Robbie Williams has made chart history in the UK with his latest No.1 album, Britpop (Columbia Records).
Scoring his 16th No.1 as a solo artist, Williams surpassed The Beatles to become the act with the most UK No.1 albums ever.
Williams tied with The Beatles last year when the Better Man OST debuted at No.1. He has now set the new record with 13th studio album Britpop, the release of which was brought forward last Friday (January 16).
Britpop debuted at No.1 with consumption of 34,157 units (16,536 CDs, 2,510 vinyl albums, 13,791 cassettes, 672 digital downloads and 648 sales-equivalent streams), according to the Official Charts Company.
Robbie Williams’ only studio album not to reach the summit is 2009’s Reality Killed The Video Star, which peaked at No.2.
On top of his solo success, Robbie Williams has also topped the chart as a member of Take That, being a full member of the band when Everything Changes (1993) and Nobody Else (1995) were No.1, and rejoining them for 2010 chart-topper Progress. He also contributed to most tracks on their 1996 No.1 compilation Greatest Hits and some on subsequent (2018) hits package, Odyssey. So Williams could claim up to 19, 20 or even 21 No.1 albums. The higher total is beaten only by Paul McCartney (23, including 15 with The Beatles).
As revealed in Alan Jones’ Music Week charts analysis, Williams’ career album consumption as a soloist totals 21,108,856 units, with his top titles being Greatest Hits (2,684,529 units), I’ve Been Expecting You (2,630,892 units) and Swing When You’re Winning (2,466,945 units).
Of those units, 17,281,259 have accrued in the 21st century, making him the No.1 artist of the era, with Coldplay (15,809,980 sales) as runners-up. Among solo artists, Williams’ nearest 21st century rivals are Ed Sheeran (14,988,419 sales) and Adele (13,467,216 sales).
Robbie Williams’ solo No.1 albums:
· Life Thru A Lens (1997)
· I’ve Been Expecting You (1998)
· Sing When You’re Winning (2000)
· Swing When You’re Winning (2001)
· Escapology (2002)
· Greatest Hits (2004)
· Intensive Care (2005)
· Rudebox (2006)
· In and Out of Consciousness: Greatest Hits 1990-2010 (2010)
· Take The Crown (2012)
· Swings Both Ways (2013)
· The Heavy Entertainment Show (2016)
· The Christmas Present (2019)
· XXV (2022)
· Better Man (2025)
"Britpop is the record I’ve always wanted to make, and seeing it become my 16th No.1 album means everything to me,” Robbie Williams told Official Charts. “Thank you to all the fans who have been with me every step of the way. You’ve made my dreams come true."
Martin Talbot, chief executive officer, Official Charts, said: “There are chart records and there are chart records – and Robbie Williams’ achievement today in securing his record 16th UK No. 1 album is simply extraordinary,” said Martin Talbot, CEO, Official Charts Company. “Not even the confident young 16-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent would have believed this were possible when he joined Take That back in 1990, but here he is, on top of the world, the UK’s No.1 album artist – of all time!”
PHOTO CREDIT: Robbie Williams
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