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Robbie Williams, an iconic figure in British music for over thirty years, is embarking on a new tour this week to celebrate his extensive career. As he prepares for the Long 90s tour, which focuses on smaller venues reminiscent of the early days of his solo journey, Williams is taking a moment to reflect on his achievements. He observes a distinct trait among British people, saying, “I think as British people we’re very good at piercing the balloon of our own success and undercutting it and devaluing ourselves… It’s what we do best. In many ways it’s why we’re great.” Despite this self-critical tendency, he expresses a desire this time to fully embrace his success, stating, “I really want to let it sink in and I really want to stand in the middle of it and go, ‘OK, success, do your thing to me.'”
Williams’ new album, Britpop, harkens back to the sound he aspired to create after leaving the boy band Take That. The project features collaborations with notable musicians such as Gary Barlow, Gaz Coombes of Supergrass, and legendary Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi. Reflecting on the era in which he rose to prominence, Williams shares a candid account of the emotional struggles he faced during his peak years of popularity. “I was going through my own mental illness and anything good that’s happening to somebody that is in the throes of depression… they can’t experience joy and there were lots of incredible things happening and I couldn’t experience joy from any of it,” he recalls. Still, he looks back on the 1990s positively, considering it the last great decade for popular culture and remarking, “the ’90s was an amazing time to have a bad time.”
Throughout his career, Williams has battled stage fright and the pressures of the spotlight. He credits the birth of his daughter Theodora (nicknamed Teddy) in 2012 as a turning point that helped him find clarity and purpose beyond himself. “The world started to make sense because I’d been running away from responsibility and I should have been running towards it,” he explains. “And when things stopped being about me and started to become about precious souls, I started to realise I’ve got the best job in the world.” Additionally, Williams feels a renewed sense of contentment living in the UK, despite earlier challenges with intrusive media attention. He notes, “There isn’t anybody at my door trying to get pictures of me 24 hours a day or trying to pop microphones and bug my house or trying to hack my phone… This is what I thought it would be like when I set out on my journey when I was 16, I’m having an amazing time.”
Addressing the modern age, Williams acknowledges how social media might have been a more difficult challenge for him than traditional media scrutiny. “I get way too invested in finding the negative things, everybody does,” he admits. When asked about the possibility of reuniting with Take That, the band that initially brought him fame, he shared warm sentiments about the group and expressed genuine affection for his former bandmates. Looking ahead, Williams reveals ambitions beyond music, including plans to build hotels featuring his own venues and to establish a “university of entertainment” aimed at transforming education through a curriculum he has envisioned himself. For now, fans can enjoy Britpop, which is out now, alongside his current Long 90s tour that recently commenced
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