Robbie in pester power plea to crack US

Robbie Williams begged Americans to support him today as he faced his toughest test yet in his bid to crack the lucrative US market.

The former Take That star asked 15,000 fans at a New York concert to phone local radio stations to urge them to play his latest single.

“Even if you don’t like it, can you ask for it?” he pleaded with the crowd.

The singer received a muted reception as he took to the stage as one of several support acts for record-breaking Grammy Award winner Norah Jones at the open-air event in downtown Manhattan.

The free concert was part of Robert De Niro’s Tribeca film festival and will be broadcast on MTV in the US.

The singer repeatedly told the crowd – some of whom admitted before the show they had never heard of him – “my name is Robbie Williams”.

By the end of a raunchy 30-minute set he had at least a few girls in the audience chanting his name.

The 29-year-old singer also joked about his previous failures to succeed in America as he performed his single Angels.

“This song was released here a few years ago and guess what? It wasn’t a hit,” he said.

“But I’m not bitter. It made me a star everywhere in the world but here.”

Williams has sold 28 million albums across the globe during his solo career, but remains a relative unknown in the US.

Bosses at struggling record company EMI have put their hopes of a revival on turning the performer into a household name in America.

They offered him a the most lucrative record deal in UK pop history last year, worth at least £50m (€70m).

Despite the investment Williams has failed to make an impact on the US Billboard charts.

The singer flopped at a high-profile pre-Grammy Awards performance in New York in February when he failed to rouse the crowd.

Last week he admitted he was “bothered” by his lack of success in the US.

He said: “North America seems to be on everyone’s lips because it’s the only thing I haven’t done yet.”