Robbie Williams BRITPOP: surprise release, Gary Barlow collab and more explained

16 January 2026, 12:30

The ‘Angels’ star unexpectedly dropped his thirteenth album in January 2026.

Robbie Williams has just released his first studio album in almost ten years – three weeks before it was due!

After delaying the album to February 2026 last autumn, the Better Man star has proven himself ever the unpredictable star by suddenly releasing BRITPOP on Friday, January 16.

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Robbie also dropped the album’s latest single, 'All My Life’, at the same time.

Here's everything there is to know about BRITPOP, from its original release plan to everything we know about its songs, including the Gary Barlow co-written track 'Morrissey'...

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What is BRITPOP's tracklist?

BRITPOP’s full tracklist is:

1. Rocket
2. Spies
3. Pretty Face
4. Bite Your Tongue
5. Cocky
6. All My Life
7. Human (feat. Jesse & Joy)
8. Morrissey
9. You
10. It's OK Until The Drugs Stop Working
11. Pocket Rocket

The album’s first single, ‘Rocket’, which Robbie worked on with Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, was released on Wednesday, May 21 when the album was announced.

Listen to BRITPOP’s first single ‘Rocket’ here:

Robbie Williams - Rocket [Feat. Tony Iommi] (Official Video)

Robbie teased his new album during an interview with NME in January 2025, during which he said he’d worked with Tony and Glenn Hughes on a song.

“I wanted to make the album that I’d make if I’d left Take That now, knowing what I know,” he said at the time, echoing his future press statement.

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Describing ‘Rocket’, he said: “It’s adrenaline-filled and balls-to-the-wall. That one in particular is my favourite song off my new album.”

Robbie wrote the track 'Morrissey' with his former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow.

Robbie Williams - Morrissey (Official Lyric Video)

Speaking about the song, Robbie revealed the track is written from the point of view of “somebody that is stalking [singer-songwriter and former The Smiths frontman] Morrissey and is completely obsessed and in love with him,” (via Sky News).

On working with Gary, he added: “It’s great because that particular track is a song made by Robbie Williams and Gary Barlow, about Morrissey,” NME reports.

When was Robbie Williams’ new album BRITPOP meant to be released?

Robbie Williams’ thirteenth studio album BRITPOP was originally due for an autumn release.

But in September 2025 it emerged Robbie had delayed BRITPOP until February 6, 2026 to avoid competition from Taylor Swift's The Life of a Showgirl.

The singer's decision to delay BRITPOP because of Swift was originally rumour, but was confirmed by the star during a sweary speech he gave at an intimate gig in Camden in October.

Robbie Williams - All My Life (Official Lyric Video)

When was Robbie Williams' new album BRITPOP actually released?

Robbie changed things up again in January 2026, when he released BRITPOP on all digital platforms three weeks earlier than planned on Friday, January 16.

"It’s been long enough. I’ve decided that I wanna go now. It’s been ages. Now, please, deploy, now, let’s go," he told followers in a social media post.

The album's physical release, plus a newly announced deluxe edition, are keeping the album's rescheduled February 6 release date.

BRITPOP is the 51-year-old's first pop-rock release since 2016’s The Heavy Entertainment Show.

Although the artist released a Christmas album, The Christmas Present, which featured some original songs as well as covers in 2019, many are viewing BRITPOP as his first album in almost 10 years.

Robbie is hoping the album will allow him to earn a 16th UK number one album, which would mean he'd overtake The Beatles to become the biggest artist in UK history.

What has Robbie Williams said about BRITPOP?

Announcing his new album in May 2025, Robbie said in a press release which he also posted on social media: “[On BRITPOP] I set out to create the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995.”

Describing the period as “a golden age for British music,” he added: “I’ve worked with some of my heroes on this album; it’s raw, there are more guitars and it’s an album that’s even more upbeat and anthemic than usual.

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“There’s some ‘Brit’ in there and there’s certainly some ‘pop’ too – I’m immensely proud of this as a body of work and I’m excited for fans to hear this album.

“I also can’t wait to perform a song or two from it on my upcoming ‘BRITPOP’ tour, which I’m opening in the UK, naturally,” he added.

Speaking about BRITPOP at a special event in August, Robbie shared: "I’ve been musically a bit aimless for a little while... I’ve chased yesterday an awful lot."

He continued by explaining his thoughts behind BRITPOP's direction as: "I’ve just spent the last 15 years looking backwards.

"And I just think with this album, if I am gonna look backwards, I might as well just clear the decks, go back to the start and head off from there.”