Russian music fans are up in arms over his comeback single, Party Like a Russian, with many describing the accompanying video as "racist" which offers nothing except crude stereotypes of the country.
The video for the lead single from his new album, Heavy Entertainment Show, was released last week but it has gone down like a lead balloon with viewers in Russia with one tabloid suggesting that Williams would never be able to perform in the country again.
Over a sample of Dance Of The Knights from Sergey Prokofiev's Romeo and Julliet (familiar to fans of The Apprentice UK) Williams sings about drink, drugs and Russian dolls while in the video ballerinas merrily dance around around him.
He also makes oblique references to a leader who “alleviates the cash from a whole entire nation, takes loose change and builds his own space station,” and adds: “Ain’t no refutin’ or disputin’ - I’m a modern Rasputin”.
However he recently took to Twitter to rubbish reports that the lyrics were in reference to Russian president Vladimir Putin and even claimed that they had been toned down to avoid causing offence.
I love you Dan but this song is definitely not about Mr Putin xhttps://t.co/ViIACar1Z4
— Robbie Williams (@robbiewilliams) September 30, 2016
However his statement hasn't stopped the video becoming a trending topic on Russian news sites and social media.
Russian tabloid newspaper Life published claimed that Williams would never again be invited to perform in the country, with one observer claiming that the video is “s*** because it imparts the puny, vulgar Russian elite, which has nothing to do with aesthetics, beauty or romanticism.”
Meawhile state TV channel Vesti claimed the Russian theme was all that was capable of saving Robbie whose popularity “in recent years was becoming a memory rather than a reality.” Other fans were equally as scathing.
Disgusting work. Yuck. Is Robbie Williams stupid as...or what https://t.co/r7G7CfHtAS
— Chronicles of Russia (@ChronicleRussia) September 30, 2016
Just heard the new Robbie Williams song Russian where he tries the accent... Isn't that racist?
— Martin Quibell (@martinquibell) October 3, 2016
However despite all the publicity, the single has failed to make an impact on the charts and has limped into number 53 on the midweek charts in the UK.
