If you needed further proof that the music industry rises and sets with Taylor Swift, just ask Robbie Williams. The UK pop legend recently revealed that he had to delay his latest album, Britpop, to avoid direct competition with all that is Swift-Mania.
“We’re all pretending [the scheduling change] is not about Taylor Swift, but it f**king is,” Williams said. “You can’t compete with that.”
The revelation (via Billboard) came during Williams’ Thursday evening set at London’s Dingwalls. The event was effectively two gigs: The evening began with an in-full performance of Williams’ seminal 1997 debut album, Life Thru A Lens, before switching to a preview of the singer’s upcoming 13th studio album. Reportedly this show had been scheduled to coincide with Britpop’s original release (October 10th) before that LP was pushed back due to an undefined series of “scheduling issues.”
Williams — who will now release Britpop on February 6th, 2026 — isn’t the first leading artist to experience the unbridled force of Swift-dom. Recently, fans online believed that Drake pushed back his long-awaited Iceman to avoid similar competition with Showgirl. Meanwhile, in October 2024, both Joe Jonas and Shawn Mendes reportedly delayed their albums to steer clear of the heft of Swift‘s reputation (Taylor’s Version). There were even rumblings on Reddit recently that Harry Styles might have pushed back his own album plans due to Swift’s latest.
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Now, admittedly, a lot of this is hearsay and rumors. But with Williams having the chutzpah to come right out and say it, it would make sense for most artists to be savvy enough with their plans when “competing” with Swift. Per Billboard, Showgirl has moved 3.4 million in “pure album sales” (that’s both physical and electronic), which is already the biggest single sales week since electronic tracking began in 1991. (That number will likely grow as data tracking firm Luminate won’t release the final first-week sales figures until Sunday, October 12th.) And Swift’s other albums have made her the fourth best-selling female artist in history, with a total of 251.8 million in equivalent album sales.
Still, it’s not all bad news for Williams. Billboard‘s review of Thursday’s show demonstrated that Britpop could be a career high, with the singer leaning into new ideas and influences (including a discernible electronic sheen and decidedly more raw approach) to make one of the most exciting and timely records of his otherwise long, prosperous career. And speaking of being prosperous, if Britpop does reach No. 1 on the UK charts next year, it’ll give Williams his 16th overall, smashing a tie held by The Beatles for that most lofty prize.
At this point, not even Taylor Swift herself could accomplish that goal. Right?
