Robbie Williams has broken his silence on Olivia Rodrigo’s new Christmas single after fans flooded social media comparing it to his 2012 hit.
The British pop veteran, 52, posted a brief message to Rodrigo, 23, on X last week after listeners noted sonic similarities between her debut holiday track “Take Me Home (4 Christmas)” and his song “Candy.” Williams kept his response light, writing simply: “Happy Christmas @oliviarodrigo x,” according to his post on the platform formerly known as Twitter.
The comparison first gained traction when an X user shared a clip of Rodrigo’s music video—which features “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon and comedian Ben Marshall—and asked: “Why does Olivia Rodrigo’s new Christmas song sound like Candy by Robbie Williams?”
The “Drivers License” singer released “Take Me Home (4 Christmas)” on November 6, marking her first foray into seasonal music. The track includes lyrics about holiday romance and family gatherings: “Wanna get drunk with your mother and father/I’d be the coolest in-law daughter/Hungover brunch with you and your sister/Your exes got the summer but boy I get the winter.”
While the lyrical content diverges sharply from Williams’s upbeat “Candy,” fans fixated on the instrumental and melodic parallels between the two tracks.
The Rodrigo track carries another, more deliberate lineage. Chris Butler, who wrote The Waitresses’ 1981 new wave classic “Christmas Wrapping,” revealed on Facebook that Rodrigo’s team reached out to him months before the release. “About two months ago, I received a weird email from someone claiming to be ‘Olivia Rodrigo,'” Butler shared. He initially dismissed the message as a prank.
Butler, who was not previously acquainted with Rodrigo’s catalog, investigated her music and became an admirer. “I like your music. I like that you have women in your band. I like that your lyrics are intense, real, and poetic,” he wrote in his Facebook post.
The songwriter predicted commercial success for the single, adding that it “is going to be a smash, maybe even that elusive Christmas #1 contest they have every year in the UK.”
Reaction to Williams’s post splintered across platforms. One X user replied to the former Take That member with skepticism about Rodrigo’s familiarity with his work: “No shade because i love candy, but i doubt Olivia has ever even heard it?”
Others seized on the interaction as an opportunity to lobby for collaboration. “ok now make a remix with Olivia,” one fan responded to Williams’s tweet. Another pressed more urgently: “We need you on that remix PICK UP THE PHONE.” A third participant framed the appeal as manifesting: “Just admit you’re doing a remix with her please (speaking it into existence).”
Williams released “Candy” in 2012 as the lead single from his ninth studio album “Take the Crown.” The track, which features a brassy, carnival-esque production and Williams’s signature cheeky delivery, became a chart hit across Europe but made limited impact in the United States. The song’s co-writers included Williams, Gary Barlow, and producer Jacknife Lee.
Rodrigo has not publicly addressed the “Candy” comparisons or Williams’s social media message. Her representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The “Good 4 U” singer’s holiday release arrives as she continues touring behind her 2023 album “Guts,” with upcoming shows scheduled across Australia and New Zealand in October 2025.