Lovingly referred to as ‘Rob’, Robert Pattinson is a popular English actor, singer, and songwriter. His acting career began in 2007, with high-profile roles in the films Twilight and Snow White and the Huntsman. He has since gone on to appear in several high-profile films, including The Lost Art of Letter Writing and Dirty Life, as well as numerous television shows, including Broadchurch and The Gucci Story.
In 2017, he released his memoir, I Am, which was a New York Times bestseller, and in November 2018, he released the album, W.B.Y., which entered the UK Albums Chart at number three and the US Billboard Top 200 at number eleven. Since then, he has been inundated with touring and album promotions, as well as a forthcoming movie, The King, based on the legendary true story of Richard the Lionheart.
Ashes To Dust
The title of Rob’s latest album, Ashes To Dust, refers to both his on-screen persona and his fascination with death. The nine-track album features a total of 14 songs, with lyrics, and it was released in June 2019.
One of the highlights is the first single, ‘I Loved You at First Sight’, a catchy and upbeat pop song that showcases his charming and expressive voice. The song was co-written by English singer-songwriter Steve Booker and Norwegian musician Jan Erik Tonnes, and it pays homage to the character Jack Whitehall from the movie Goodbye Christopher Robin, referring to the loveable protagonist’s red-balled obsession with death.
“It’s about a man who is obsessed, almost to the point of dementia, with the business of death,” says Booker of the subject matter of ‘I Loved You at First Sight’. “So much so that he neglects the people he loves. He gets so absorbed in his studies that he doesn’t even notice that his fiancée is starting to feel a little neglected.”
The singer-songwriter continues: “The character Jack is a very lonely man, who is grieving the loss of his wife and is looking for companionship, even if it’s just with a book. He’s a very learned man and is well-versed in the subject of death.”
“In many ways, it’s a love song to death,” adds singer-songwriter and guitarist Steve Vai. “And a sort of protestation of love for those who are no longer with us.”
What Is ‘Little Ashes’?
Little Ashes is a genre-bending band that formed in London in 2012. With a sound that blends blues, soul, and psychedelic rock, the band released their eponymous debut album in June 2019, followed by the Everything Reminds Me Of You in October of the same year.
The album’s first single, ‘Blue Moon’, is an ode to Kurt Cobain, with whom the band members share a nostalgic kinship. “There was a moment when we all just looked at each other and said, ‘This is it,’” recalls singer-songwriter and guitarist John Roberts, adding that the song’s subject matter is “basically about [his] favourite band getting back together and making a comeback. It’s just that the songs are about Kurt Cobain.”
According to the band’s founder and guitarist Tommy Davidson, ‘Blue Moon’ has a special meaning to them. The song was inspired by Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, who Davidson met while working on the film adaptation of Kurt & Courtney: The Kurt Cobain Documentary. Courtney had always said that if she had known when Cobain was alive that he would have liked a blue moon, she would have named him the band’s first official fan. Love still regularly sends the band members gifts and letters signed by Cobain, which Davidson shows off with pride.
A Night To Remember
Fans of the actor and musician will surely want to attend one of his shows, particularly if they are in England, as he often performs there. This summer, he will headline the annual Glorious Twelfth at the famous Victoria Park in London, on 16 June 2019, and the following night, he will play a headline show at the Alexandra Palace in Newcastle. On 6 August 2019, he will play Glasgow Green, with tickets available from £55.
An avid film and music fan, Rob has also made several documentary films about influential figures in both industries, including an upcoming documentary about the late British guitarist and composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom he met while filming An Evening With… Andrew Lloyd Webber, for which he also wrote the soundtrack. He has directed music videos for the Pet Shop Boys, Björk, and the Verve.
An Evening With…
Rob is also an accomplished guitarist and spends a lot of time performing and recording with his guitar in the hands of famous musicians, including John Legend, Stevie Nicks, and Eric Clapton. In 2018, he shared a studio with English rock band the Darkness for their album, Mechanical World, and he contributed guitar as well as backing vocals to the tracks ‘One Step Closer’ and ‘In The Shadows’.
A documentary about the legendary English guitarist and composer, Andrew Lloyd Webber, whom Rob frequently collaborates with on film and television projects, is now in production. Titled An Evening With…, the film will explore Lloyd Webber’s life and career, from his early years to his present day. Its release is scheduled for 2022.
In 2019, Lloyd Webber and Rob collaborated on the album It’s Lloyd Webber’s 50th Anniversary, which includes some of Lloyd Webber’s most famous songs, as well as original compositions by the pair. The album includes a cover of the Pet Shop Boys’ ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, with which Lloyd Webber was initially unacquainted, and was not pleased to discover that the song had been a number one hit decades earlier. “It was a great pleasure to work with him, and I think our working relationship is going to be very interesting to watch,” said Lloyd Webber, who added that their collaborations are “always a learning curve.”
A Brief Life
Aside from his musical and acting careers, Rob has also dabbled in television writing, with several of his songs appearing on TV shows and in films. In addition to the Andrew Lloyd Webber documentary, he wrote the pilots for the US TV shows The Handmaid’s Tale and The First. He also wrote the songs for the 2019 film A Quick Flick, which he co-produced. A Quick Flick is an upcoming crime-drama film directed by Joe Gilgun and features an ensemble cast, including Alice Eve, Dominic Cooper, and Tom Sturridge. Set in contemporary London, the film tells the story of four friends who conspire to rob a drug dealer, hiding the money in a blocked pipe which one of them then tries to unblock, leading to a fatal explosion. The title of the film is a take on the old Monty Python sketch, ‘A Quick Peek In The Dictionary’, in which the friends look up the word ‘flick’.
According to the artist, musician, and producer, John Leckie, who works with him on several of his film projects, Rob’s natural curiosity and enthusiasm are crucial to their creative process. “It’s funny because when we talk about a song, he’ll have ideas for melodies and lyrics,” says Leckie. “But the interesting thing is that, as a director, I won’t have ideas about the song. He’ll come in with a structure and a draft as a very starting point, and then we work together to shape it and bring it to life.”
In terms of his personal life, Rob, who was born in London, is now based there. He has a brother, Luke, and a sister, Sophia, who is an artist and designer. He is a frequent user of social media, regularly posting about his travels, his love of fashion, and his films. He has also spoken publicly about his longtime sobriety and advocacy for recovery.
In June 2022, it was announced that Rob had secretly married the singer Emily Warren-Wright, with whom he has a two-year-old daughter, Lily. The ceremony took place at St. Barnabas’ Church in West London and was officiated by a member of the clergy. The couple’s first daughter, Genevieve, was born in January 2024.