Source: Billboard
By Lars Brandle
Veteran R&B singer Craig David and British artist manager Colin Lester are among the notable music industry professionals recognized in the Queen’s New Year Honours List.
Southampton-born David is made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for services to British music.
He tweeted a photo of the envelope addressed to Craig David Esq, MBE and said seeing confirmation of his new title “hits differently when you receive the letter though”. He added, “Thank you for all the love you’ve all been showing me for so many years! I appreciate and love you”.
The 39-year-old singer is one of Britain’s most successful male solo artists of the millennium, with 23 U.K. top 40 singles, including two No. 1s (“Fill Me In” and “7 Days”), and a pair of No. 1 albums.
In the U.S., David has twice cracked the Top 40 on the Billboard 200 and he has landed three songs on the Hot 100 chart, including a career-best No. 10 with “7 Days”.
Among his career trophies are three Ivor Novello Awards and a brace of MTV Europe Music Awards.
Meanwhile, Lester is made an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE), a British order of chivalry rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organizations, and public service outside the civil service.
Based in London, the JEM Artists founder and CEO receives the award in recognition of services to the music industry and to charity. “I have spent my entire professional career in the music industry and I’ve never had to work a day in my life,” he comments in a statement. “To be recognized with an OBE is a huge honor and I would like to dedicate it to my family, all the artists I have had the privilege to represent and the amazing charities I am proud to support.”
The OBE is the latest in a long-line of plaudits for Lester that include the Peter Grant Award for Outstanding Achievement from the Music Managers Forum (MMF) and the prestigious Gold Badge Award by The British Academy of Songwriters and Composers Association (BASCA).
Lester has represented David for more than two decades, and launched Wildstar Records and released his debut studio album Born to Do It, which has shifted upwards of 13 million copies, reps say.
