Robbie Williams speaks out after Olivia Rodrigo is accused of copying his hit song but insists 'we can't keep punishing people for accidentally arriving somewhere somebody else has already been'

Robbie Williams has insisted he 'couldn't care less' if Olivia Rodrigo has copied his hit song Candy.The drama started when Olivia released her Christmas track Take Me Home 4 Christmas last week and listeners started to compare the song to Robbie's 2012 hit Candy. Fans took to social media to upload videos of the two tracks overlapping to what some people believe are similar notes and melodies. Robbie, 52, was then accused of 'throwing shade' at Olivia, 23, when he wrote on X: 'Happy Christmas @oliviarodrigo x' The Take That star has now posted a lengthy statement on social media, admitting that whilst he can hear the similarities between the two songs he won't be 'going after her'. 'There's something about the music industry that's been bothering me for a while,' Robbie began. 'People coming after people because they've spotted a similarity between two songs. Some of it I completely understand. Some of it is absolutely justified.'Robbie Williams has insisted he 'couldn't care less' if Olivia Rodrigo has copied his hit song Candy The drama started when Olivia released her Christmas track Take Me Home 4 Christmas last week and listeners started to compare the track to Robbie's 2012 hit Candy 'Most of it, I think, is complete b*llocks. I've had plenty of people come after me over the years because something I've released apparently sounds like something somebody else released.''And sometimes I listen and think, fair enough, can hear that. Other times I think, are you having a f**king laugh?''There are only so many notes. Only so many chords. Only so many ways of putting them together before you inevitably find yourself somewhere somebody else has been. Music has been around for a very long time. We're all going to bump into each other eventually.'Turning his attention to Olivia, Robbie said he was a huge fan of the popstar, gushing: 'I've loved her since Brutal. What a f**king record. I wish I'd made it.''Also, I cannot believe how much she swears on stage. And that's coming from me. I'm a Sweary Mary, but she's making me look like a Victorian schoolmistress.'Addressing her new song, Robbie said he could understand the comparisons to his hit Candy, writing: 'It sounds to me as though she may have accidentally stumbled across a musical echo of mine in one of her new songs.''And do you know what? I couldn't care less.''I don't know whether there's technically a publishing issue, a copyright issue, or no issue whatsoever. And I don't want to know. I'm not going after her. Because I think at some point, some f**king sanity has to prevail.' The Take That star has now posted a lengthy statement on social media, admitting that whilst he can hear the similarities between the two songs he won't be taking any action against Olivia'Now, I appreciate I'm in a position in my career where I can afford to take that view. Not everybody is. And genuine theft is genuine theft. Artists deserve to be protected.''But there's a difference between protecting your work and treating every vaguely familiar sequence of notes as a winning lottery ticket,' he noted. 'Some of this stuff has become ambulance chasing. And I think it's disgusting.''We all stand on the shoulders of people who came before us. Sometimes consciously. Sometimes without even knowing it. That's how music works.' 'If we keep punishing people for accidentally arriving somewhere somebody else has already been, eventually we're going to frighten the creativity out of everyone.'Robbie ended his statement by telling Olivia 'if you're reading this, I think you're f**king brilliant. But please stop swearing so much. It makes me feel like I have to keep up. And frankly, I'm already swearing far more than is necessary. Lots of love and Happy Christmas.'Olivia's Christmas song was written by the popstar last summer with her longtime collaborator Dan Nigro, and Amy Allen, who has previously contributed to songs by Harry Styles and Sabrina Carpenter.She stars in the music video, which has already gained four million views, alongside Sex and The City's Cynthia Nixon and SNL star Ben Marshall.Aside from Robbie's song, the track was actually heavily inspired by The Waitresses' 1981 holiday hit Christmas Wrapping.It's been revealed that Olivia personally wrote to The Waitresses' founder and songwriter, Chris Butler, and shared the song with him.Butler posted a message on Facebook confirming Olivia had contacted him to seek permission for the song, which he happily granted.'About two months ago, I received a weird email from someone claiming to be "Olivia Rodrigo"' Butler said. 'Said she'd written a Christmas song, and invited me to hear it'.Admitting he'd never heard of the popstar before, Butler said he assumed the email was a fake but after researching Olivia he soon became a fan.Butler posted his reply to Olivia in which he told her: 'If you really are you, thanks for contacting me. And your comments are really sweet, and very flattering.''If you really are Olivia Rodrigo: I like you, I like your music. I like the arrangements especially. Soft-loud-soft, etc. And that your recordings sound like people are playing on them.He continued: 'I like that your lyrics are intense, real, and poetic. I like that you 'got' my songwriting, and that you like our band.'Butler told his followers: 'Her song was/is great. It's going to be a smash, maybe even that elusive Christmas number one contest they have every year in the UK.'This isn't the first time Olivia has been accused of copying other songs as previously her track Good 4 You was compared to Paramore's Misery Business and Olivia's Deja Vu to Taylor Swift's Cruel Summer. In 2021, Taylor Swift was notably added to the credits of Olivia's song Deja Vu after fans noticed the chords resembled ones from the Taylor track Cruel Summer.Afterwards, rumours began to arise that the duo had become embroiled in a feud with one another.When asked about the alleged drama by Rolling Stone, Olivia said: 'I don't have beef with anyone. I'm very chill. I keep to myself.'I have my four friends and my mom, and that's really the only people I talk to, ever. There's nothing to say.'She also said she wasn't all that 'involved' in the songwriting credit matter: 'It's not something that I was super involved in. It was more team-on-team. So, I wouldn't be the best person to ask.'