Robbie Williams recording new greatest hits album with an orchestra and will tour this year
ROBBIE WILLIAMS is one of the most successful British musicians of all time and now he is making sure everyone knows it – by working on a greatest hits album.
I can reveal the star has been re-recording some of his biggest songs, with a full orchestra, to celebrate 25 years since the release of his debut solo album, Life Thru A Lens.
With the number of huge hits he has notched up over the years, he will quickly remind people of his success.
A source said: “Robbie is coming back with a bang.
“This greatest hits record is going to be his classics with a big band feel to them.
“Robbie’s voice is still sensational and when he is backed by a full orchestra it is going to be really impactful.
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“This coming September marks 25 years since Robbie released Life Thru A Lens, in 1997.
“Marking this milestone with an amazing new greatest hits record feels really special.”
Robbie said earlier this year he was planning to go out on tour before the end of 2022, which is expected to coincide with the release of the new collection.
Those close to the singer, who has had seven No1 singles and 13 No1 albums since leaving Take That in 1995, said he is determined to tour sooner rather than later.
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My source added: “Robbie has big dreams and he wants this to happen as quickly as possible.
“The plan is to hit the road at the end of the year.”
Robbie was gutted after his residency at Las Vegas’ Encore Theater was cut short in 2020 because of the pandemic.
He said it was that disappointment which was driving him to get back out there playing live shows.
Robbie first opened up at the start of the year about making his comeback and now it sounds like the plans are finally in motion.
If anyone can teach the young stars of today about putting on an unforgettable show, it’s our Robbie.
SAM’S BACK IN THE GAME
SAM SMITH has been very quiet for the past year but the Brit star is finally preparing to make a return.
I can reveal Sam has almost completed work on a fourth album with a drastically different sound in a bid to reignite his career.
Love Goes, released at the end of 2020, was the singer’s first album not to go to No1, but the follow-up is set to “surprise” fans.
A source said: “Sam is back in the studio and is really enjoying the creative process again. Being in lockdown provided the time and space to try out new sounds and it will probably surprise fans.
“Sam has been in Los Angeles for weeks recording more songs so the project isn’t finished yet, but the plan is for the album to come out this year.
“Musically, some of it is a new direction but lyrically, Sam is still drawing on personal experiences.
“And of course a couple of classic ballads will be on there.”
Since the release of Love Goes, Sam has enjoyed a string of short romances including with furniture designer boyfriend Francois Rocci.
The unlucky-in-love musician was previously booted off dating app Hinge after bosses thought the profile was fake.
But Sam has now formed a close friendship with US model Jonathan Zeizel, having dated back in 2014.
Things will be more low-key when it comes to how much they flaunt their closeness this time, though.
Speaking in 2015, Sam said: “I made a mistake by posting pictures of us on Instagram and making it seem more serious than it was.
"I’ve learned that I need to hold off before I start getting the public involved.”
ANNE’S GOWN IS DOT SPOT-ON
DON’T stare at Anne Hathaway’s outfit for too long or you might get hypnotised.
The US actress wore this dotty jumpsuit for an appearance on an American chat show – as she revealed she became a “raw vegan” to get into character for her new Apple TV+ miniseries WeCrashed.
The actress plays Rebekah Neumann, a businesswoman married to the co-founder of commercial property firm WeWork, in the show about the firm’s stellar rise then dramatic crash.
Being a raw vegan means eating no food of animal origin, and only food which is raw or heated below 48C.
She said: “So I became a raw vegan. It’s great.
“And we should do as much as we can to eat vegetables for the environment. We all know that at this point, I hope.”
But Anne admits she wasn’t that good at it. She added: “I’ve got to tell you, I did eat antelope in Texas this weekend. We’re all people.”
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MIMI WEBB has just jetted to the States but she has already become pals with one of music’s most in-demand acts – Olivia Rodrigo.
The British singer-songwriter played two sold-out shows in Los Angeles supporting Canadian Tate McRae – and after one of the concerts she befriended Good 4 U singer Olivia, whose album Sour was one of the best sellers of last year.
British-Canadian singer Lauren Spencer-Smith, who recently had a Top Five hit in the UK with Fingers Crossed, also hung out with them backstage
Mimi is quickly gaining loads of fans and her current single House On Fire is at No7 here, while the video has racked up more than two million views.
She has been compared to Olivia a lot, as they are both young singers who write their own heartfelt songs, and it’s something she takes as a compliment.
Speaking to Bizarre last year about the comparisons, Mimi said: “I love Olivia, she has absolutely smashed it.
“She’s incredible. So, yeah, great.”
BIG WEEKENDER SALE
George Ezra, Lorde, Dermot Kennedy, Charli Xcx, Becky Hill and Jax Jones are among the big names on the line- up for Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Coventry.
They will be among the top acts performing to 80,000 music fans between May 27-29, as well as the already announced Ed Sheeran, Calvin Harris, Sam Fender, Joel Corry and Anne-Marie.
Tickets go on sale at 8.30am tomorrow through the BBC’s website.
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JUSTIN BIEBER’s entire back catalogue has been upgraded on streaming service Apple Music by being re-released in “spatial audio”.
The groundbreaking tech means all of his records will sound better than ever.
He said: “It’s great that fans can now experience my music with the same quality and dynamics we hear in the studio.”
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BRIT DJ and singer RICHARD JUDGE is throwing a huge party in Austria to mark the start of spring.
The musician, best known for working with German Robin Schulz, will throw one of their Cloud 9 concerts in the Nordkette mountains near Innsbruck on April 9
ELLA’S STUDIO HEALING
ELLA HENDERSON isn’t sure where she would be without her studio sessions, as she uses songwriting as a form of therapy to escape from the world’s problems.
The Ghost singer, who is on track to score a second Top Ten album in tomorrow’s charts with Everything I Didn’t Say, told me: “This record is genuinely like an open diary.
“It’s fully from my heart. My heart is on my sleeve. I can’t help that. That is how I write.
“All my sessions stem from an almost open therapy group and then it’s like, ‘Well, shall we write about that?’
“It gets me through a lot. It takes me to a place where I switch off from the world and say what is going on.
“Some sessions can be quick and some can be hours. It’s not easy to open up at first, but you have to be comfortable first in the studio.”
It has been eight years between her albums, during which time she left Simon Cowell’s record label Syco and landed a new deal with Atlantic Records.
Ella added: “I’ve come such a long way since I was 16 and writing my first album.
"It was actually the lead single Brave that helped me get signed, so it feels full circle to be able to put that out.”
JESY SNUBS TV SHOW TO PUT MUSIC CENTRE STAGE
SHE bravely opened up in her BBC mental health documentary Odd One Out but Jesy Nelson is keen to put the focus back on her music.
I can reveal she was invited to appear on chat show Kate Garraway's Life Stories but left ITV bosses gutted by declining.
Producers contacted Jesy following the release of her debut solo single Boyz, months after she quit Little Mix.
A source said: “Jesy was one of the top people on ITV’s hit list for Kate’s debut series.
“They really tried to make it work but Jesy and her team decided the timing wasn’t right.
"Right now she wants to keep the focus on her music rather than anything else, so drawing the attention back to her personal life would have felt like a step backwards.”
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Since branching out on her own, Jesy’s career has been plagued with setbacks, from questionable outfit choices to fans feuding about her strained relationship with former bandmates Leigh-Anne Pinnock, Perrie Edwards and Jade Thirlwall.
She has probably done herself a favour by swerving this one, though. The last thing she needs is more controversy.