Robbie Williams

Profession: Singer
Place/Date of Birth: 13 February 2021
Associated with: Take That

The star has asked seven young independent film makers to provide films to complement the album. The person who wins the competition to make the eighth film receives £7,500, while the film could also be broadcast.

"This is the record I’ve always wanted to make. It’s reignited how I think about what I can do with music myself," said the heartthrob star. "Rudebox was done in a guerrilla way, no plan of action, it just evolved into what it is naturally.

"That’s what I like about film today and why I wanted to do this project and competition. Just like in music today you can create a masterpiece out of an iBook and some digital footage, as much as you can in a fancy studio. That’s how The 80s began life itself, in my bedroom in LA with my friend Jerry messing around on my Mac. I’m very excited to see what the film-makers can come up with."

Robbie’s alternative career - Aug 31, 2020
Pop prince Robbie Williams apparently would have landed a job as a holiday camp Bluecoat if he hadn’t hit the big time with his chart-topping hit, Angels.

The cheeky Stoke popstar reminisced about his time as a youngster touring with his cabaret-singing dad around the caravan parks of Great Yarmouth and Tenby. The 32-year-old told The Sun: "Now some people like to pretend that they never went to Blackpool on holiday, or spent a week in their caravan in Great Yarmouth.

"I did! I’m a Bluecoat. "I’d be an entertainment manager in Caenarvon Bay, if I hadn’t written Angels."

The working-class lad, whose new album Rudebox is out September 4, is not ashamed of his roots and pokes fun at the middle-class frontman of Radiohead.He laughs: "We didn’t all come out of the womb and put a parka on and say, ’Listen I’m 18 months old , but what I really want to do is ride a scooter’.

"We didn’t all do that. We all went on holiday to holiday camps. That’s where I come from. I’m not Thom Yorke. "Don’t know where he went on holiday, he probably went to museums or burlesque theatre or something. "But I went to Tenby!"

Robbie accused of stealing a song - Aug 24, 2020
Robbie Williams has been accused of stealing a song by Rod Stewart’s stepson Ashley Hamilton. Ashley - whose mother Alana was Rod’s first wife - says he worked with Robbie on new single ’She’s Madonna’ before the ’Angels’ singer asked the Pet Shop Boys to finish the track.

Ashley, 31, told the Daily Mirror newspaper: "We came up with this idea over coffee one afternoon and worked on the lyrics together. The next thing I know, a producer’s ringing me up to say congratulations for getting my song on Robbie’s record. I didn’t know what he was talking about!

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Biography

Robbie Peter Williams was born on February 13th 1974 and spent his childhood years living in Stoke-on-Trent with his mum and older sister Sally. He was always the class joker at St Margaret Ward High School in Stoke and had a particular gift for singing and acting. He joined a local theatre group as a youngster and was often seen starring in various musicals and plays - his biggest part was playing ’Dodger’ in Oliver.

Robbie joined Take That when he was only 16, he had only one job previous to that, as a double glazing salesman, but apparently he wasn’t very good - he would tell customers not to buy them because they were so bad! For five years, Robbie became the joker of the band, always smiling and playing gags on people as Take That rose to record-breaking stardom. However, in July 1995 Robbie announced he was to leave the band to concentrate on a solo career...a nation of teenage girls mourned.

After a stint eating pies, doing drugs and being friends with the Gallaghers, Robbie signed to Chrysalis Records. His first ever solo single on this label would be a cover of George Michael’s Freedom . It was released on July 29th 1996 exactly one year after his departure from Take That. It reached No 2 in the UK charts. Life began to get a bit rough for Robbie during the following months, he met Jacquie Hamilton-Smith at a New Years Eve Party of 1996, moved in with her the next day and partied (in more ways that one) for exactly one year before coming to his senses. In the middle of all this he released his second single Old Before I Die on April 14th 1997 which also reached No 2 in the charts.

At the beginning of June 1997 after many bad reports in the media, Robbie checked himself into a rehab centre to receive treatment for his addiction to alcohol and drugs. After 4 weeks at the centre Rob emerged 2 stones lighter, sporting a new haircut, and hopefully feeling much better. The release of Lazy Days followed soon after on July 14th, and made it’s first appearance in the UK charts at No 8, to be followed shortly by South Of The Border.

December 1997 was the real beginning for Robbie, he released ’Angels’ as his Christmas single, never knowing quite what an impact it would have on the market. Into the new year of 1998 it was still in the charts and ’Life Thru A Lens’ shot back into the album charts and has been there ever since. Robbie truly had arrived, signing up thousands of new fans daily. Millennium and accompanying album I’ve Been Expecting You followed up on this success, making Robbie the biggest selling artist of 1998.

He began trying to win over the US in 1999 touring The Ego Has Landed. His success continued in 2000 with the release of immediate hit, Rock DJ. Sing When You’re Winning, was as popular as his accompanying collection of lounge covers, Swing When You’re winning. In 2002, Robbie signed a record breaking contract with EMI for £50m, securing his place in pop history. Escapology duly topped the charts in the UK while Robbie spent time in LA being papped with new girlfriend Rachel Hunter.

The biggest outdoor concert ever was hosted by Robbie in 2003 at Knebworth Park attracting 375,000 fans over three days. He followed up this success with two album releases, a Greatest Hits and 2005’s Intensive Care which accompanied his appearance on stage at Live8. Around this time speculation was rife that Robbie was ready to patch things up with his former bandmates and take part in a Take That reunion tour. However Robbie disappointed fans and friends by failing to turn up at an ITV organised reunion and merely recording a video part for the tour which Gary and co embarked on a UK tour without him.

But Robbie wasn’t resting on his laurels. While Take That returned to the studio Robbie did the same, releasing his tenth album, Rudebox in 2006 which brought more controversy to the singer when he failed to credit a supposed co-writer.

It never seems to stop for Robbie.
updated Oct 2006
September 2007