ANOTHER year, another set of Brit nominations for Craig David. This year the Southampton superstar has picked up two nominations, for Best British Male and Best British Urban Act, as easily as he has done for the past two years.

But actually winning a Brit seems somewhat more difficult for the 21-year-old.

The contention between Craig and the Brits started in 2001 when he garnered four nominations and was a favourite to sweep the board.

He walked away empty-handed, albeit with the likes of Elton John and Robbie Williams saying what a disgrace it was.

It was the same again last year, but Craig is trying to remain upbeat about his chances at this year's Brits - although you sense he's still smarting about the snub.

"It would be easier to be nominated for none because at least I would know what the outcome will be," he laughs.

"That year I wasn't bitter, I was just confused because I thought what more can you do in a year to get a Brit award?

"The album went to number one, I had two number one singles, and it was one of the biggest-selling albums of that year.

"It highlighted the fact that, that year, the Brits didn't represent what was going on in the music world.

"I'm looking forward to performing at this year's show but whether I win one or not, the award I'm most proud of is my Ivor Novello because that's really about the songs, not what people are into."

Even if on February 20 he loses out on a Brit for another year, Craig might be able to console himself with a Grammy win a few days later.

He's been nominated for one of the prestigious American music awards for the second year running and is feeling much more positive about his chances in that ceremony.

"It's a wicked feeling to be nominated two years on the trot," he grins. "This kid from Southampton's Holyrood Estate which had no parking outside in case people pulled the spoilers off your car is there getting a Grammy nomination. So I'm going to go out and enjoy it, and if I don't win then it won't change my world."

Craig is one of the few British artists to have cornered the lucrative but notoriously difficult American market. Some of our biggest stars, like Robbie Williams and Oasis, have yet to achieve the same thing. But, unlike them, Craig has put in the work needed to get the American public's attention.

It has been suggested, though, that Craig's lengthy absence from UK soil has caused his career here to lose momentum. His comeback single, What's Your Flava, only made number eight when it was released back in November - something of a poor show after the success of his previous singles.

"With the new material I didn't expect to waltz back into the charts and I was really pleased with how What's Your Flava did," he says adamantly.

"It was a different track but we'd made a conscious risk to do something different. I'd been away for 18 months so I couldn't come back with something the same. To get top ten was amazing and now I'm here working it, just like old times."

Craig is quite happy to put in the required work. He understands people might need to be reminded of why they liked Craig David and hasn't come back expecting things to be the same as when he left.

"So many things have changed while I've been away," he says. "There was Popstars and Pop Idol, and the charts have changed as well.

"But, at the end of the day, you can be away for a certain amount of time and, as long as you've got great music and songs, then you can fly back."

"I'm very confident that this album has got the material, it's just a case of letting people hear the music."

Concentrating on his work might also take Craig's mind of the fact that he's currently single.

Although he seems to be enjoying playing the field - and was recently spotted in an intimate embrace with Colombian supermodel Sofia Vergara - he says he believes destiny will bring him a girlfriend and "things will fall into place at the right time".

Unfortunately, it wasn't the right time with actress Roselyn Sanchez, who stars in the video for his new single Hidden Agenda.

Craig immediately took a shine to the Rush Hour 2 star but their on-screen romance failed to continue off-screen.

"I saw the pictures of her before I met her and thought, 'Here we go, she's a babe. You got three days, Craig, work it'.

We had a great time and I thought we could be really cool together.

"Before New Year's Eve she came out to Miami and I thought, 'Great, we've got time together and we've not got a camera in our face'.

She came in with her hair braided and looking stunning but then she said, 'I want to introduce you to my boyfriend'. I just thought, 'Man that's not what I need to hear right now'."

For now, though, Craig's got plenty to concentrate on until things do fall into place in his love life.

To back up his return to the UK charts, he is currently holed up in rehearsals for his forthcoming UK tour.

"I can't wait to get back on the road. It seems like I've been away a lifetime.

"I remember playing at Wembley Arena to a sold-out audience and it's those sort of memories I have of the last time I performed in England. It's wicked just to be back, actually."