Robbie Williams news from month: September, 2006

London, Sept 24: British pop star Robbie Williams who recently cancelled the Asian leg of his “Close Encounters” world tour, due to “stress and exhaustion”, is now being treated for depression. “He`s suffered from depression before but feels things are getting worse and the tour was too much,” the Mirror quoted a source close to him as saying. Robbie is being treated by Dr Mark Collins, a top expert at the Priory clinic in South West London. He also flew to California, where he lives, for various sessions. “He`s determined to get the very best treatment,” the source added. The 32-year-old is also under pressure after his comeback single ‘Rudebox’ flopped, and ex-manager Nigel Martin-Smith threatening to sue over a track on his new album in which he is called an “evil man”. Robbie has talked openly about depression, which he first admitted battling in 2002. “I could get up in front of 35,000 or 40,000 people and go, `Look at me, I`m ace!` Then as soon as I got off stage I`d get in the tour coach and go back to my bedroom and pull the duvet over my eyes,” he told Stephen Fry in a BBC documentary this month.

Bureau Report with ANI inputs, zeenews.com

Robbie Williams says he’s okay, despite reports that he is suffering from depression after cancelling the Asian leg of his world tour due to exhaustion. The singer says: “I’m okay. I’m exhausted and haven’t been home for ten months because of my tour and promoting my album. It’s all got too much for me and I have been told to rest for two weeks. My South American tour is coming up and I want to be ready for that.”

A so-called ‘friend’ told the News of the World: “He’s not the first or the last person to go through this and is feeling fragile. But he wants to finish the tour and when he wants to do something he makes it happen.”

Perhaps that depression has something to do with Tara Palmer-Tomkinson. As you may remember, the singer was reportedly having a bit of a thing with TPT, and we know for certain he recently had a cup of tea with her. Perhaps it was a bad cup of tea. A bad cup of tea can put me off my stride, that’s for sure.

Tara, told The Daily Mirror: “Yes we did meet last week. Robbie came to my flat for some tea. He was so exhausted. He has been doing so many tours it’s taken it out of him.”

CMU Music Network, musicrooms.net

Robbie Williams will release his new single ‘Lovelight’ on November 13th on Chrysalis. Taken from his highly anticipated forthcoming Rudebox album which precedes the single on October 23rd.

‘Lovelight,’ recorded with NYC based uber-producer Mark Ronson earlier this year is a spectacular cover of Lewis Taylor’s criminally unknown soul-anthem. Together they have taken it from its warm soul roots, and transform it into a building euphoric disco anthem featuring a full-on falsetto vocal performance that ranks amongst one of his most dynamic and definitive singles to date.

“I wouldn’t have known about Lovelight if it hadn’t have been for Tom Middleton’s ‘The Trip’ album – he put it on there, and I fell in love with it instantly…I can’t believe how big that song is and no one knows it,” says RW.

“I’d never heard that and Rob came to me and said “I want to cover this.” It’s an amazing, obscure English soul record, and he’s delivered a great classic blue-eyed soul vocal in the lineage of George Michael, Andy Gibb or Hall & Oates,” adds Ronson.

The single is backed by a spectacular mix package, with new re-workings courtesy of Soulwax, Kurd Maverick, Soul Mekanik and Ronson himself, that look set to follow previous single ‘Rudebox’ into club charts across the world. The single is also backed by a spectacular and iconic new video shot recently whilst in Vienna during a break from touring, which can currently be viewed exclusively on www.robbiewilliams.com.

On that front Robbie has just completed the monumental European leg of his record breaking ‘Close Encounters’ World tour, culminating in a massive 5 nights at Milton Keynes Bowl and playing to over 2.5 million people along the way.

Alongside his work with Ronson, ‘Rudebox’ finds RW collaborating with an array of musical mavericks including his heroes the Pet Shop Boys, King of ambient William Orbit, fellow Stoke natives Danny Spencer & Kelvin Andrews AKA Soul Mekanik, disco-house icon Dave ‘Joey Negro’ Lee on both new original compositions and covers of some of his favourite tracks that through its 16 tracks mark out and charts his musical loves and life. Lyrically it is very broad; humorous, historical, honest and revealing, a rollercoaster that takes you from introverted to extravagant, the break up to the make up, this is perhaps the most definitive Robbie Williams opus to date.

‘Lovelight’ is released on November 13th 2006 on Chrysalis / EMI Records. ‘Rudebox’ – The album is released on October 23rd.

ilikemusic.com

ROBBIE Williams is being treated for depression, the Daily Mirror can reveal. The condition – which the troubled star, 32, has battled before – may help explain why he suddenly axed the Asian leg of his world tour this month. Although the official reason given was that he had “stress and exhaustion”, insiders say he has sunk to a new low. A source close to him revealed: “He’s suffered from depression before but feels things are getting worse and the tour was too much.” Robbie is being treated by Dr Mark Collins, a top expert at the Priory clinic in South West London. The star has even flown him to California, where he lives, for sessions. The source added: “He’s determined to get the very best treatment.”

The news comes as he has struggled in the charts and been hit by legal disputes. Comeback single Rudebox flopped and ex-manager Nigel Martin-Smith is threatening to sue over a track on his new album in which he is called an “evil man”. Robbie has talked openly about depression, which he first admitted battling in 2002. In a BBC documentary this month he told Stephen Fry: “I could get up in front of 35,000 or 40,000 people and go, ‘Look at me, I’m ace!’ “Then as soon as I got off stage I’d get in the tour coach and go back to my bedroom and pull the duvet over my eyes.”

Pop star ROBBIE WILLIAMS is facing criticism after pulling out of a free concert in Dublin, Ireland despite promising to return after his chaotic concert in June (06). The ANGELS hitmaker was left red-faced at the summer show when he attempted to make a spectacular entrance suspended from a gondola-like contraption over the stage – only for the mechanics to become stuck, leaving him dangling before he was rescued by technicians. Williams admitted the show was a fiasco, and subsequently vowed to the 80,000 fans he would play a gig for them for free by the end of 2006 to make up for it. But he has since told promoters in the Irish capital he will not be fulfilling his promise after all. Williams recently ditched the entire Asian leg of his tour, scheduled for later this year (06), because he is reportedly exhausted after overdoing his onstage capers. A spokesman for the star says honouring the dates would simply be “asking too much”.

contactmusic.com

Doctors may have given British singer Robbie Williams strict orders to rest, but he’s already planning to hit the road.

Williams, who recently admitted that he was suffering from depression, has reportedly told pals that he is “okay”, and that after a two-week pit stop, he would be getting ready to perform at his South American tour. “I’m okay. I’m exhausted and haven’t been home for ten months because of my tour and promoting my album. It’s all got too much for me and I have been told to rest for two weeks. My South American tour is coming up and I want to be ready for that,” the News of the World quoted him, as telling pals. Williams’ six day long South American tour takes place next month in October, a time when his new album RudeBox is also released. A pal revealed that though Williams was feeling “fragile”, he was still determined to go through with the tour. “He’s not the first or the last person to go through this and is feeling fragile. But he wants to finish the tour and when he wants to do something he makes it happen,” the friend said. Williams was forced to cancel the Asian leg of his “Close Encounters” world tour due to “stress and exhaustion”, but is determined not to let the same happen to his South American tour.

ANI , news.sawf.org/Entertainment/

ROBBIE Williams has splashed out £16,000 to buy one of Ronnie Wood’s guitars.

The guitar – signed by Ronnie and the rest of the Rolling Stones – was the star lot in a charity auction. Robbie wanted it at all costs and a friend bid on his behalf. The event in Ilkley, West Yorks was organised by snooker star Paul Hunter for his cancer charity the Net Patient Foundation. A pal of Robbie’s said: “Robbie has always been a massive fan of the Rolling Stones. “He couldn’t make it in person because of his tour so he sent along a friend and told him that whatever the final bid was to offer a thousand pounds more.”

Paul Kennedy, people.co.uk

London, Sept 18: Friends close to Robbie Williams fear for the star’s health after he cancelled the Asian leg of his world tour.

Robbie’s Close Encounters tour was supposed to include gigs at Shanghai, Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore.

But a statement from his management said: “It became clear that the stress and exhaustion from the Asian tour coming shortly after the end of the European dates would seriously impact his health.”

“Let’s hope he gets over this hurdle. He obviously can’t go on and is very stressed and exhausted,” an insider was quoted by the Newsoftheworld, as saying.

“He was out of control, touching up the backing singers and making a pass at the keyboard player. You could see it all on the big screen,” he added.

Robbie is also in the middle of a high-pressured battle with ex-manager Nigel Martin- Smith which is no doubt adding to the star’s stress.

Bureau Report, zeenews.com