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The gays have always been supportive of R&B music, and R&B's female artists like Diana Ross, Patti LaBelle, and Advocate cover girl Mary J. Blige have reciprocated this love. Male R&B artists rarely show support for or even acknowledge their gay fans. Craig David is one of the first mainstream male R&B artists to do just that.
The strikingly attractive Brit with the million-dollar smile and smooth voice gained international fame with his 2001 album, Born to Do It, which sold 8 million copies worldwide and spawned two Billboard top 20 hits, “Fill Me In” and “Seven Days.” Although he’s maintained huge success worldwide, it's been six years since his last U.S. release.
Now he returns with the dance-friendly Trust Me, currently in stores. “I wanted to make it a lot more up-tempo -- house music, the kind of foot-to-the-floor beats that have been rocking Europe for years,” says David. With a sample of David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” on the first single, “Hot Stuff,” the 27-year-old R&B divo has an eclectic mix of club, soul, and pop. The song hooked us in, and we had to know more.
I can't think of the last time a mainstream male
R&B artist reached out to gay audiences.
For me, it’s like people create this
divide. Some people have a very homophobic attitude;
if it’s not that, some people have racial issues.
It’s a lot of nonsense. At the end of the day,
we’re all human beings. Everyone comes to this
earth to bring something. Ultimately, I want my music
to be appreciated by everybody, regardless of where they
come from, what sexual background you’re from.
I want my music to transcend across the board. For me,
the least I can do to is jump on here and do an
interview!
When I told some friends I was interviewing Craig
David, the first thing they said was, "He is so cute!"
Are you aware of your heartthrob status among gay men?
It’s funny, not so much because if
you’re heterosexual, you’re not really
looking out for it necessarily. But I have a lot of gay
friends and they say, “If you were gay, it
would just be on!” [Laughs] It’s
flattering because you’re seeing it from both sides.
Some people get quite offended by that -- they
feel like it’s playing with their masculinity.
At the end of the day, when you’re cool and
open-minded, in terms of having gay friends, lesbian
friends, whatever the deal is, it just makes you
appreciative of people being complimentary.
There is an assumption that a black R&B or
hip-hop artist could not be openly gay and successful in
the U.S. Do you think it could happen in the U.K.?
It would be hard, the way society tries to put
restraints on you … tries to make you feel like
you’re not one of the guys. Trying to remove the
masculinity, which is so heavily dominant within hip-hop and
R&B music, that’s what it all comes down
to. Ultimately, I’m a believer you can’t
be trapped in the closet; you can’t hide behind a
shell 24/7, having this alter ego and try to pretend
you're somebody else. A lot of gay R&B and hip-hop
artists are trying to keep it so behind closed doors
that there is not enough people to come out to see what the
reaction is. There hasn’t been a fair summary of how
it really is; I think people just feel like their
back is against the wall. I believe in being the
person you are. If you hide behind it too long, you just end
up questioning yourself inside -- so what’s the
point?
Seems like every artist has their gay rumors,
including you. How were you affected when your sexuality
was coming into question?
I was kind of like, However you feel,
really. I know where I’m at; if I was gay,
I would be very open. People were saying, “I
don’t see him with many girls”; there
was a lot of speculation and rumor. I felt like,
I’m not going to jump in the press and say
“No, I’m not!” and try to be
something overtly masculine to prove what my sexuality
was.
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