Robbie Williams defends Olivia Rodrigo amid accusations she copied his song: ‘Not going after her’
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Take That alum Robbie Williams defended Olivia Rodrigo after some fans claimed that the latter’s latest holiday single, ‘take me home (4 Christmas),’ released on November 5, allegedly copied some elements of Williams’ 2020 hit, ‘Candy.’
As the accusations went viral on social media, Williams took to Instagram to issue a lengthy statement, clarifying that he is not planning to sue Rodrigo. The musician even went on to criticize people who accuse artists of plagiarism based on speculation.
Robbie Williams ‘couldn’t care less’ about people accusing Olivia Rodrigo of plagiarism
Amid ongoing debate around whether Rodrigo’s recent holiday track ripped off Williams’ 2020 song, the British musician issued a statement dismissing the plagiarism allegations. “People coming after people because they’ve spotted a similarity between two songs. Some of it I completely understand. Some of it is absolutely justified. Most of it, I think, is complete bollocks,” Williams said.
“I’ve had plenty of people come after me over the years because something I’ve released apparently sounds like something somebody else released,” he shared, adding, “Sometimes I listen and think, fair enough, I can hear that. Other times I think, are you having a… laugh?”
“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,” Williams stated.
“Music has been around for a very long time. We’re all going to bump into each other eventually. Which brings me to Olivia Rodrigo. I love Olivia Rodrigo. I’ve loved her since ‘Brutal,’” he said in reference to Rodrigo’s 2021 album.
“It sounds to me as though she may have accidentally stumbled across a musical echo of mine in one of her new songs. And do you know what? I couldn’t care less,” Williams continued.
“I don’t know whether there’s technically a publishing issue, a copyright issue, or no issue whatsoever. And I don’t want to know. I’m not going after her,” the ‘Angels’ singer noted.
Robbie Williams rips into artists who blindly accuse others of copying
The ‘Millennium’ hitmaker also used the situation to call out artists who pointlessly accuse others of plagiarism. “Genuine theft is genuine theft,” he said after mentioning he is at a point in his career where he can afford to have such a view.
“Artists deserve to be protected. But there’s a difference between protecting your work and treating every vaguely familiar sequence of notes as a winning lottery ticket,” Williams said, adding, “Some of this stuff has become ambulance chasing. And I think it’s disgusting.”
“We all stand on the shoulders of people who came before us. Sometimes consciously. Sometimes without even knowing it. That’s how music works. If we keep punishing people for accidentally arriving somewhere somebody else has already been, eventually we are going to frighten the creativity out of everyone,” he explained.
Williams concluded his statement in a light note by calling Rodrigo “brilliant” and jokingly asking her to stop “swearing so much” and making him feel like he has to “keep up.”
