Robbie Williams has compared his musical and songwriting approach to that of Morrissey and Elton John in a new interview.
The pop star is set to release his latest album ‘XXV’ on Friday (September 9), which contains re-recorded and orchestrated versions of songs from across his career.
Speaking to NME, Williams spoke about the lack of credit he receives as a songwriter despite penning numerous hits over the last three decades. “If you break down the maths of what I’m doing musically on a song, I do the same thing that Morrissey does,” he said.
“I’m not saying in any way, shape or form that I’m as good as or better than Morrissey, I’m just saying: I do the same thing. He sings to melody and puts a lyric to it.”
Williams continued to add John to his list of comparisons. “Same with Elton – he does it the other way around,” he explained. “It’s only annoying when there’s disrespect brought to it. I’m not bothered, but if it’s levelled against me that I don’t [write] or it’s ‘his songwriters’, then I’m like, ‘Fuck you’.”
Elsewhere in the interview Williams responded to claims Damon Albarn made earlier this year that Taylor Swift “doesn’t write her own songs” and that the co-writing approach of some of her songs “doesn’t count”. The British pop star, however, dismissed the idea that solo songwriting is more credible than collaboration.
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“I think that when people say that, what they’re actually doing is having a wank about themselves,” Williams said. “It’s true! You know, it’s like, why don’t you cut the middle man out – just get a few ribs removed and give yourself a nosh, you twat! Because all you’re doing is going, ‘Hey, I’m fucking amazing!’”
He continued: “Nothing good comes from it in any way, other than it’s a sort of dopamine hit for themselves, going, ‘Do you know – I’m a real one.’ OK. Good for you. Fuck off.”
Meanwhile, a new multi-part documentary series about Williams is in production for Netflix.
Set to launch in 2023, the show will give an “unfiltered, in-depth examination of a global icon and natural-born entertainer” and cover the highs and lows of his career, both as a member of Take That and as a solo artist.