Robbie Williams hits out at Damon Albarn for controversial Taylor Swift comments
Robbie launched an x-rated rant after Albarn claimed that Swift doesn't write her own songs
By Nick Reilly
Robbie Williams has hit out at Blur‘s Damon Albarn after he controversially suggested in an interview that Swift “doesn’t write her own songs”.
Speaking to The Los Angeles Times earlier this year, Albarn was asked about modern songwriters “relying on sound and attitude,” to which he said: “Name me someone who’s not.”
The interviewer then said: “She may not be to your taste, but Taylor Swift is an excellent songwriter,” to which Albarn simply replied: “She doesn’t write her own songs.”
“Co-writing is very different to writing,” the Blur frontman went on. “I’m not hating on anybody, I’m just saying there’s a big difference between a songwriter and a songwriter who co-writes. Doesn’t mean that the outcome can’t be really great.
While Swift subsequently decried Albarn’s comments as “fucked up”, the Blur frontman said they had been “reduced to clickbait” and that he agreed with her criticism.
Now, Robbie has launched a new battle of words with his 90s rival – launching a strongly worded barrage of criticism in a new interview with NME.
“I think that when people say that,” he said, “what they’re actually doing is having a wank about themselves. 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!’ 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.”
In the same interview, Robbie also reflected on facing criticism when he attended Glastonbury in 1995, shortly after his exit from Take That.
“You know, me turning up at Glastonbury… I’m trying to put it into terms that won’t get me in trouble, but it’s like Putin turning up in Westminster. That’s a bit extreme, obviously, but it was like, ‘What the fuck is he doing here?’ If you got Niall Horan or Harry Styles or whoever you wanna say that goes to Glastonbury now, it’s like, ‘Yeah – that’s what they should be doing. Hope they’re having a great time!’ There’s no judgement. But back when I went, it was, like, a thing.”
Elsewhere, Robbie will head out on an arena tour later this year to celebrate 25 years since he began his solo career.
The tour will start a month after the release of his forthcoming new album XXV, out September 9.
Swift’s latest album, Midnights, arrives on October 9.