Robbie Williams breaks UK chart record with Britpop

British pop singer Robbie Williams has become the artist with the most number-one albums in UK music charts, surpassing the legendary band The Beatles thanks to the success of his new album "Britpop", the Official Charts Company announced on Friday, according to AFP.

"He’s the one!" the Official Charts Company declared, referencing the famous song "She’s the One" by Williams’ former band, Take That.

Since the success of his debut solo album "Life Thru a Lens", released in 1997, Robbie Williams has achieved 16 number-one albums in the UK, where he has sold around 20 million albums, CE Report quotes AGERPRES.

His latest album, "Britpop", was released on January 16 and was described by Williams as the album he wanted to write and release after leaving Take That in 1995.

It is his first studio album since 2019, from a singer known for hits that alternate between energetic pop-rock anthems and romantic ballads.

"Congratulations, Robbie!" said Martin Talbot, chief executive of the Official Charts Company.

"Not even the confident 16-year-old from Stoke-on-Trent could ever have believed this was possible when he joined Take That in 1990. And yet here he is, on top of the world — the biggest-selling artist in UK chart history!" Talbot added.

In this ranking, Robbie Williams now stands ahead of The Beatles (15 number-one albums), The Rolling Stones (14), Taylor Swift (14), and Elvis Presley (13).

Of his 16 chart-topping albums, three are compilation albums, and one — "Better Man", released in 2025 — is the soundtrack to the biographical film of the same name, in which Williams is portrayed by a CGI chimpanzee.

Only one of his studio albums failed to reach number one: "Reality Killed the Video Star", released in 2009, which peaked at number two.

Over his 35-year career, Robbie Williams has sold more than 80 million albums worldwide.