Robbie Williams shares unexpected response to claims Olivia Rodrigo copied his song

Olivia Rodrigo has found herself at the centre of another music controversy after listeners claimed her new Christmas song sounds suspiciously similar to a huge Robbie Williams hit.

And now the British singer has weighed in on the debate, with a rather unexpected response that has left fans wondering whether he was being cheeky or genuinely coming to Rodrigo's defence.

The 23-year-old US hitmaker released her first-ever festive single last week, titled 'take me home (4 christmas)', but it wasn't long before listeners began pointing out similarities between the track and some familiar tunes.

The track was initially compared to The Waitresses' 1981 Christmas classic, 'Christmas Wrapping', with some listeners questioning just how original the festive offering really was.

However, it seems there's another artist whose music fans think they've heard in the track, with some listeners also drawing comparisons between Rodrigo's Christmas single and Williams' 2012 hit 'Candy'.

Taking to social media, several music fans shared clips of the two songs playing alongside one another, suggesting that their melodies and upbeat rhythms sound remarkably similar.

And it appears the comparisons haven't escaped the former Take That star himself.

The 52-year-old took to X (formerly Twitter) on 7 November to address the online chatter, tagging Rodrigo in a rather cryptic festive message.

He simply wrote: "Happy Christmas @oliviarodrigo x"

Now, while that might sound like an innocent Christmas greeting, fans were quick to wonder whether there was a little more to the message than first meets the eye.

Some interpreted the post as a cheeky dig at the American singer, with one social media user commenting: "No shade because I love candy, but I doubt Olivia has ever even heard it?"

Another fan jokingly wrote: "Could be a great Christmas for you Rob, get those copyright lawyers on speed dial!"

However, Williams has since made his position on the situation much clearer, sharing a lengthy statement on Instagram in which he jumped to Rodrigo's defence while taking aim at what he sees as an increasingly frustrating trend in the music industry.

He began: "There’s something about the music industry that’s been bothering me for a while.

"People coming after people because they’ve spotted a similarity between two songs. Some of it I completely understand. Some of it is absolutely justified. Most of it, I think, is complete bollocks."

Williams continued: "I’ve had plenty of people come after me over the years because something I’ve released apparently sounds like something somebody else released. And sometimes I listen and think, fair enough, I can hear that. Other times I think, are you having a f****** laugh?"

Addressing the comparisons with his own music, he added: "It sounds to me as though she may have accidentally stumbled across a musical echo of mine in one of her new songs. And do you know what? I couldn’t care less.

"I don’t know whether there’s technically a publishing issue, a copyright issue, or no issue whatsoever."

He went on: "And I don’t want to know. I’m not going after her. Because I think at some point, some f****** sanity has to prevail. Now, I appreciate I’m in a position in my career where I can afford to take that view.

"Not everybody is. And genuine theft is genuine theft. Artists deserve to be protected.

"But there’s a difference between protecting your work and treating every vaguely familiar sequence of notes as a winning lottery ticket. Some of this stuff has become ambulance chasing. And I think it’s disgusting."

Reflecting on how music is created, Williams continued: "We all stand on the shoulders of people who came before us. Sometimes consciously. Sometimes without even knowing it. That’s how music works.

"If we keep punishing people for accidentally arriving somewhere somebody else has already been, eventually we’re going to frighten the creativity out of everyone."

He concluded his message with a rather lovely show of support for the singer, writing: "Anyway, Olivia, if you’re reading this, I think you’re f****** brilliant."

As for the original comparisons to The Waitresses, there does appear to be a little more context.

The band's founding member and 'Christmas Wrapping' songwriter Chris Butler previously revealed that Rodrigo had personally contacted him about her new track, sharing it with him ahead of its release.

He praised the singer's efforts, saying: "The song was/is great. It's going to be a smash - maybe even that elusive Christmas #1 contest they have every year in the UK."

Butler also made clear that he didn't consider the song to be plagiarism, with Rodrigo seemingly keen to acknowledge the inspiration behind her festive offering.