Robbie Williams has been confirmed to headline Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The English singer, 50, will fly to Australia in a matter of days to ring in 2025 in epic style with a performance in front of the Sydney Opera House.
He was said to have gone through weeks of secret negotiations before being officially hired to be the face of Australia’s New Year’s Eve festivities.
Robbie described the concert as the “perfect” way to end the year after his new biopic, Better Man, was filmed in Melbourne with the help of Australian director Michael Gracey.
In an ABC statement confirming his performance, Robbie gushed: “I love and adore Australia, and the Sydney fireworks are truly magical.
“Celebrating the New Year in the country where my biopic, Better Man, was filmed, will be the perfect end to 2024 and the ideal start to 2025.
Robbie Williams (pictured) has been confirmed to headline Sydney’s New Year’s Eve celebrations.
“I can’t wait to perform and celebrate with my amazing Australian fans.”
Their performance will be broadcast live on ABC and ABC iview on December 31, with the night of celebrations starting at 8.30pm.
The New Year’s Eve spectacle will be presented by Charlie Pickering, Zan Rowe and Concetta Caristo before the epic Sydney Harbor Bridge fireworks go off in 2025.
The former Take That star has reconnected with his love of Australia recently after filming his upcoming biopic Better Man in Melbourne.
He said he was “gutted” not to have been able to attend the premiere of his biopic, which is scheduled for release on Boxing Day.
Robbie hopes to return to Australia once again to attend the AACTA Awards, where his satirical musical biopic earned 16 nominations.
In the biopic, Robbie chronicles a fictional version of his life, tracing his epic journey to stardom from boy band heartthrob to stadium rocker.
Although Robbie rose to fame in the United Kingdom, the film was filmed in Melbourne and iconic locations such as London’s Royal Albert Hall were recreated in the Australian city.
The English singer, 50, will fly to Australia in a matter of days to welcome 2025 in style with a performance in front of the Sydney Opera House.
The Docklands studio was used to fabricate the famous theater for a scene depicting a landmark moment in Robbie’s career.
Other well-known Melbourne locations used for filming included the Rod Laver Arena and the Intercontinental Melbourne hotel, the Cruden Farm in Langwarrin and the Fawkner Bowls club.
The $173 million production also used the Crown Casino, the University of Melbourne, Melbourne City Hall and Melbourne Pavilion to stage scenes.
Victorian Creative Industries Minister Colin Brooks told the Herald Sun the production of the film was a huge boost to the state’s economy.
He claimed the film was the largest production ever staged in Victoria and said it created 2,920 jobs and injected $142 million into the state’s economy.
Directed by Australian filmmaker Michael Gracey, who directed the box office hit The Greatest Showman, Better Man has been billed as a musical fantasy.
And in a very unusual move, Robbie appears in the film as a monkey using CGI.
Motion capture techniques were used to transform actor Jonno Davies, 31, into a realistic humanoid “ape” creation.
Robbie described the concert as the “perfect” way to end the year after his new biopic, Better Man, was filmed in Melbourne with the help of Australian director Michael Gracey.
In the biopic, Robbie chronicles a fictional version of his life, tracing his journey to stardom from boy band heartthrob to stadium rocker, but on screen he will be played by a CGI monkey.
Other cast members include Australian actors Kate Mulvany (The Great Gatsby), Damon Herriman (Mr InBetween) and Anthony Hayes.
The filmmakers have been careful to avoid comparisons to recent music biopics like Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and Elton John’s Rocketman.
In an official statement, the production said the film was “a satirical musical based on the life of a pop star.”
The biopic features “reimaginings” of Robbie’s hit songs and stunning visuals to explore the “inner demons” the superstar has had to battle over the years.
Robbie rose to fame in the boy band Take That, before launching a successful solo career in 1996.
In 2006, Robbie entered the Guinness Book of World Records after selling 1.6 million concert tickets in a single day.