"Album Icon" Honors Go to Robbie Williams at National Album Day — First-Ever Red & Blue Vinyl Edition Confirmed for Classic LP

An album released decades ago, home to "Rock DJ" and "Kids," is only now getting its first ever colour vinyl pressing — and that's how National Album Day 2026 is choosing to honour Robbie Williams. Organisers announced today (Tuesday, October 6) that he's been named this year's "Album Icon," with Universal Music Recordings and Island Records confirming simultaneously that his third studio album, "Sing When You're Winning," will be repressed as a limited-edition red and blue 2LP.

National Album Day is run jointly by the BPI (the British Phonographic Industry, which also organises the BRIT Awards and the Mercury Prize) and ERA (the Entertainment Retailers Association, which runs Record Store Day), in partnership with BBC Radio 2. 2026 marks the ninth edition of the event since it launched in 2018, with this year's theme set as "Icons."

The numbers behind 900,000 sales and 18 BRITs

Robbie Williams's case for the honour is written in hard numbers: over 90 million albums sold worldwide, with six of his albums ranking among the UK's 100 best-selling albums of all time, plus 16 chart-topping albums. He also holds 18 BRIT Awards, making him the most-awarded artist in the ceremony's history, along with 5 Ivor Novello Awards. Most recently, as a FIFA music ambassador, he performed "Desire" alongside Laura Pausini and Nicole Scherzinger at the FIFA World Cup 26 final. He's served as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2000 and is co-founder of Soccer Aid, the charity match series that has raised over £137 million worldwide to date.

A National Album Day spokesperson said: "We're absolutely delighted and honoured that Robbie agreed to our invitation to champion the album format and support National Album Day — this year's theme is all about celebrating iconic artists and their albums. He's undoubtedly a musical icon, and his voice adds real weight to the case for the album as an art form."

Robbie Williams himself said: "Ask any musician, albums still matter... that's why I'm happy to be part of this year's National Album Day, celebrating the art form of albums and just how important they are... and speaking of albums — they're reissuing one of mine that you might recognise, 'Sing When You're Winning.'"

First-ever colour vinyl, featuring "Rock DJ" and "Kids"

This reissue marks the first time "Sing When You're Winning" has ever been pressed on coloured vinyl, with the limited edition arriving as a red and blue 2LP. The album features singles including "Rock DJ" and "Kids," his duet with Kylie Minogue, and is now available for pre-order.

Robbie Williams is the latest "Album Icon" to be announced this year, joining previously confirmed honourees including BRIT Award winner PinkPantheress, Oscar-nominated composer Max Richter CBE, and former Spice Girl Melanie C. Past Album Champions have included Wolf Alice, Iron Maiden, Nova Twins, Travis, Kylie Minogue, Elbow and Lewis Capaldi, with the event featuring listening parties, live performances, and in-store events at record shops.

On the touring front, Robbie Williams is set to headline the UK's Lytham Festival, perform two stadium-scale shows in Ireland, and take the stage at the British Grand Prix in July. The dates fall right after Glastonbury 2027, fuelling speculation over whether he might make an appearance at Worthy Farm. Back in 2023, speaking about Glastonbury's Legends Slot, he said: "A lot of people have a slightly skewed perception of me. But if they actually saw me perform live, I'd completely change their minds."

His latest album "Britpop," released this January, saw him break The Beatles' record for the most UK number one albums, making him the most chart-topping artist in British history. He previously admitted that surpassing The Beatles was "the thing I want most in my career right now."