Robbie Williams defends Olivia Rodrigo over new Christmas song copying claims

Olivia Rodrigo has barely released a Christmas song, and the internet is already arguing about it. This time, one of Britain's biggest pop stars has jumped in on her side.

Robbie Williams, the "Angels" singer, has responded to online accusations that her new holiday track "Take Me Home (4 Christmas)" ripped off his work. He doesn't think Rodrigo is a traitor. In short: he's backing her.

What happened?

The claims started circulating online this week, with some people saying the new song sounds too much like other artists' music. Williams answered the accusations directly and defended Rodrigo against the plagiarism claims.

He isn't the only one. The story is that both artists named in the claims have since come out in her support.

Why does this feel so familiar?

Because Rodrigo has been here before. When her debut album Sour came out in May 2021, she was 17 and the pop world was watching closely.

One song, "1 Step Forward, 3 Steps Back", openly credits Taylor Swift because it interpolates (reuses part of) her song "New Year's Day". Rodrigo got approval first. Later, Swift and her collaborators were also credited on "Deja Vu", reportedly over a link to "Cruel Summer".

Then came September 2021. Paramore's Hayley Williams and Joshua Farro were credited on "Good 4 U" because of its similarities to Paramore's 2007 hit "Misery Business".

Billboard reported that these credits cost Rodrigo a huge share of royalties: an estimated 50% on each of the two songs. Artists including Elvis Costello and Adam Levine publicly defended her at the time.

How has Olivia reacted before?

She stayed quiet back then. In 2023 she told Rolling Stone she was "a little caught off guard" and that her team handled it. She also said she wasn't "super involved" in how it was resolved.

This year, she released her third album, You Seem Pretty Sad for a Girl So in Love, and has talked in interviews about not wanting to dwell on the past.

What's next?

For now, the Christmas song is out, the debate is loud, and Rodrigo has another famous voice on her side. We'll see whether the claims go anywhere. So far, the support is the bigger story.