Robert Peter Williams
, [1] more commonly known as Robbie Williams
(born 13 February 1974, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is a Grammy Award-nominated and multi BRIT Award-winning English singer-songwriter. His career started at the age of 15 as a dancer and singer of the pop band Take That in 1989, which he left in 1995 to launch his solo career. He was raised in Stoke-on-Trent, with a sister, Sally, by Peter and Janet Williams, their parents. He attended Mill Hill Primary School and St Margaret Ward's Roman Catholic School, Tunstall, Staffordshire.
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Achievements
As a solo artist, he has sold more albums in the
U.K than any other British solo artist in history and has won more BRIT Awards than any other artist to date.
[2] His album sales stands at over 55 million worldwide.
[3] Williams entered in
The Guinness Book of World Records when he announced his World Tour for 2006, selling 1.6 million tickets in one single day.
[4]
He has been the recipient of many awards, including ten
BRIT [5] and six
ECHO awards.
[6] In 2004, he was inducted into the
UK Music Hall of Fame, after being voted as the Greatest artist of the 1990s.
[7]
He appears in the list of the all-time Top 100 biggest selling albums in the United Kingdom six times.
[8] It is also estimated he is currently the best selling non-Latin artist in Latin America at the moment with over 3 million sold.
[9]
Solo career
Life Thru a Lens
(1996–1998)
After leaving
Take That, Williams launched his solo career starting things off in 1996 by covering
George Michael's "
Freedom", the single reached number-two in the
UK Singles Chart,
[10] twenty-six places higher than George Michael's original.
After trying to find his own sound during a harrowing period for him, recordings for the album began at London's Maison Rouge studios in March of that year. Shortly after his introduction to
Guy Chambers, Williams released what would be the first single taken from his début album,
Old Before I Die
. Co-written by Williams with
Eric Bazilian and
Desmond Child, the single was released in April 1997, hitting number-two on the UK Charts;
however, it was largely ignored on international charts. The second single, "
Lazy Days", was released in mid-1997, amidst William's battle with paranoia. He was allowed to check out of rehab to shoot the video for the song, but promotion for the single was non-existent, so whilst the single charted at number eight in the United Kingdom,
it struggled to reach the top forty of any European chart.
His début album,
Life Thru A Lens
, was released in September 1997. The album launched with his first live solo gig at the Elysée Montmartre theatre in Paris, France. At first, the album was slow to take off, debuting at number eleven of the
UK Album Charts. The third single of the album, "
South Of The Border", failed to make a significant impact on the UK Charts. When it was released in September 1997, it only reached number fourteen.
After Williams met the record company's concerns about his future, he released what would be the fourth single taken from his album, not knowing it would become his biggest single in the United Kingdom so far, and one of his most well-known songs and successful. "
Angels" became Williams' best seller in the United Kingdom, being certified 2x Platinum by the
BPI.
[11] The song, apart from becoming a hit around Europe and
Latin America, caused sales of his album to skyrocket. The album remained forty weeks inside the British top ten and 218 weeks altogether, making it the 58th best selling album in UK History with sales over the 2.4 Million.
[12] The album eventually managed to sell over three million copies in Europe alone.
[13]
I've Been Expecting You
Williams and Chambers started writing the second album in
Jamaica in early 1998. The first single, "
Millennium", was inspired by
John Barry's James Bond music. The song became Williams' first solo number one single in the United Kingdom when it was released in September of that year.
The song went on to sell over 400,000 copies in the UK alone being certified
Gold by the BPI in November 1998.
[14] It also became a top twenty hit in many European countries, as well becoming a hit in Latin America and Australia.
[15]
When the album
I've Been Expecting You
was released in late October 1998, it débuted at number one in the UK Albums Chart.
[16] The album received more attention outside the United Kingdom, leaving its mark in the European and Latin American markets with hits such as "
No Regrets", a collaboration with The
Pet Shop Boys' singer
Neil Tennant and
The Divine Comedy's
Neil Hannon. The single "No Regrets" was released in November 1998, reaching number four in the UK Singles Chart, backed with the cover of
Adam and the Ants, "Antmusic". The single eventually sold over 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom being certified
Silver in October 2004, almost six years after its original release.
[17]
The third single "
Strong" from the album debuted at number four in the United Kingdom and number nine in New Zealand, however, peaking moderately at only number 68 in Germany, number 99 in France and number 55 in the Netherlands.
[18] The fourth single, "
She's the One", a cover of a track from
World Party's album,
Egyptology
, became his second number one hit in the United Kingdom.
The single was released as a double
a-side with "It's Only Us", the official theme for
Sony's
Playstation FIFA 2000. The single became a massive success selling over 400,000 copies in the UK alone being certified Gold by the BPI in early 2000.
[19] Williams finished the year with an extensive European Tour in the late-1999.
The album
I've Been Expecting You
was a smash hit, selling almost 3 million copies in the United Kingdom alone: certified 10x Platinum by the BPI.
[20] In Europe alone, the album sold over 4 million copies.
[21]
The Ego Has Landed
: Aiming for the North American market in 1999
After his worldwide success, Williams was signed to
Capitol Records in the United States, which is a part of
EMI. Williams embarked on a US promotional tour and when his first U.S. and Canadian single, "
Millennium" was released, it hit number 72 on the
Billboard Hot 100,
the album
The Ego Has Landed
was released in July 1999 in the United States and Canada, not having the success that he enjoyed in Europe, the album peaked at number 63 in the U.S.
Billboard Albums Chart and number 17 on the Canadian
SoundScan album chart.
[22] Despite this, Williams enjoyed good video airplay and received a nomination for the
MTV Video Music Awards for "Best Male Video" – he did not win, but the exposure helped the sales of the album.
Capitol Records, trying to make Williams a bigger star, released a second single from the album, the ballad "Angels", Williams shot a new video for it, and when it was released in fall of that year, the song became a somewhat bigger hit than "Millennium", peaking at number 41,
[23] but this was not enough for Williams, so he concentrated on the rest of the world where he was already an established act. The album went on to sell 596,000 copies in the United States, certified Gold by the
RIAA in November of that year.
[24] The compilation was released worldwide (as a limited edition in Europe); the album was a success in New Zealand reaching number-one on the official album charts.
[25]
Sing When You're Winning
: International success (1999–2001)
In the middle of promotion and the tours in 1999, becoming an established worldwide
pop star, Williams found time to start the work on what would be his third studio album, this time he had finally found his confidence, not only to be more brash, but also vulnerable.
[26]
The first single taken from the album was "
Rock DJ", a song inspired by Williams'
UNICEF mentor, the late
Ian Dury. The video was censored by
Top of the Pops for its
gore content, many other channels followed the suit and it caused a controversy in the United Kingdom and many other countries.
[27] The video showed Williams tearing chunks of skin and muscle from his body while performing a strip show in an attempt to get noticed by the female DJ, the track became an instant hit hitting number-one in the United Kingdom, becoming his third number-one single as a solo artist and exactly a year after his sell-out concert at the
Slane Castle. The song also reached number-one in
New Zealand and hit the Top-10 placings in many countries including Germany,
Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Italy and Australia.
[28] Despite this success, the song failed to break in the United States charts, but it did get some TV Airplay in channels such as
MTV and
VH1. The song went on to win several awards, among them, "Best Song of 2000" at the
MTV Europe Music Awards, "Best Single of the Year" at the BRIT Awards and an
MTV Video Music Award for Best Special Effects, the single went on to sell over 600,000 copies in the UK alone, being certified Platinum by the BPI.
[29]
When the album,
Sing When You're Winning
was released in August 2000, it topped the charts all over the world including Germany, New Zealand, The Netherlands and secured top ten placings in Italy, Austria, Australia, Finland, Sweden among many others.
[30] As for the UK, the album débuted at number-one being certified 2x Platinum on its first week of release.
[31]
The second single, a collaboration with Australian
pop icon Kylie Minogue, titled "
Kids", was written when Minogue approached Williams to write material for what would be her first album
Light Years
under
Parlophone; it was then, when Williams felt the chemistry and decided to include the track on his album and release it as a single. It was an instant hit when it was released in October of that year, hitting number-two in the United Kingdom and reached top-20 placings in countries like Australia, New Zealand.
[32] Kids became one of the biggest hits of that year selling over 200,000 copies in the UK alone being certified
Silver.
[33]
Further singles, such as "
Supreme" (which Williams recorded also in
French), and "
Better Man" became big hits reaching the top-10 in numerous countries around the world.
[34] [35]
"
Eternity", a track that was not featured on the album, was released in the mid-2001 backed with "
The Road to Mandalay", the former was written by Williams. It became his fourth number-one single in the United Kingdom, selling over 70,000 copies in its first week in the UK alone,
[36] and also hit the top-10 in many countries including Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy among others.
[37]
The album had spent 91 weeks inside the UK Charts, going on to sell 2.4 Million copies in the UK alone being certified 8x Platinum by the BPI,
[38] the album became the 51st Best Selling album in UK Music History.
The album went on to sell over 4 million copies in Europe alone.
Swing When You're Winning
(2001)
After the success of his third album, Williams wanted to take another musical direction. He took two weeks off from his tour to record what would be his fourth studio album, the big band album he had always dreamed of making.
[39] Born from his life-long love for
Frank Sinatra – combined with the success of the track "
Have You Met Miss Jones?" that he recorded for the film
Bridget Jones's Diary
in early 2001 – the album was recorded at the
Capitol Studios in Los Angeles,
California.
Williams took the chance to duet with his long-time friend
Jonathan Wilkes,
Little Voice
star
Jane Horrocks,
Saturday Night Live
star
Jon Lovitz,
Rupert Everett and the
Academy Award winning actress
Nicole Kidman. The first single released from the album was a duet with Kidman, on "
Somethin' Stupid". Originally a hit for
Frank and
Nancy Sinatra, the song became Williams' fifth number-one hit in the United Kingdom, selling almost 100,000 copies in its first week of release,
[40] as well as hitting the top-5 in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, The Netherlands, Belgium, New Zealand
[41] eventually becoming one of the biggest hits of 2001 selling over 200,000 copies in the UK alone after spending three weeks at the top of the charts being certified Silver in January 2002.
[42]
When the album,
Swing When You're Winning
(in reference to his 2000 studio album
Sing When You're Winning
) was released in late 2001, it became an instant number-one hit in the United Kingdom (spending six consecutive weeks at number-one), Ireland, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland and it reached the top ten in the rest of the world going on to sell over 2 million copies by the end of 2001 and over 7 million altogether.
[43] A second single was released from the album, a
double a-side "
Mr. Bojangles/I Will Talk and Hollywood Will Listen", however it was released in
Central and
Eastern Europe only. "
Mack the Knife" was released as a radio single in Mexico.
[44]
The album spent 57 weeks inside the UK Charts selling over 2.1 million copies being certified 7x Platinum in the United Kingdom
[45] and becoming the 49th Best Selling Album in UK Music History.
[46] "Beyond the Sea" was put in the credits of the film
Finding Nemo
in 2003 and was also released on the film's Academy Award nominated soundtrack.
[47]
A
DVD called
Robbie Williams Live at the Albert Hall
was released in December of that year. So far, it has become one of the best selling music DVDs in Europe, being certified 6x Platinum in the United Kingdom
[48] and 2x Platinum in Germany.
[49]
Escapology
(2002–2003)
In 2002, Williams signed a record-breaking £80 million contract with EMI.
[50] The contract featured a number of provisos, including the label ceding greater creative control to the artist and a commitment to breaking Williams in the US market. So far it has become the biggest music deal in British history. The deal was brokered by
Ingenious Media, a leading UK corporate finance advisory business.
[51]
Williams began working on what would be his fifth studio album, after a year out recording, the album heralded a new era for Williams; he had taken a more active role in the making of this album giving an indication of his growing confidence in the studio, and "One Fine Day". "Nan's Song" and "Come Undone" were the first songs that Williams wrote without the
Guy Chambers input. Most of the songs were recorded in Los Angeles.
The album's first single, "
Feel", written by Williams and Chambers, was recorded as a demo; when they started working on the album and trying to re-record the vocals, Williams felt unsatisfied with it, so he decided to include the demo version and then release it as the first single.
[52] When the single was released in late 2002, it became Williams' biggest international hit going number one in countries like The Netherlands and Italy as well as reaching the top ten in almost every single European country.
[53]
When Williams' fifth studio album,
Escapology
, was released in late 2002, it hit number-one in at least 10 countries around the world including the United Kingdom, Germany,
[54] Switzerland, Austria, Sweden, Finland, Denmark among others; elsewhere, it made the top ten,
[55] however in the United States failed to make as big of an impact, reaching only number forty-three on the Billboard Albums Chart.
The album's second single, "
Come Undone" became a top ten hit around the world; due to its controversial video, it was heavily censored by MTV Networks Europe for depicting a debauched (but fully-clothed) Williams having three-way sex with two women. The video was all about some young people having a party and it showed footage of fights, drug taking, and unwise alcohol use. It also showed unsettling images of insects and reptiles, however, the uncensored version of the video was released on
DVD Single in Europe and was also included on the
Enhanced CD Single.
[56] BBC Radio 2 also banned the song for its explicit content.
[57] During such furores at this time, it was confirmed that Williams and Guy Chambers were to officially split up.
The single version of "
Come Undone" is not the same version as the one on the album, but instead is listed by producer Steve Power as being "from an original production by Guy Chambers/Steve Power".
The third single taken from the album was "
Something Beautiful", the song was written in Barbados, the song was first offered to
Tom Jones, but it was then reworked and for its inclusion on Williams' album.
[58] The single was released in the mid-2003, the success of which was minor compared to William's previous songs but managed to enter the top-10 in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Denmark,
[59] it failed to make an impact in the world charts. The video featured a casting in which people from all over Europe contested to win the chance to perform as Robbie Williams at the end of the same video, the three winners had the chance to meet Williams, three different versions of the video were released to different parts of the world featuring different winners. Williams started his world tour in the mid-2003, and he was about to do three live concerts in
Knebworth. The Knebworth shows attracted a total of 375,000 fans.
[60]
Escapology
ended up selling almost 2 million copies by the end of 2003 in the United Kingdom being certified 6x Platinum by the BPI,
[61] becoming the 60th best selling album in UK music history.
The album went on to sell over 5 million copies in Europe alone.
[62]
In October 2003, Williams released his first
live album,
Live at Knebworth
which peaked at number-two in UK;
however, the album reached the top position in Germany
and Austria and became a top ten album throughout Europe, Australasia and Latin America.
[63] The live record ended up selling a little over 600,000 copies in the United Kingdom being certified 2x Platinum by the BPI
[64] and an excess of 2 million units in Europe alone.
Greatest Hits
(2004)
In October 2004, Williams released a retrospective of his career, and also, to reveal the new tracks he had been working on with the then, new collaborator,
Stephen Duffy.
[65] "
Radio", the compilation's first single was released in October 2004, which debuted at number-one of the
UK Singles Chart (becoming Williams' sixth number-one hit) selling 41,732 copies,
[66] the song was also a number-one hit in Denmark, and it hit the top ten in The Netherlands, Italy, Austria and Norway.
[67]
When the compilation
Greatest Hits
was released two weeks later, it went on to sell 320,000 copies in its first week in the United Kingdom debuting at number-one,
the album, also hit the top spot in other countries like Switzerland, Italy, Portugal, Austria, The Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand.
[68]
The album's second single, the ballad, "
Misunderstood", being the soundtrack of the film,
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
hit the top ten in Italy and Denmark in December of that year,
[69] making the album the best selling album of the year in the United Kingdom, becoming the 61st Best Selling Album in UK Music History,
with sales over the 2 million copies being certified 6x Platinum by the BPI.
[70] The album, also became the best selling album of the year in Europe being certified 5x Platinum for over 5 million copies sold.
[71]
Eight years after the release of "Angels", in February 2005 British public voted it as the "Best Single of the past Twenty Five Years" at the 2005 BRIT Awards.
[72]
Intensive Care
(2004–2005)
After touring
Latin America in late 2004 for the promotion of his
Greatest Hits
album, Williams started working on his sixth studio album. Recorded in his bedroom in the
Hollywood Hills, the album was co-written by
Stephen Duffy over the course of 24 months.
[73]
The track "Ghosts" was inspired by
the Human League's "Louise", about a man who breaks off a relationship and realized he still has strong feelings for her.
The album's first single "
Tripping", was released on 3 October 2005, it became an international success topping the charts in Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Italy, Switzerland, Sweden, Norway and Spain.
[74]
The album
Intensive Care
was launched in Berlin, Germany on October 9. It became a smash hit around the world, hitting number one in the United Kingdom, as well as topping the charts in Germany,
Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Sweden, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Finland and many other countries.
[75]
In November 2005, Williams took home the
MTV Europe Music Award for 'Best Male', but also, entered in the
The Guinness Book of World Records when he announced his World Tour for 2006, selling 1.6 million tickets in one single day.
[76] But after the success,
Gary Barlow,
Mark Owen,
Jason Orange, and
Howard Donald had agreed to reunite in
Notting Hill,
West London, for a preview screening of a documentary about
Take That. The documentary screened on
ITV1 on 16 November 2005. Unfortunately, according to a source quoted by Sunday Mirror, "Robbie announced he wasn't coming. The rest of the band were gutted but felt the show had to go on."
[77]
By December, the second single from the album was released, the ballad "
Advertising Space" reached the top-10 in some European countries including UK, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Italy.
[78]
Williams' kicked off his
Close Encounters World Tour
in South Africa in April 2006, when he finished his European leg of the tour, 2.5 million had seen the show,
[79] and after
Latin America and Australia the numbers when up to 3 million.
After a long gap between singles, the third cut from the album was released in the mid-2006. "
Sin Sin Sin" was the first song Williams and Duffy wrote together,
[80] the video of which was shot in
Cape Town, South Africa right before the start of his tour. The track became Williams' first single to miss the UK Top 20, charting at only number 22, but managed to enter the top-20 in some countries including Germany,
Switzerland, Austria, The Netherlands, Denmark and Italy.
[81]
By the end of the promotion of the album, it was announced that it had sold over 5,000,000 copies in Europe alone, and was certified 5x Platinum by the
IFPI.
[82] It was also certified 5x Platinum in the United Kingdom becoming, at the time, his lowest selling studio album in the country.
[83]
Rudebox
: Mixed reviews (2006–2007)
Williams' seventh studio album was announced in early 2006. It was to be a
dance/
electro album with collaborations with the
Pet Shop Boys,
William Orbit, Soul Mekanik,
Joey Negro,
Mark Ronson and more.
The first single, "
Rudebox", premièred on radio by
Scott Mills on his show on
BBC Radio 1. The event caused some controversy, as the record label's
embargo date was broken, although the artist himself later backed the presenter for doing so. Right after the single was unleashed, it caused controversy due to Williams' radical change in the single in direction from his other releases. British
Newspaper The Sun
named the song "The Worst Song Ever".
[84] However,
Victoria Newton stated that there were sure-fire hits on the album.
[85] The song was released in September that year reaching number four in the
UK Singles Chart; however, it hit the number one spot in
Germany,
Switzerland and
Italy.
[86]
Williams released his much anticipated dance/electro album,
Rudebox
, on 23 October 2006. It received mixed reviews:
Allmusic gave it a four star rating, the
NME 8 out of 10, and Music Week and MOJO were equally positive,
[87] but it received much weaker reviews from some of the British press. Despite reaching the number one spot, sales were far below what was expected by his label, and overall sales in the UK were overtaken by his former band,
Take That,'s
Beautiful World
. The album has sold a little under 500,000 copies in the United Kingdom, becoming his lowest-selling album in the country, being certified 2x Platinum by the BPI.
[88] The album was received with a warmer reception by the public in other parts of the world where it hit number one including Germany,
Switzerland, Austria, Australia, Finland, Italy and Denmark.
[89]
On 8 November 2006,
IFPI certified the album 2x Platinum in Europe with sales of over 2 million making it the fastest platinum selling album of 2006.
[90] The album finished at number eighteen in the list of 2006's best selling albums worldwide,
Neil Tennant from the
Pet Shop Boys commented the album had sold 4.5 million copies by early 2007.
[91]
The second single, "
Lovelight", came out right before the release of the album, and was commercially released on 13 November. The single reached the top ten in the United Kingdom,
[92] Williams would re-join the band on their
The Circus Live tour. However, recently Gary Barlow has said "People constantly ask if Robbie will rejoin us but nothing has changed. We're a happy band right now. Robbie won't be joining just yet." This was said during the recording of Chris Moyles' Quiz Night.
Reception in North America
Williams' first United States single, "
Millennium", made it to #72 on the
Billboard 100 charts.
[93] Its highest position on American charts was #20 in
Top 40 Mainstream.
[94] His second single, "Angels", was a success on the
Hot Adult Contemporary Chart where it peaked at #10. It also hit #41 in the
Hot 100, becoming his highest peaking track on the main American chart and the more commonly known Robbie Williams song in the United States (later covers by
Jessica Simpson and
David Archuleta would be released as singles).
[95] In 1999, Williams released a special, US only, compilation of his first two albums, titled
The Ego Has Landed
. The album peaked at #63
[96] and went Gold selling over 500,000 copies in the US.
Later in 2000, "
Rock DJ", a single taken from Williams' second US album
Sing When You're Winning
, was released; it reached #24 in the
Hot Dance Club Play Chart,
[97] but failed to chart on the Hot 100. The album peaked at #110 on the Billboard 200 and only stayed on the charts for four weeks.
[98]
Together with a promotional tour, EMI hoped that the release of
Escapology
would be the album to successfully break the American market. Williams performed the lead song "
Feel" on such shows as
Good Morning America
and
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno
. However, this single did not reach
Hot 100 but peaked at #28 on the
Adult Top 40.
[99] The album
Escapology
also failed to catch fire in America, selling only 200,000 copies, though it reached #43 on the US Album Billboard Charts.
[100] Intensive Care
and
Rudebox
were not released on an American label, but they were made available on
iTunes.
Williams' single "
Lovelight" was released in the United States by
Virgin Records, debuting at #23 in the Billboard
Hot Dance Club Play Chart on March 2008 and eventually peaking at #8 by May 2008.
It was the third single from the British singer to hit the American dance chart. It was also his sixth single to reach American charts and his second highest-charting single in an American chart to date. Other singles from Rudebox were released in the United States:
She's Madonna
,
We're the Pet Shop Boys
and
We're the Pet Shop Boys (Close My Eyes)
. These songs peaked at #12, #5 and #7 respectively in the Hot Dance Club Play chart.
In
Canada, Williams has enjoyed more success, with "
Feel" spending 54 weeks in the Canadian singles chart and reaching the top ten there. A few of his other songs have gained popularity there, notably "Angels", "Millennium", "Rock DJ", "Tripping" and "She's Madonna". Williams has received a Platinum certification for his
The Ego Has Landed
for sales of over 100,000 and Gold for
Swing When You're Winning
as well as for
Escapology selling over 50,000 units of each.
[101]
Collaborations
One of his most famous collaborations was on "
Kids", a duet with Australian pop superstar
Kylie Minogue. The single peaked at number 2 on the
UK singles charts. Another collaboration in 2001 with Kylie's fellow Australian, film star
Nicole Kidman, was a cover of
Frank and
Nancy Sinatra's "
Somethin' Stupid". The single made Number 1 on the UK singles chart. His single
No Regrets featured
Neil Tennant from the
Pet Shop Boys and
The Divine Comedy's
Neil Hannon on backing vocals.
In 2002, Williams appeared on the track "
My Culture" on the
1 Giant Leap album, alongside rapper Maxi Jazz (which features lyrics from the hidden track "Hello Sir" from
Life Thru A Lens
(and
The Ego Has Landed
), on the
1 Giant Leap
album, alongside
Maxi Jazz. Williams also features on a double CD titled "Concrete" which was released on the same day as "Rudebox". The CD features a concert recorded for the BBC featuring the
Pet Shop Boys and Williams singing their classic hit "Jealousy". Their joint effort, "
She's Madonna", was released as a single in March 2007. On 13 August 2007, a
Dean Martin duets album was released, on which Williams sings "
Please Don't Talk About Me When I'm Gone". Most recently it was announced that he already recorded what is going to be Mexican Superstar
Thalía's first single from her upcoming English album.
Personal life
Until early 2009, Williams spent most of his time in
Los Angeles,
California. He had commented many times on how he enjoyed the freedom and privacy there that he couldn't find in the UK. Despite this, many rumours surfaced over the years suggesting he wanted to return to the UK.
[102] The rumours turned out to be true when he bought a £7 million mansion in
Compton Bassett,
Wiltshire and returned to the UK in January 2009. Since then he has been spotted in Wotton Bassett,
Devizes and
Swindon.
Williams has reportedly battled
mental illness,
obesity,
self esteem issues,
alcoholism, and
substance abuse throughout his life.
[103] He once discussed how his friend
Elton John booked him into a clinic to cope with his drug use, that emerged from the depression he was experiencing while still in Take That.
He entered a rehabilitation centre in
Tucson on 13 February 2007 for addiction to the anti-depressant
Seroxat.
[104] He left the centre on 7 March according to his official website.
Williams has a strong interest in
UFOs and related
paranormal phenomena, and has pursued this interest during his 2007–2008
sabbatical.
[105] His interest in the subject led to him taking part in a documentary for
BBC Radio 4 with
Jon Ronson. The documentary followed them to a UFO convention in
Nevada. During an interview with
Joss Stone on
The Jeremy Kyle Show
in 2008, Williams revealed that he has seen UFOs three times.
[106] Williams said his first UFO sighting was when he was a child in Britain while he spotted his second in
Beverly Hills, and added that the third sighting was just after he had written a song about alien contact.
Wealth
In 2006, the
Sunday Times Rich List claimed he was worth over £90 million.
[107]
Williams is a lifelong supporter of
Port Vale, based in his home town of
Stoke-on-Trent. In February 2006 he bought £240,000 worth of shares in the club, making him the majority shareholder.
[108] He also has a
restaurant at
Vale Park named in his honour.
[109]
Charity
Robbie Williams created a charity with the aid of
Comic Relief that is set up in his home town entitled
Give It Sum
, with its goal being to "improve local conditions and strengthen community life by giving money to those who are disadvantaged."
[110] Williams, with the help of friend
Jonathan Wilkes, organized a charity football match in an attempt to raise funds in Africa. This match was played in May 2006 at Old Trafford, Manchester. The participants were a mixture of celebrities and professional football players.
[111] Williams has also been the Patron of the children's charity the
Donna Louise Trust
based in his home town of Stoke-on-Trent, for the last 8 years. The charity offers respite and palliative care to terminally ill and life limited children who are not expected to live past the age of 16.
[112]
Sexuality
Williams appears to question his own sexuality in some well-known songs, such as "
Old Before I Die", where he sings: "Am I straight or gay?" , and in "Your Gay Friend", where he sings: "And I'll be your gay friend". In his documentary film
Nobody Someday
, he said:
"As it happens, I've never slept with a man. I've never done anything with a man. The thought has passed my mind, but it always stops at his bits. I'm not discounting it, but it hasn't appealed enough for me to do it — yet." [113]
Williams won a libel case against MGN and Northern & Shell in December 2005 relating to articles which had reported he was a closet homosexual.
[114] In the libel action that resulted from this, Williams accepted substantial damages, and the publishers accepted that the stories were untrue. His counsel, Tom Shields QC, told the court:
"Mr Williams is not, and has never been, homosexual."
Gay rights campaigner
Peter Tatchell called for any damages paid out from the libel case to be donated to gay charities, claiming Williams' legal actions had created the impression that it is "bad to be gay".
[115] Williams retorted that he was not bothered about being labelled as a gay man, and he would have taken the same action had it been regarding a heterosexual relationship. The court case has led some to draw comparisons between Williams and
Australian actor/pop star
Jason Donovan, who also once made a successful libel claim against a publication concerning his sexuality. Donovan won his case at the height of his fame in 1992, but later regretted his legal action as it made him appear homophobic and virtually destroyed his career.
[116] In 2008, Williams' friend, actor
Max Beesley, rejected claims that Williams was gay. Beesley said,
"Some of the stuff written about him is enough to make me mad, the rumours about him being gay, for example. Not true. I've never met anybody less gay in my life!"
[117]
One frequent tiff Williams faced over the years was with former Take That manager, Nigel Martin Smith, who asserted numerous times that Williams has gay tendencies. Martin once said,
"It's very sad that Robbie has turned out like he has. He doesn't seem at all happy. He has been suppressed and the ramifications of that are now beginning to show. He looks a mess, he looks like a lost unhappy individual. It's very telling that none of his relationships with women have lasted. He is now dating another actress in LA. It won't last. It's all for show. Deep down he is gay. Robbie and I were completely comfortable with each other. He was the more dominant one and knew what he wanted. That's not the behaviour of a man who is experimenting for fun. It was for real." [118]
Relationships
Williams has had romantic relationships with several well-known female celebrities, including
Rachel Hunter.
Feel, written by Williams' friend, writer
Chris Heath, details Williams' many sexual conquests during his European tour in 2003.
[119]
Ayda Field
As of January 2007, Williams is dating American actress
Ayda Field. They have reportedly been together for two years.
[120] Despite several break up stories in the press
[121] [122] [123] Williams and Field have been spotted together many times this year.
[124] [125] [126] On 29 January 2008 they were pictured on vacation together at Mammoth Ski Resort in California, accompanied by
Max Beesley.
[127] [128] [129] She was featured in a UFO documentary that Williams did for BBC Radio 4 in April
[130] and took part in a field investigation he did in
Trout Lake, Washington in August 2008.
[131]
On 8 November 2008, Williams was spotted with Field at an
Arsenal versus
Manchester United match at the
Emirates Stadium, where he was also seen with
Gary Barlow accompanied by his two oldest children, and Williams' longtime friend
Jonathan Wilkes.
[132] The couple has been living together in a mansion in
Wiltshire since the beginning of 2009 according to
The Sun
.
[133]
Awards
- Williams has won a large number of awards over the years, including more BRIT Awards than any other artist in music history (15), as well as six Echo Awards in six consecutive years from 2001 until 2007.
Discography
; Studio albums
- Life Thru a Lens
(1997)
- I've Been Expecting You
(1998)
- Sing When You're Winning
(2000)
- Swing When You're Winning
(2001)
- Escapology
(2002)
- Intensive Care
(2005)
- Rudebox
(2006)
- Reality Killed the Video Star
(2009)
|
; Compilation albums
- The Ego Has Landed
(1999)
- Greatest Hits
(2004)
; Live albums
|
Tours
- The Show Off Must Go On
(October–November 1997)
- The Ego Has Landed
(May–June 1998)
- One More for the Rogue Tour
/ For a Few Dollars More... Tour
(1998–1999)
- Robbie Williams North American Tours
(1999)
- The Sermon on the Mount Tour
(2000–2001)
- Weddings, Barmitzvahs & Stadiums Tour
/ Sing When You're Pacific Rimming Tour
(2001)
- Weekends of Mass Distraction Tour
/ Cock of Justice/Aussie Typo Tour
(2003)
- Close Encounters Tour
(2006)
References
- The intellectual life of Robbie Williams
- The One And Only
- Shake-up starts at EMI with departure of UK chief
- Robbie Williams Enters The Guinness Book of World Records
- The BRIT Awards 2005
- Echo-Verleihung mit hohem Kreischfaktor
- Robbie joins UK pop Hall of Fame
- UK's 100 best-selling
- Latin American sales
- Robbie Williams
- Award Certification for "Angels"
- Award Certification for "Life Thru A Lens"
- IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2002
- Award Certification for "Millennium"
- Robbie Williams - Millennium
- UK Top 40 Database
- Award Certification for "No Regrets"
- Robbie Williams - Strong (Single)
- Award Certification for "She's The One"/"It's Only Us"
- Award Certification for "I've Been Expecting You"
- IFPI Platinum Europe Awards:2001 AWARDS
- Robbie Williams' US albums' positions
- Robbie Williams' US singles' positions
- &artist=robbie%20williams&format=&debutLP=&category=&sex=&releaseDate=&requestNo=&type=&level=&label=&company=&certificationDate=&awardDescription=&catalogNo=&aSex=&rec_id=&charField=&gold=&platinum=&multiPlat=&level2=&certDate=&album=&id=&after=&before=&startMonth=1&endMonth=1&startYear=1958&endYear=2008&sort=Artist&perPage=25
- Robbie Williams{{ndash}} The Ego Has Landed
- Discography>Albums>Sing When You're Winning
- Controversial Robbie single hits the shops
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS-Rock DJ (Single)
- Award Certification for "Rock DJ"
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Sing When You're Winning (album)
- Award Certification for "Sing When You're Winning"
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS & KYLIE MINOGUE - Kids(Single)
- Award Certification for "Kids"
- Robbie Williams - Supreme (single)
- Robbie Williams - Better Man (single)
- "Eternity"/"The Road To Mandalay" first week sales in the United Kingdom
- Robbie Williams - Eternity (Single)
- Award Certification for "Sing When You're Winning"
- Discography>Albums>Swing When You're Winning
- "Somethin' Stupid" first week sales in the United Kingdom
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS & NICOLE KIDMAN - Somthin' Stupid (Single)
- Award Certification for "Something Stupid"
- Robbie swings both ways
- "Mack the Knife" Mexican Promo
- Award Certification for "Swing When You're Winning"
- UK's 100 best-selling albums
- 76th Academy Awards Nominees and Winners
- Award Certification for "Live at the Albert Hall"
- IFPI Germany: Certification for "Live at the Albert Hall"
- Robbie signs '£80m' deal
- Discography>Albums>Escapology
- Discography>Singles>Feel
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Feel (Single)
- Suchergebnis (Search)
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Escapology(Album)
- Escapology
- Discography>Singles>Come Undone Official website
- Discography>Singles>Something Beautiful
- Robbie Williams - Something Beautiful (single)
- Robbie Williams at Abbey Road
- BPI Certification for "Escapology"
- IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2003
- Robbie Williams- Live Summer / Live at Knebworth (UK edition)
- BPI Certification "Live at Knebworth"
- Discography>Albums>Greatest Hits
- "Radio" first week sales in the United Kingdom
- Robbie Williams "Radio"
- Robbie Williams "Greatest Hits"
- Robbie Williams "Misunderstood"
- BPI Certification for "Greatest Hits"
- IFPI Platinum Europe Awards - 2006
- Brits25: Did your favourites get awards?
- Discography>Albums>Intensive Care
- Robiie Williams- Tripping (single)
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Intensive Care (Album)
- Robbie Williams Enters The Guinness Book of World Records
- Robbie Williams Misses Take That Reunion
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Advertising Space (Single)
- EMI Music Mexico
- Discography>Singles>Sin Sin Sin
- Robbie Williams - Sin Sin Sin (single)
- IFPI certification for "Intensive Care"
- BPI Certification for "Intensive Care"
- The Sun, Williams' Worst Song EVER
- The Sun, Robbie: After you, Justin
- Robbie Williams - Rudebox (Single)
- NME Magazine on "Rudebox"
- BPI Certification for "Rudebox"
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Rudebox (Album)
- IFPI Certifications, November 2006
- The boys are back in town
- ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Lovelight (Single)
- Hot 100 from 26 June 1999, the last time the single was on the charts
- Millennium Top 40 Mainstream
- Angels Adult Contemporary
- Billboard 200 Charts from the week of 12 February 2000, the last week "Ego" was on the charts
- Rock DJ Hot Dance Club Play
- Billboard 200 Charts from the week of 11 November 2000, the last time the album was on the charts
- Feel Adult Top 40
- Billboard 200 from the week of 14 June 2003, the last time the album was on the charts
- Gold/Platinum
- Showbiz - News - Robbie may move back to UK - Digital Spy
- Robbie's red-top revenge. Or how a star got his own back on the paparazzi
- What drove Robbie to rehab
- I'm loving aliens instead
- "Robbie Williams claims: I've seen UFOs three times"
- Sunday Times Rich List 2006
- BBC Stoke & Staffordshire - Robbie buys into Vale
- Williams given Port Vale honour
- Robbie's Givin It Sum...
- Robbie Williams Kicks for Charity
- Donna Louise Trust
- Robbie Williams, ''Nobody Someday'', subtitles, at 42.07 mins
- Williams wins 'gay' libel damages
- Williams 'should donate damages'
- Donovan, Jason - "Between The Lines: My Story Uncut" (2007) HarperCollins Publishing (ISBN 978-0007261475)
- Max Beesley: Robbie Williams is not gay!
- GaydarNation
- Feel: Robbie Williams
- Robbie Williams wraps up with American actress Ayda Field
- Robbie Williams Love Life on the Rocks
- People.Co.Uk - She's The.. Gone For Robbie Williams
- Robbie Williams Splits with Girlfriend
- Robbie Williams has put on weight like Elvis after retiring - Singer seen playing golf with actress girlfriend Ayda Field
- Robbie Williams Swears It's This Big
- Robbie Williams enjoys a day out with his favourite person... and girlfriend Ayda comes too
- Aftonbladet
- Robbie Williams News: Robbie Williams spotted in snowy California!
- My Robbie Williams Journey: images thanks to rwcm @purerobbie.com
- Jon Ronson heads deep into the Nevada desert with UFO obsessed Robbie Williams
- AboveTopSecret.com And Robbie Williams Investigate UFOs at Gilliland Ranch, page 1
- Back For Good? Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow reunite, Daily Mail Online, 8 November 2008
- http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article2355332.ece