SOUTHAMPTON singing sensation Craig David is feeling the love ahead of an intimate gig next week at the home of the Saints, the team he has supported since he was a boy.

“This one is really close to my heart,” he told the Daily Echo.

“I’ve been a Saints fan all my life so to play a gig at St Mary’s Stadium is amazing.

“If only I could have told my ten-year-old self stood on Northam Bridge waiting for a minibus to pick me up for football practice that in nearly 30 years time I’d be performing there in a Saints stadium! It’s amazing really, sometimes you’ve got to pinch yourself.

“I remember going down to The Dell every single game and waiting for Alan Shearer and Matt Le Tissier and Tim Flowers to come out. I must have Matt’s autograph 40 times!

“I have nothing but fantastic memories in Southampton and I hope this night will be unforgettable for everyone.

“I always get home when I can and it’s a special feeling as soon as I start coming down the Avenue, but I’ve decided this is the season where I start making the most of the season tickets I’ve bought my Mum!

“I hope that I can make youngsters see that you can grow up on the Holyrood Estate and follow your dreams.”

Craig grew up on the council estate off Queensway and turned his bedroom into a studio at the age of 11, then started DJing around the city’s clubs.

A collaboration with Artful Dodger brought him a number two hit with Re-Rewind and led to a solo record deal and chart toppers 7 Days and Fill Me In.

After a time in the musical wilderness, TS5 was his big comeback. An exclusive party hosted at his penthouse home in Miami, Craig’s ability to sing, MC and work the crowd while DJing everything from old skool anthems to current house hits made it an instant success.

“Everyone thinks TS5 was a Miami thing,” he adds. “But actually it was born in Southampton back in the day. It all stems from when I was doing my gigs around Southampton. They changed my life. They taught me everything. They gave me the confidence to carry on when things go wrong whether it’s to a handful of people or 20,000.”

Craig has previously performed TS5 to much acclaim at Common People 2016 and at a series of dates at Mayflower Theatre, but this will be the most intimate gig, in a pop up bespoke venue within the ground.

The St Mary's concert is to celebrate the launch of Gig 1 broadband in Southampton.

Apply for tickets for the gig, a week today, at virginmedia.com/GigGig