British pop star Robbie Williams is following in his mother's footsteps by dabbling in the occult in a bid to "demystify" his dark side.

The ANGELS singer suffered a ghoulish childhood as his family were obsessed with all things spooky, and he is convinced he's now a natural at black magic.

He says, "My mum and family were into the supernatural, myths and legends - the stuff that makes our journey through life more interesting.

"Because of that I got very scared as a kid, and being scared of things that go bump in the night stayed with me for a very long time.

"In my teens and early twenties, I couldn't stay in my bedroom alone because I was scared of what was on the other side of the door - like the kid from The Sixth Sense.

"Because of that I wanted to tackle my deepest fears regarding that stuff. And the way to demystify it for me was to try black magic."