CHASING a chart record Robbie Williams admits he moved the release of his new album, Britpop to avoid being trounced by Taylor Swift. At a special intimate gig Rob also tells fans he hopes Noel Gallagher won’t sue him because one song resembles a huge Oasis anthem.
ROBBIE WILLIAMS has come clean and admitted he WAS running scared of Taylor Swift in the charts.
The star recently delayed the release of his new album Britpop until next February, shortly after Taylor announced her latest The Life Of A Showgirl would drop on the same day.
During a performance of the new album at an intimate gig at London’s Dingwalls Rob revealed: “We had to make a decision because Taylor Swift – we are all pretending it’s not about Taylor Swift but is f****** is, isn’t it? Here’s the truth right, want 16 No1 albums! Taylor decided to put her album out the same week as me and I thought: ‘for f***’s sake.”
Rob tried to come up with ways around it because landing a 16th No1 would surpass greats like The Beatles who have 15 chart toppers.
He went on: “I was like, ‘can I put it out the next week’ and they said, ‘she does these other deluxe versions’ and I thought, ‘f***ing hell, can I put it out the week after that then, and they said it’s Oasis [live album from Wembley]. I thought, ‘for f****’s sake, I will do it in f***ing February when nobody has got a f***ing album out’.
“I was worried about making you all f****ing wait but then I thought f**k it I want a 16th No1 album. I am sorry but I am f****** being selfish. How many times in your life do you get to have the most UK No1s albums anyone has ever had.”
Just 600 lucky fans got to witness Rob preview the entire new LP live, and he feared his old enemy Noel Gallagher might have something to say about one of the tunes.
After singing Spies he joked about the similarity it shares with Champagne Supernova, even singing its chorus.
“You wouldn’t believe the amount of times that melody changed in that chorus because it sounded like the song that it still f***ing sounds like. It’s totally f****ing different Noel. Don’t have a brass neck and sue me. All the f***ing things you’ve nicked.”
Another highlight is new single Pretty Face which Rob dedicated to his wife Ayda who was watching in the crowd: “I get star-struck looking at the beauty of my wife. This song is about her, and my favourite line is the one which says, ‘the biggest prize is what’s behind those eyes’ It’s true, she may be pretty as f*** but she is smart as f*** too.”
Earlier in the gig Rob also played the whole of his debut album, Life Thru A Lens and recalled his addiction lows, financial struggles leaving Take That and feud with Gary Barlow: “(The song) Ego a Go Go was famously about Gary Barlow and who he was back then and who I was back then, we’re different people now. I f**king love him he’s an incredible man but back then well I f**king hated him Yeah I did, my career and a life and career was being sidelined for a different person.”
He also revealed details of his daughter Ted’s musical talent. “My eldest daughter Theodora Rose turned 13 last month, and she is always writing songs. She was able to do it as a six and seven year old. She just makes melodies and they fall out of her like a fountain.”
In fact Rob feels like she has inherited his talent: “I can do it she can do it. She has always written these songs, as a ten year old, about great pain and you can feel it in her heart, you feel she was feeling something so deeply on a traumatic level, I was thinking ‘I hope it’s not about me’.”
ROBBIE loves the intimate gig setting so much he’s announced a full Long 90’s Tour at smaller venues around the UK in February.
He explained why: “In stadiums I always feel I have to give people what they want. I said to myself I want to do smaller places but when I’m on tour I’m knackered and can’t be arsed. Turns out I can be arsed!
I want to perform as Robert and turns out Robert is in very good f**king shape.
Robert will play the albums Life Thru A Lens and BRITPOP in full at the shows which kick off at Barrowlands Ballroom, Glasgow February 4, followed by Liverpool Olympia, Liverpool (6), O2 Academy Brixton, London (8) and Civic Hall, Wolverhampton (9).
Want all the biggest Showbiz and TV news straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free Daily Star Showbiz newsletter.
#Robbie #Williams #admits #running #scared #Taylor #Swift
