Take That

Formed in Manchester in 1990, Take That initially made their mark with a pop sound strongly influenced by dance-pop, new jack swing and soul ballads, before broadening their songwriting toward a more adult pop-rock style and, at times, electropop hues. The original era brought together Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, Howard Donald, Jason Orange and Robbie Williams, with Gary Barlow at the center of composition. This phase includes the albums Take That & Party (1992), Everything Changes (1993) and Nobody Else (1995), followed by Robbie Williams’s departure and the group’s split in 1996. Take That’s mid-2000s comeback began as a quartet, with Beautiful World (2006) and The Circus (2008), in a bigger sound designed for large stages and arena and stadium tours in the UK and across Europe. Robbie Williams later rejoined Take That for Progress (2010), the sole studio album of the original line-up’s reunion. Since Jason Orange left in 2014, Take That have continued as a trio—Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald—releasing III (2014), Wonderland (2017) and This Life (2023). Over the decades, Take That have alternated between a repertoire of ballads, upbeat pop singles and occasional collaborations, while maintaining an identity centered on melodic songwriting and collective vocal work.