Robbie Williams has defended singer Olivia Rodrigo over claims that her new Christmas song borrows from one of his own hits.
The pop star, who is performing at Lancashire's Lytham Festival next year, responded after fans noted similarities between Rodrigo’s new Christmas track Take Me Home (4 Christmas) and his 2012 UK number one single Candy.
Writing on Instagram, Robbie said: "There's something about the music industry that's been bothering me for a while.
"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.
"Most of it, I think, is complete b*****ks."
He said: "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, I can hear that.
"Other times I think, are you having a f****** laugh?"
Addressing the Rodrigo controversy directly, Mr Williams said he isn’t pursuing the matter.
He said: "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****** sanity has to prevail."
Robbie acknowledged his position in the industry gives him the freedom to take this view, but emphasised that not every artist is so fortunate.
He said: "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.
"Some of this stuff has become ambulance chasing. And I think it's disgusting."
He also commented on the nature of musical inspiration and how artists often build on what has come before.
He said: "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.
"Anyway, Olivia, if you're reading this, I think you're f****** brilliant."
Take Me Home (4 Christmas) is Rodrigo’s first Christmas song, released on November 5.
The Waitresses musician Christopher Butler revealed that Rodrigo contacted him after being inspired by the band’s 1981 song Christmas Wrapping.
The track shares a similar beat and vocal style with the 1980s original and is accompanied by a music video featuring Sex And The City star Cynthia Nixon and US comedian Ben Marshall.
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