Global superstar and co-owner of LMA, Robbie Williams told students to “believe you’re a lion” in a special Q&A session as it launches two brand new state-of-the-art campuses in Liverpool and London.

Robbie hosted an online invite-only masterclass with more than 800 students, offering his words of wisdom and advice for succeeding in their chosen industry.

The event, which took place this week, comes as LMA opens its doors at two new campuses – Metquarter Liverpool and Here East, London – giving students access to state-of-the-art facilities and tutors who are world leaders in their industry.

Students studying musical theatre; dance; acting; film & TV production; games design; and musical performance, all logged on to the virtual session to tap into Robbie’s expertise, knowledge and career that spans three decades.

Speaking directly to students, he said: “Every one of you needs to know we are lions and we are braver than any fear. Fear thinks that it’s bigger than you but, you need to show you’re not scared of it every time and that you’re bigger and stronger than any fear can ever be. Think bigger than you ever have and then think bigger again. Without fear, you have no boundaries.”

He added: “Remember, this is your passion. It’s not something that you chose, it chose you, so you have to battle through the adversity and be prepared to work for it.”

And, during the session, Robbie also picked up ideas from the students, with one asking whether he ever wrote a song with the visuals in mind first and the star saying: “It’s never something I’ve done, but maybe that’s an idea and I could think about the what the video would look like when writing.”

Hayley Smitton, Year 3 BA Acting student said: “Robbie’s words really hit home – he was so honest and inspiring. I’ll always remember to be bigger than the fear.”

With what has been a challenging time for all students across the country, the opportunity to speak to Robbie had an amazing reaction on LMA’s social channels with thousands of images shared and posted by students.

Located at Here East on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, LMA’s 35,000 sq ft London campus is its first site outside of its home city of Liverpool, offering degree courses across 14 subjects, including music; musical theatre; dance; acting; and film and TV production.

The campus includes production suites, edit suites, rehearsal rooms, classrooms and performance spaces including one of London’s biggest dance studios. With neighbours such as BT Sport and Wayne McGregor, Here East is a creative hotspot in the capital.

The new Liverpool campus at the Metquarter has seen 50,000 sqft of retail space transformed into dance studios, production suites, edit suites, rehearsal rooms, classrooms and performance spaces in an 8-month building project that was the first of its kind in the UK.

During the call, Robbie – who has duetted with some of the biggest names in the world of music including Kylie Minogue, Nicole Kidman and Michael Bublé – also revealed he’d love to collaborate with country music icon Dolly Parton.

Talking about his top tips for success, Robbie said: “First and foremost, have manners – say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’, make sure you’re on time and be kind to one another.”

Of the recent challenges facing creative industries, Robbie said: “We all have to just keep going, what else can we do? This is just another obstacle in your way. This is just one of a thousand obstacles you’ll have to overcome in your careers, so we just have to keep moving forward.”

Gavin Poole, CEO of Here East, said: “There is huge value in academic institutions such as LMA sitting alongside world-class entrepreneurs, creatives and other academics to collaborate and share ideas, knowledge and expertise.

“We have been thrilled to welcome students from LMA into our community. LMA choosing Here East as its London home has also further established the campus as one of the most exciting creative hubs in the city.”