Robbie Williams is a former member of the British teen pop group Take That, and one of the biggest pop stars in the UK and Europe. He left Take That in 1995 and his debut solo single was a 1996 flop cover version of George Michael's "Freedom." His UK debut album, Life Thru A Lens, featured the hit "Old Before I Die," although subsequent singles did not do as well. 1997 also saw the release of the hit Christmas single, "Angels." The single revived the album and helped push it to number 1 in the UK, more than half a year after it was released. "Millennium" was another UK number 1 in 1998, as was the album I've Been Expecting You.

1999's The Ego Has Landed, a compilation of tracks from his two albums, was released in the US but he remained a much bigger star at home. William had more UK number 1's with "She's The One"/"It's Only Us" and "Rock DJ." 2000's Sing When You're Winning was another huge UK album. It was followed by the equally successful Swing When You're Winning, featuring his duet with Nicole Kidman on "Something Stupid." 2002's Escapology continued Williams' success.