Robbie Williams Surprise-Releases New Album 'Britpop' Three Weeks Early

Robbie Williams has shaken up the British pop scene by surprise-releasing his new album Britpop three weeks earlier than planned.

The unexpected drop arrived overnight on streaming platforms, catching fans off guard and ending what had been a quiet start to the year for UK pop music.

The album was originally scheduled for release on Feb. 6 after several changes to its rollout. Williams first announced Britpop in May last year with an October release date, but it was later delayed due to what he described as scheduling issues.

At a small London show in October, Williams openly admitted the delay was to avoid clashing with Taylor Swift's album The Life of a Showgirl.

"We're all pretending it's not about Taylor Swift, but it f–king is," he told the crowd, adding that competing with her chart power felt impossible, Billboard reported.

Now, with no warning, Williams has decided to release the album early anyway. Announcing the move, he said, "You thought it was gonna be then... then we decided it wasn't... and now I've decided it's now."

The sudden release has sparked excitement among fans and renewed talk about Williams' place in UK chart history.

If Britpop reaches No. 1, it would give him his 16th chart-topping album, breaking his tie with The Beatles.

Robbie Williams Teams With Gary Barlow and Tony Iommi

The 11-track album leans heavily into guitar-driven sounds inspired by the Britpop era that shaped Williams' early solo dreams after leaving Take That in 1995.

According to DailyMail, the album artwork nods to that time as well, featuring the red tracksuit Williams famously wore at Glastonbury in 1995 when he partied with Oasis.

"I've worked with some of my heroes on this album; it's raw, there are more guitars and it's an album that's even more upbeat and anthemic than usual," Williams previously said. "There's some 'Brit' in there and there's certainly some 'pop' too."

Lyrically, Britpop covers a wide range of themes. Songs touch on fame, modern life, and technology, including reflections on artificial intelligence.

One track, "Morrissey," was co-written with former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow, while "Rocket" features Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi.

Other collaborators on the album include Chris Martin, Gaz Coombes, and Jesse and Joy.

The album marks Williams' first non-holiday collection of original songs since 2016's "The Heavy Entertainment Show."

To support the release, he will play a series of intimate UK shows in February, performing both Life Thru a Lens and Britpop in full.

Tags

Robbie Williams, Album