“I can sleep peacefully in Switzerlandâ€
In recent years, things have calmed down around pop star Robbie Williams (48). Now he is returning: with the record “XXV”, a collection of old hits that he has re-recorded with a symphony orchestra. Williams does not like to talk about the album, which will be released on Friday, in the Zoom interview from Geneva. He prefers to talk about his life in Switzerland.
SonntagsBlick: You still live in Geneva? They said you had moved away.
Robbie Williams: We live everywhere and nowhere (laughs). Seriously, we’re still in Geneva, but we also spend a lot of time elsewhere: St-Tropez, London, Ibiza. But me and my family feel very comfortable in Switzerland.
What do you like about living here?
I love the summer in Switzerland. But I also like that I can feel so safe here. The world is becoming more and more unpredictable, but here everything still seems to have a certain order. I love the reliability. I know what to expect and will not be disappointed. I also like the people I met here and who became friends.
They also like to ski.
And how! Especially in Zermatt. But the discovery for me was Interlaken. We were there on August 1st a year ago. I didn’t know anything about the place, we went, I was blown away. The beauty of the landscape is breathtaking. I like being in a country that offers so many opportunities. An important aspect that might sound a bit naïve: I can sleep peacefully in Switzerland. I couldn’t do that in the last few years in the USA, where I lived.
And what do you not like so much?
Well, everything here has a price. You can’t sugarcoat that.
You can afford it.
True, but at the end of the day I’m still the boy from Stoke-on-Trent in the Midlands of England who makes every penny count. A person’s character doesn’t change just because you’ve sold a few records.
Almost 80 million albums, to be exact. Does it sometimes surprise you that you are still so successful after 25 years?
Yes and no. I always knew I was an entertainer. Even as a child I dreamed of the stage. But I could never have imagined the dimensions that would one day take on. The fact that a little guy like me could stay at this level for so long is beyond imagination.
Especially since you have often fallen down.
Exactly. I practically stumbled into every puddle. Nevertheless, I got the way reasonably dry behind me. That’s extraordinary. Like a few days ago in Munich, when I gave a concert and 100,000 people showed up. I just thought: Wow, Robbie still rocks! Read More…
