Robbie Williams defends Olivia Rodrigo after claims she ‘copied’ his song
Robbie Williams defends Olivia Rodrigo after claims she ‘’ his song
Liz Foster Mon, November 9, 2026 at 3:00 PM UTC
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Robbie Williams defended Olivia Rodrigo as she faced backlash in the wake of releasing a Christmas song -Credit:Morgan Hancock/Getty Images (Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)
Singer Robbie Williams defended Olivia Rodrigo amid claims that she “” his 2012 song “Candy.”
On Friday, Rodrigo, 23, released her Christmas single, “Take Me Home (4 Christmas)” to mixed reviews. Some internet users claimed that the artist songs such as Williams’ “Candy” (2012) and The Waitresses' "Christmas Wrapping” (1981) with her holiday jingle, but Williams, 52, clapped back. The former Take That member took to his Instagram to share a lengthy post in defense of Rodrigo and “Take Me Home (4 Christmas).”
“There’s something about the music industry that’s been bothering me for a while,” begins Williams’ Instagram message.
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“People come after people because they’ve spotted a similarity between two songs,” he wrote, “some of it I completely understand. Some of it is absolutely justified.”
“Most of it, I think, is complete bollocks,” affirmed the singer. He added that he’s had people “come after” him because of songs that “apparently sound like something somebody else released.” He wrote that he “sometimes” thinks “fair enough,” but other times reacts: “Are you having a f------ laugh?”
Williams joked that Rodrigo cusses on stage more than he does -Credit:Getty Images
Williams reasoned that “there are only so many notes. Only so many chords. Only so many ways of putting them together before you inevitably find yourself somewhere somebody else has been."
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“We’re all going to bump into each other eventually,” he added.
The singer then turned his attention to Rodrigo, who he has “loved since [her song] Brutal."
Williams theorized that the Disney channel alum “accidentally stumbled across a musical echo of mine in one of her new songs,” but added that he “couldn’t care less.” He continued, writing that he does not care nor does he want to know what “issue” there is with the similarities between the two songs.
“I’m not going after her,” he said, acknowledging that he’s in a career position where he “can afford to take that view.” Williams remarked that “Artists deserve to be protected” after affirming “genuine theft is genuine theft.”
But, he clarified that “there’s a difference between protecting your work and treating every vaguely familiar sequence of notes as a winning lottery ticket.”
Williams added that 'we all stand on the shoulders of people who came before us' -Credit:Getty Images
He described the behavior as “ambulance chasing,” condemning it as “disgusting.” Williams added that “we all stand on the shoulders of people who came before us.”
“Sometimes consciously,” he posted, “Sometimes without even knowing it. That’s how music works.”
He called for the end of “punishing people” because “eventually we’re going to frighten the creativity out of everyone."
Williams finished the post by directly addressing Rodrigo and calling on her to “please stop swearing so much. It makes me feel like I have to keep up. And frankly, I'm already swearing far more than is necessary.”
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
