While Take That became a huge phenomenon all over Europe and Singapore, Robbie Williams never really seemed to fit in with the rest of the boys. It was undeniable that the rest were boyishly cute; but Williams, with his roguishly handsome looks and a tough attitude, made him more popular among Take That’s fans. He was also fighting on a regular basis with the other members and the management, mainly because he never liked the idea of being so heavily packaged. So no one was surprised when he was first to leave the group in the summer of 1995 to pursue a solo career. The group then broke up in 1996, with each member pursuing their own careers.

Although Williams was the first one out of the gate, it took a while for the man to get started. He tagged alongside Oasis, hoping some of the magic from the Gallaghers would rub onto him. But backstabbing from the group and his ex Take That members to the media caused his life to slide downhill and his name became a regular in tabloids with heavy partying, drinking and drugging.

To make things worse, his first single, a cover of George Michael’s “Freedom’ 90 ”, was a flop. Things started to pick up, though, in 1997 when his debut LP, “Life Thru A Lens” made multi-platinum status in Britain. With tracks like “Angels” and “Old Before I Die”, the distinct Oasis and Beatles’ influence was present. His single “Millenium” was also becoming immensely popular in North America; with a chance to perform alongside hero Tom Jones and a buddy in George Michael, Robbie Williams looked set to hit back at critics, solidifying his pop star status in both countries. His ugly past he has put behind him, for rehabilitation and a couple of years later “The Ego” has finally achieved the solo success in the career many had previously predicted he would fail in.

To top the icing on the cake, Williams managed to bag two prestigious Ivor Novello Awards where Williams and co-writer Guy Chambers were rewarded for their songwriting skills. He went on further to collect other honorary awards given out by MTV Europe (see other article on Robbie Williams’ press conference and exclusive media showcase in Singapore).

Earlier this year Williams made headlines yet again by setting up a charity for UNICEF, ’Give It Sum’, in collaboration with Pepsi, for whom he became a spokesperson. Besides writing a song specially for this, there were also limited edition ’Robbie Williams’ t-shirts up for auction around the world. All proceeds went to “Give It Sum”. He has also written a song specially for popular electronic soccer game “FIFA 2000”.

While he has always been notorious for his eccentric temper, he has become distinctively more media friendly. He was in Singapore recently to promote the release of his latest single, Rock DJ, from his upcoming album “Sing When You’re Winning”, and he had definitely won us over with his jokes and other comical references. As he left Singapore with promises of a world tour which will include Asia, fans of Robbie Williams need not fret about his departure as yet. With his commanding stage presence and a great voice which needs no digital re-mastering, you can be well assured Robbie Williams will be in the pop scene for a much longer time than his critics have assumed.

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