Let me entertain yule
Robbie teams up with some big hitters – including Tyson Fury – for Christmas album
HE’S already been involved in three Christmas No1 singles but now Robbie Williams is joining Elvis, Marey Carey and Star Trek’s William Shatner by releasing a festive album.
Out next month, the double album called The Christmas Present includes duets with Rod Stewart, Bryan Adams and, ahem, Tyson Fury.
And Robbie, 45 – looking very Dickensian on the album cover – is hoping the tracks will “annoy you all for the rest of your life”.
He releases it on November 22 and is hoping for a festive No1.
Robbie said: “That’s the big hope. That’s the reason I’ve been involving myself in this passion project for the past three years.
“I’m beyond excited to announce my first ever Christmas album. I’ve done a lot in my career and releasing this record is another dream come true. Making this album has been so much fun and I can’t wait for you all to hear it.”
The Christmas Present is Robbie’s first studio album since UK No1 The Heavy Entertainment Show in 2016, although this year he released a third collection of demos and rarities, Under the Radar.
The two-disc album is split into Christmas Past and Christmas Future.
Past includes wintery classics Winter Wonderland, Santa Baby featuring German singer Helene Fischer, Slade’s Merry Xmas Everybody featuring Jamie Cullum, and It’s A Wonderful Life, a duet with Robbie’s father Peter Conway.
Future has a cover of Darlene Love’s popular Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) as a duet with Bryan Adams, Fairytales featuring Rod Stewart, and Bad Sharon, his bizarre pairing with boxing champ Fury.
Robbie said Bad Sharon is “a boozy office party somewhere in the midlands” and includes the lyrics: “Bad, bad Sharon from the office, nick the champagne, let’s get off.”
The dad-of-three met Fury before his June victory over Tom Schwarz in Las Vegas.
He added: “Tyson invited me to his dressing room before the fight and, just in that moment, I was like, ‘I’ve seen you sing after bouts’, and I asked him, and he said yes.
“It made sense for Tyson in that moment, in my head. And to be fair, he smashed it.”
The deluxe version of the album features four bonus tracks including the duet It Takes Two, again with rocker Rod.
The Christmas Present is Robbie’s 13th studio album. It sees him working once again with longtime collaborator Guy Chambers.
Robbie and Guy co-wrote his biggest hits including Angels, Millennium and Let Me Entertain You. And the singer, who joined wife Ayda Field as a judge on The X Factor last year but quit in April, is hoping to emulate his singles festive success.
His first No1 was a duet with Nicole Kidman on Somethin Stupid in 2001. He was then part of two charity hits, Band Aid 20’s version of Do They Know It’s Christmas? in 2004 and The Justice Collection’s He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother cover in 2012.