"He's unhinged, super smart, super talented and willing to upset": British pop superstar Robbie Williams hails the one rock star he thinks is lighting up 2024's "boring", danger-free music scene

Robbie Williams
(Image credit: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Pop superstar Robbie Williams thinks that the contemporary music scene is "boring",  and wholly devoid of danger and personality. But the former Take That man, 50, has singled out one shining light in the current musical landscape, The 1975's frontman Matty Healy

In a post on his social media platforms, Williams hails Healy as the only "commercially viable" pop or rock star who is "willing to be something other than beige". Williams doesn't exempt himself from criticism in his post, admitting that he himself has "vanilled myself into a corner trying to chase what’s gone".

The pop star's post reads:

"How boring is the music scene right now? Im not attacking the music itself. im just lamenting the death of friction, danger, personality.

"I’ll admit I’ve vanilled myself into a corner trying to chase what’s gone. I get it everyone’s scared. No one knows what you’ll say that will get you cancelled.
No one knows what you’ve already said or written that will end you. So many people to offend.

"Matt Healy is the only commercially viable Pop/Rock star that I can see who is willing to be something other than beige. I really like Matt he’s unhinged, super smart, super talented and willing to upset. Upsetting for a cause. The cause being a complicated inner life a rebellious streak and boredom.

"I’ve gotta get some of that energy back in my musical life. Like I say ‘’so many people to offend’’ I hope I have time to fit them all in.

"It’s time to take the piss again…and im looking forward to it."


Healy has been at the centre of various mini-controversies over the past few years, from causing a Malaysian music festival to be shut down after he labelled the country's government "retards" for upholding laws banning same-sex relationships, to being called-out as "a white man who watches [violent porn site] Ghetto Gaggers and mocks Asian people" onstage at Glastonbury by Rina Sawayama, who is signed to Dirty Hits records, a label of which Healy was formerly a director. 

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Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.

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