed how he stumbled upon his debut album during a remote trek through the Costa Rican rainforest!
Key
Craig David – CD
Robert Bruce – RB
Shayna Marie – SM
Craig David says chopping up his new track with Tiwa Savage turned out ‘better than he could have imagined’
SM: “You have got a brand-new song out right now with Tiwa Savage. Take us on a journey of how this song became what it is today.”
CD: “So, I mean, I'd been a big fan of Tiwa, especially when it comes to Afrobeat. She's been, like, holding it down for years now. But it's just the way in which she's so consistent with it, and vocally she's amazing. But so, there's a song I was writing with my brainchild and my guy, Sean Wander, over here in the studio, chopping it up. And once we finished kind of 70% of the song, we were like… The song was about commitment, about a relationship, and about what it's like. It's all good, the romantic phase. But what's it like when you’ve got to dig deep, when you're like, ‘Okay, it's getting a bit tough here.’ And we were like, ‘But who could pan this?’ And everyone unanimously, weirdly enough, said, ‘What about Tiwa Savage?’ I said, ‘Tiwa Savage!’ So it all happened. So, then it was like, a case of just reaching out. You never know if you're going to get aired or it's going to be love. You just never know with those ones. But she came back so graciously, and she said the other day, ‘Listen, even if the song wasn't that great, like the 70% you're done, I still would have jumped on it.’ I was like, ‘This is love.’ So, she jumped on it, and next thing you know, we've got this song that, for me, it sort of embodies both of our worlds, and it feels legit and it hits the right spot.”
SM: “When you first heard her finished version, what was your reaction when you got it back?”
CD: “You know when you see fire emojis going off? Then it goes from fire emojis to the voice note. Then the voice notes are getting longer. ‘Bro, have you heard it?!’ We’re just deep in the lyrics. So, we were both gassed, and then it was just like just to finally get in and be, because we did it remotely at first with Tiwa. So, it was actually getting in and meeting each other for the first time is important, and it was better than I could have imagined. You've chopped up with Tiwa before, right? She’s so gracious with it. And you're just like, ‘But your talent is so crazy.’ She's like, ‘Yeah, you know.’ So beautiful, such a beautiful woman.”
Craig David recalls his amazement at finding his debut album playing at a remote stop during a trek through the Costa Rican rainforest!
RB: “You’ve been touring for over 25 years now. Where have you not been in the world”
CD: “You know what? I think it's when you start to get out to China; it would be quite crazy to go there. We were in Hong Kong, and then I kind of felt ill and I couldn't get over to China. We were on a tour, about to go there. I think just getting out to other regions – getting out to Brazil, I haven't been to Brazil. I mean, if I could get there for Carnival, it would be wild. I think I did one crazy thing. Like, years ago, I ended up in Costa Rica doing an acoustic version of the first album with Fraser, my guitarist at the time. But it was called, like, Music In High Places, like this TV series. And we ended up in the middle of a rainforest singing tunes, yeah? So there's weird places. And then we went down one trail, and there was only one, like, little stop where they were selling coconuts and some bananas. I hear one CD they had, and I tell you no lie, I'm hearing, ‘On my way to see my friends…’ I like was, ‘No, no, no. There's no way, in the middle of a rainforest, it has got the Born To Do It CD.’ And he came out, and he was like it was some weird thing, like in a mirage. Like, ‘Is this real?’ It's crazy, man.’
UK R&B legend Craig David popped into the Capital XTRA studio, where he talked up working with Tiwa Savage on their new single ‘Commitment,’ with Craig saying the track turned out even ‘better than he could have imagined.’ Craig also revealed how he stumbled upon his debut album during a remote trek through the Costa Rican rainforest!
Craig David – CD
Robert Bruce – RB
Shayna Marie – SM
Craig David says chopping up his new track with Tiwa Savage turned out ‘better than he could have imagined’
SM: “You have got a brand-new song out right now with Tiwa Savage. Take us on a journey of how this song became what it is today.”
CD: “So, I mean, I'd been a big fan of Tiwa, especially when it comes to Afrobeat. She's been, like, holding it down for years now. But it's just the way in which she's so consistent with it, and vocally she's amazing. But so, there's a song I was writing with my brainchild and my guy, Sean Wander, over here in the studio, chopping it up. And once we finished kind of 70% of the song, we were like… The song was about commitment, about a relationship, and about what it's like. It's all good, the romantic phase. But what's it like when you’ve got to dig deep, when you're like, ‘Okay, it's getting a bit tough here.’ And we were like, ‘But who could pan this?’ And everyone unanimously, weirdly enough, said, ‘What about Tiwa Savage?’ I said, ‘Tiwa Savage!’ So it all happened. So, then it was like, a case of just reaching out. You never know if you're going to get aired or it's going to be love. You just never know with those ones. But she came back so graciously, and she said the other day, ‘Listen, even if the song wasn't that great, like the 70% you're done, I still would have jumped on it.’ I was like, ‘This is love.’ So, she jumped on it, and next thing you know, we've got this song that, for me, it sort of embodies both of our worlds, and it feels legit and it hits the right spot.”
SM: “When you first heard her finished version, what was your reaction when you got it back?”
CD: “You know when you see fire emojis going off? Then it goes from fire emojis to the voice note. Then the voice notes are getting longer. ‘Bro, have you heard it?!’ We’re just deep in the lyrics. So, we were both gassed, and then it was just like just to finally get in and be, because we did it remotely at first with Tiwa. So, it was actually getting in and meeting each other for the first time is important, and it was better than I could have imagined. You've chopped up with Tiwa before, right? She’s so gracious with it. And you're just like, ‘But your talent is so crazy.’ She's like, ‘Yeah, you know.’ So beautiful, such a beautiful woman.”
Craig David recalls his amazement at finding his debut album playing at a remote stop during a trek through the Costa Rican rainforest!
RB: “You’ve been touring for over 25 years now. Where have you not been in the world”
CD: “You know what? I think it's when you start to get out to China; it would be quite crazy to go there. We were in Hong Kong, and then I kind of felt ill and I couldn't get over to China. We were on a tour, about to go there. I think just getting out to other regions – getting out to Brazil, I haven't been to Brazil. I mean, if I could get there for Carnival, it would be wild. I think I did one crazy thing. Like, years ago, I ended up in Costa Rica doing an acoustic version of the first album with Fraser, my guitarist at the time. But it was called, like, Music In High Places, like this TV series. And we ended up in the middle of a rainforest singing tunes, yeah? So there's weird places. And then we went down one trail, and there was only one, like, little stop where they were selling coconuts and some bananas. I hear one CD they had, and I tell you no lie, I'm hearing, ‘On my way to see my friends…’ I like was, ‘No, no, no. There's no way, in the middle of a rainforest, it has got the Born To Do It CD.’ And he came out, and he was like it was some weird thing, like in a mirage. Like, ‘Is this real?’ It's crazy, man.’
