The singer who provided the vocals for Robbie Williams in the musical biopic Better Man described the experience as “the weirdest claim to fame.”
Musician Adam Tucker, from King’s Lynn, Norfolk, had often been told by friends that he sounded like the Stoke-on-Trent pop star. So, he sent recordings to the film’s producers, who were searching for a vocal match. Between January 3 and January 9, the film’s soundtrack topped the Official Album Downloads Chart—a surreal milestone for Tucker.
“It’s crazy,” he said. “I see people like Pink, Hugh Jackman, and Zac Efron posting about the film, and I think, ‘They’ve just listened to me sing for two and a half hours, and they have no idea.’ But I guess that means I did my job right.”
Tucker added, “As a musician, I’ve spent years trying to write songs that get noticed. To finally make it onto the charts in any way is amazing. Millions of people have heard me sing, but only a small percentage know it’s actually me.”
A Unique Collaboration
Actor Jonno Davies, from Milton Keynes, provided the speaking voice and motion capture for Robbie Williams in the movie, where the star is represented as a CGI chimpanzee. While Williams recorded some of the songs for the film, Tucker estimated that about 90% of the music heard in the movie was his voice.
Filmmakers needed new renditions of Williams’ iconic hits to match the energy of the musical scenes, while still capturing the essence of the singer’s youth. Tucker spent an estimated 200 hours re-recording tracks between May 2023 and August 2024.
During the sessions, cameras were focused on Tucker’s mouth so that New Zealand’s Wētā FX could sync the chimpanzee’s mouth movements to his singing.
A New Appreciation for Robbie Williams
The experience gave Tucker a newfound respect for Williams’ vocal abilities. “Some parts of the songs pushed my voice to the brink,” he said. “He must’ve been 16 when he recorded some of this stuff. His songs are really high, and he still sings them in the original keys. He doesn’t get enough credit for that.”
Another challenge was replicating Williams’ accent. “Robbie’s not from Norfolk,” Tucker joked. “But I have family from Stoke, so I’m familiar with the accent. We spent hours on those little tweaks.”
Memorable Performances
Tucker’s favorite songs to perform were My Way and She’s the One, as they were pivotal emotional moments in the film. The latter was performed as a duet with All Saints’ singer Nicole Appleton—though her character’s singing voice was provided by West End performer Kayleigh McKnight from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire.
“It blows my mind that people all over the world are hearing my voice in this film,” McKnight said. “I was sitting in the cinema, watching it, and no one knew it was me. It felt a bit like The Masked Singer. I’ve always dreamed of a number one on the download chart, and now I’ve got one—just not in the way I expected.”
Behind the Scenes
McKnight’s involvement came through a friend who encouraged her to audition. After recording herself singing She’s the One at home, she was soon invited to a studio. Unlike Tucker, her recording process only took two days, as filming had already wrapped.
“They didn’t ask me to mimic Nicole from All Saints,” McKnight explained. “This version of She’s the One was so different from their original style.”
Fans have since reached out to praise her performance as emotional and moving. Laughing, she said, “Robbie, if you need a singer for She’s the One on tour, I’m available.”
Tucker echoed the sentiment, ready for a similar opportunity.
