Robbie Williams has a newfound appreciation for his own work thanks to his 25th anniversary album.
The 48-year-old singer has recorded some of his biggest hits for ‘XXV’ and he admitted looking back on his old singles made him realise just what he has achieved over the years.
He told BBC News: “I understand now why you mark anniversaries, you get to look back and go ‘Maybe I was closer to what I wanted to achieve than I first thought [at the time].”
And the ‘No Regrets’ hitmaker joked enlisting an orchestra for the reworked songs has helped give him “gravitas” and elevated the songs to something more than they were at the time.
He continued: “And then also, you get these incredibly talented people that play their instruments and form an orchestra and then the orchestra gives these frequencies that are angelic and Godlike and adds import to what could otherwise be throwaway pop records – I’ve got gravitas on these records now! I’m worthy!”
Robbie shot to fame as a teenager when he joined Take That and he will always be “incredibly grateful” that his career has continued for so long after he left the boy band in 1995 because he isn’t sure how he would have coped as a “has-been”.
He said: “My big feeling, my best years professionally could have been when I was 16 to 21 when I was in Take That. I know how fragile I am as a human being and to be a has-been or a was-was, or whatever would have happened to me after Take That, I’m incredibly grateful that the ship still goes forward.
“In short, I’m incredibly grateful, that’s what the anniversary has done for me.”