''For the footballers please see Robbie Williams (footballer)''
Stoke-on-Trent, England
|Genre = Pop
|Years_active = 1996–present
|Label = EMI
|URL = http://www.robbiewilliams.com
}}
'''Robbie Williams''' (born '''Robert Peter Williams''' on 13 February 1974 in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire) is an English pop singer.
Biography
Take That
''Main article: Take That''
Williams' early pop career started with the hit boy band Take That. The band was formed in 1990 and had 8 United Kingdom Number 1 singles. Their popularity led to a succession of similar bands in the United Kingdom.
Williams' roguish qualities meant that he didn't fit into the bandhttp://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=98768253, and he frequently battled with his fellow band members and his management. After leaving the band in 1995, the final Take That album ''Nobody Else'' was re-issued in some markets excluding songs where Robbie Williams was the lead vocalist. The final Take That single "How Deep Is Your Love" is the only one that didn't feature Williams.
In November 2005, ITV1 screened a documentary on Take That, including the reasons behind Williams' departure, including interviews with Williams and his former fellow band members. Williams declined the offer to reunite with the band, but spoke to them via a pre-recorded video message.
Take That, who had reformed without Williams and toured in 2006, have extended an open invitation for Williams to join them on stage if he wishes. Williams has apparently given the reformation his blessing.
Solo career
After leaving Take That, Williams modified his image. This included an affected swagger and an infamous appearance during Oasis's headlining set at Glastonbury in 1995. He had dyed his hair platinum blond and painted his teeth black for the concert. Noel Gallagher, the lead songwriter/guitarist for Oasis, often referred to Williams as "that fat dancer from Take That." He had a highly publicised battle with drug and alcohol addiction, during which he put on nearly 40 pounds (18 kg) and was often seen in public poorly dressed, dirty and unshaven.
=''Life Thru A Lens''
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In 1996 Williams launched his solo career. His first single, ''Freedom '96'' (a cover of the 1990 George Michael tune ''Freedom '90'') was released in August 1996. A period in a drug rehabilitation clinic was followed up by a second single'' Old Before I Die'' in 1997, which had a rockier edge to it and was a hint of Robbie's future musical direction.
Both singles reached number 2 in the United Kingdom charts. He then released the singles ''Lazy Days'' (Number 8) and ''South Of The Border'' (Number 14), but they were only moderately successful compared to his first 2 singles. He released his first
