PHARRELL WILLIAMS Happy #DJ TAREK FROM PARIS VERSION.
Podcast: http://www.djpod.fr/djtarek/pharrell-williams-happy-dj-tarek-version
http://vimeo.com/88233551
Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973), also known simply as
Pharrell, is an American
singer-songwriter,
rapper,
record producer, drummer and
fashion designer. Williams and
Chad Hugo make up the record production duo
The Neptunes, producing
soul,
hip hop and
R&B music. He is also the lead vocalist and drummer of rock, funk, and hip hop band
N.E.R.D, which he formed with Hugo and childhood friend
Shay Haley. He released his first single "
Frontin'" in 2003 and followed up with his debut solo album
In My Mind in 2006.
[1] His second album,
G I R L was released on March 3, 2014.
[2][3]
As part of The Neptunes, Williams has produced numerous hit singles for
various recording artists.
[4] Williams has earned seven
Grammy Awards
including two with The Neptunes. He currently owns a media venture that
encompasses entertainment, music, fashion, and art called
i am OTHER. He is also the co-founder of the clothing brands
Billionaire Boys Club and
Ice Cream.
1992–1997: Career beginnings
Through working with Riley, Williams went on to write a verse and help produce for
Wreckx-N-Effect's 1992 hit "
Rump Shaker".
[13] That same year, he also performed a small rap solo on
SWV's
second hit, "Right Here (UK Remix)". In 1994, Hugo and Williams had
established themselves as a production duo under their old name "The
Neptunes", and produced "Tonight's The Night" from
Blackstreet's
self-titled album.
Over the next three years they continued to produce occasionally, and
some of the results had little resemblance to the Neptunes sound later.
However, some like
Mase's 1997 song "Lookin' at Me" from his album
Harlem World, and the most definite beginning of the distinctive "Neptunes sound", came with
N.O.R.E's "Superthug" in 1998, reaching number 36 on the
Billboard Hot 100, and gaining them widespread attention for the first time. In 1999, a mutual friend introduced Pharrell to
Kelis, and their resulting collaboration produced her first album
Kaleidoscope.
1998–2004: The Neptunes
Pharrell Williams in
Berlin, March 2005
At this point The Neptunes were gaining a wide fanbase and audience. In 2001, The Neptunes produced
Britney Spears' single, "
I'm a Slave 4 U" gaining their first worldwide number one.
[14] The same year, N.E.R.D, consisting of Williams, Hugo and Haley, released their first album,
In Search of...,
in Europe, where the first Kelis album was better received. The album
sounded very much like their previous production work; the group decided
that they should make their work as N.E.R.D sound different, and
re-recorded the album with the
rock band
Spymob. Williams and Hugo met rap duo
Clipse in
Virginia Beach in 1993, where they were signed to
Arista Records through Williams'
Star Trak Entertainment imprint.
[15][16]
Then in 2002 their re-produced album was released worldwide, and The
Neptunes reached number one in the U.S. with Nelly's single, "
Hot in Herre". In August of the same year, The Neptunes were named "Producers of the Year" at both
The Source Awards and the
Billboard Music Awards. Clipse released their commercial debut album
Lord Willin' in August 2002. The album started at number one on the
Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart and number four on the
Billboard 200, fueled by its first two singles, "
Grindin'" and "
When the Last Time", which peaked at number 34 and number 19 respectively on the
Billboard Hot 100.
The Neptunes released a self-credited album called
The Neptunes Present... Clones in 2003, with songs and remixes from various artists. This topped the
U.S. Billboard 200 Albums Chart. The Neptunes and Williams specifically were also kept in public eye largely due to ties with
Jay-Z, producing several hit singles for him and two tracks on his
The Black Album. The track "Frontin'" was a big hit (the 34th biggest of 2003 according to
Billboard).
A survey in August 2003 found the Neptunes produced almost 20 percent
of songs played on British radio at the time, a survey in the US had
them at 43 percent.
[8] The same year, The Neptunes remixed the
Daft Punk song
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger for the duo's poorly received remix album
Daft Club. The track also had a brief rap section performed by Williams.
[17]
N.E.R.D's second
funk rock-oriented album,
Fly or Die, released in March 2004. Williams' rock credentials were further bolstered by his appearance at the
2004 Grammy Awards, performing
The Beatles' "
I Saw Her Standing There" on drums with
Sting,
Dave Matthews, and
Vince Gill. Williams received two Grammy Awards that night, one for
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, and another for
Best Pop Vocal Album for his work on
Justin Timberlake's hit album
Justified. They also gained their first UK number one, again with Nelly, and
Flap Your Wings.
In September 2004, Williams was featured on the
Snoop Dogg single "
Drop It Like It's Hot." The song would eventually peak at number one on the
Billboard Hot 100
two months later, marking Williams' first number one single in the
United States. The song was named "Rap Song of the Decade" by
Billboard in
2009.
2005–2009: First album and collaborations
On September 9, 2005, Williams performed the opening single from his first solo album
In My Mind, "
Can I Have It Like That", featuring
Gwen Stefani.
The single did poorly in the US, reaching only number 48. It fared
better in the UK, reaching number three. Between then and the July 25,
2006 release of "In My Mind", he released "
Angel" (in Europe only), and later "
Number One" with
Kanye West. Several songs leaked to the internet before the album release, most notably "Mamacita" featuring
Daddy Yankee, which was subsequently cut from the final version. "That Girl" featuring
Snoop Dogg was the final single.
In 2006, Williams produced
Clipse's second album
Hell Hath No Fury. Most critics labeled the album Williams's best production in years, and put the duo back in the charts.
[19] A year later, Williams collaborated with
Madonna, on the song "Hey You", which was available for download on the
MSN website. 25 cents for each of the first one million downloads was donated to the
Alliance for Climate Protection, in support of Live Earth.
[20] Later that year, Williams performed songs at the
Concert for Diana on July 1, 2007. On July 7, he performed at the
Brazilian leg of
Live Earth in
Rio de Janeiro.
A remix album of Pharrell's solo debut, In My Mind, titled
Out of My Mind, was recorded with his newly formed band "The Yessirs" featuring
Questlove of
The Roots
and was produced by Questlove and keyboardist James Poyser. However,
Williams' record label Interscope Records did not think that the album
would sell well and subsequently was shelved.
[21]
The album has built up a strong fanbase asking for its release. The
tracks started appearing on ?uestlove's MySpace, and with every 10,000
plays, a new song was made available. As of July 4, 2007, the full CD
has leaked onto the internet along with two songs not featured on 'In My
Mind'; a remix of "Mamacita" and "Creamsickle".
He also produced
Beyoncé's version of "
Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend". He then wrote and produced "Why Should I Be Sad" on
Britney Spears' fifth studio album,
Blackout. He also produced two songs from
The Hives album,
The Black and White Album, titled "Well All Right!" and "T.H.E.H.I.V.E.S.".
In April 2008,
Madonna released her eleventh album,
Hard Candy,
which featured vocals from Williams and production from The Neptunes on
several tracks. In June, an article in NME revealed that Williams was
very interested in producing
The Strokes' fourth album.
[22] Later that year, Williams worked on a remix album for
Maroon 5's
Call & Response.
Williams continued working with a variety of artists, including
Shakira on the songs '
Did It Again', 'Why Wait', 'Good Stuff' and 'Long Time' for her sixth studio album,
She Wolf.
[24] In September 2009, Williams was credited as a co-writer and producer of the song "
Fresh Out the Oven" for
Jennifer Lopez.
[25] It was released as a
buzz single from Lopez's seventh studio album
Love? The following month, Williams made a guest appearance on
French indie/
electronic rapper
Uffie's first album, which arrived in early 2010.
[26] In late 2009, Williams worked with the rapper
Game on his fourth studio album,
The R.E.D. Album.
2010–2012: Despicable Me, Nothing and other collaborations
In July 2010, Williams composed the soundtrack to the movie
Despicable Me, produced by
Hans Zimmer and recorded with the
Hollywood Studio Symphony.
[27] In October 2010, Williams and his group
N.E.R.D supported
Gorillaz on their
Escape to Plastic Beach World Tour. On the tour,
Damon Albarn recorded a song with Williams but this was not featured on Gorillaz's album,
The Fall, but it may appear on a future album.
[17] The following month, N.E.R.D released their fourth studio album
Nothing through Pharrell's label
Star Trak. In late 2011, Williams worked on three tracks for
Mike Posner's second album
Sky High.
[28]
In 2011, Williams collaborated with singer/composer
Adam Lambert, co-writing two tracks for Lambert's album
Trespassing, which was released in May 2012, including the title track and "Kickin' In".
In 2012, it was announced on
Lupe Fiasco's website that he and Lupe will work on a collaborative album and work on
Waka Flocka Flame's album
Triple F Life: Friends, Fans and Family.
[citation needed]
He has also collaborated with Pittsburgh rapper
Mac Miller
on the "Pink Slime" EP. The first track, "Onaroll" was followed by
"Glow". It was produced by Pharrell, with vocals from Mac Miller.
Williams composed and produced the music for the 84th Academy Awards alongside composer
Hans Zimmer.
[29] He is also collaborating with the singer-songwriter
Miley Cyrus on her new album and composed the new intro music for
Chelsea Lately in 2012. He later contributed four tracks to
The Game's
California Republic mixtape called "When My Niggas Come Home" and "It Must be Tough"; produced two tracks on
Usher's 2012 seventh studio album,
Looking 4 Myself, titled "Twisted" and "Hot Thing";
[30] collaborated with
Mika on his new track "Celebrate"; co-produced the tracks "Sweet Life" and "Golden Girl" from Frank Ocean's debut album
Channel Orange; and is working with
Solange Knowles on her third studio album.
2013–Present: G I R L and collaborations
Pharrell featured on
Daft Punk's fourth studio album
Random Access Memories on songs "
Get Lucky" and "
Lose Yourself to Dance". In addition, Williams contributed to
Azealia Banks' debut studio album
Broke with Expensive Taste, featuring on the song "ATM Jam."
[31]
Williams penned three new original songs, included alongside composer Heitor Pereira's score, for the sequel
Despicable Me 2. These were "Just a Cloud Away", "
Happy", and "Scream" (featuring
Cee Lo Green). His two original songs from the first film were also reprised on the soundtrack - "Despicable Me" and "Fun, Fun, Fun".
[32]
He also participated in the drummer sessions of the soundtrack of
Man of Steel by Hans Zimmer.
[33]
In March 2013, Pharrell appeared alongside
T.I. on
Robin Thicke's hit single "
Blurred Lines". The song has been a worldwide hit, has peaked at number one on the
Billboard
Hot 100, and has also reached number one in 13 more countries including
the United Kingdom and Germany, making it Pharrell's third
Billboard Hot 100 number one single.
[34][35][36]
On June 29, 2013, Pharrell became the 12th artist in the chart's
history to simultaneously hold the number one and two positions with
"Blurred Lines" and "Get Lucky", respectively.
[37]
By July 2013 there had only been 137 singles in UK chart history to
have sold 1 million copies in the UK; that month Pharrell scored two
million-sellers with "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines".
[38]
In August 2013,
Busta Rhymes talked about an unreleased "documentary album" by Pharrell where he talks about "inner-city strife and hardship".
[39]
In November 2013, Pharrell released the
first 24-hour music video to his
Despicable Me 2 collaboration song, "
Happy". Guest appearances included
Magic Johnson,
Steve Carrell,
Jimmy Kimmel,
Jamie Foxx,
Steve Martin,
Odd Future,
Miranda Cosgrove,
Janelle Monáe, and many others.
[40] It has received approximately 5.5 million views as of Christmas Day, 2013.
[41]
It was announced in December 2013 that Williams had been nominated for seven Grammy Awards, including Producer of the Year.
[42] In the same month, a press release from
Columbia Records announced that Pharrell had signed a contract with the label and is releasing an album in 2014, featuring the single "
Happy" from the
Despicable Me 2 soundtrack.
[2] For this song, Pharrell has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In February 2014
Major Lazer announced they would be releasing a five-track EP titled
Apocalypse Soon on the 25th of that month. The EP, released via
Mad Decent and
Secretly Canadian, will feature Pharrell and
Sean Paul, among others. The first single off the EP, which features Pharrell, is titled "Aerosol Can".
[43]
Pharrell contributed a verse to Future's February 2014 single "Move
That Dope", which also featured Pusha T and Casino over production from
Mike Will Made It.
[44]
On February 18, Pharrell announced via Twitter that his sophomore album,
G I R L would be released on March 3, 2014.
[45]
Musical style
Williams has stated that he does not have any direct influences,
[46] but has expressed his admiration for several musicians, including
Michael Jackson,
J Dilla,
Stevie Wonder,
Donny Hathaway,
Marvin Gaye,
Rakim and
Q-Tip.
[46][47] Williams explained that
A Tribe Called Quest's 1990 album,
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm, caused a "turning point" in his life, which "made me see that music was art".
[47]
Business ventures
Pharrell co-founded the clothing brands
Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream Footwear. He has a boutique store in New York City on West Broadway.
In 2008, Pharrell co-designed a series of jewelry ("Blason") and glasses for
Louis Vuitton.
[48]
He has also worked on furniture with Galerie Emmanuel Perrotin and a
French manufacturer, Domeau & Pérès. One of his works, a molded
plastic seat with human legs, was created because he "wanted to know
what it was like to be in love." The chair depicts a sexual scene with a
pair of female legs and male legs.
In 2009, Pharrell unveiled a collaborative sculpture with
Takashi Murakami at
Art Basel, which spoke to the metaphor of value.
[49]
In May 2011, it was announced that Williams would serve as Creative Director of
KarmaloopTV alongside founder and CEO
Greg Selkoe and former
AMC president Katie McEnroe.
[50]
On August 1, 2011, Williams launched his new
YouTube channel,
i am OTHER as part of YouTube's $100 million original channel initiative.
[51]
Williams will co-compose
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 with
Hans Zimmer,
Johnny Marr,
Michael Einziger and
David A. Stewart.
Personal life
Williams married his long-time girlfriend, model/designer Helen Lasichanh, on October 12, 2013.
[54] They have a son, Rocket Man Williams, born in November 2008.
[55] The
Despicable Me song "
Rocket's Theme" was written in honour of his son.
[56]
In 2005, Williams was voted "Best Dressed Man in the World" by
Esquire.
[57] He is a fan of the
science fiction series
Star Trek,
[58] as indicated by his consistent use of the
Vulcan salute to signify his label name,
Star Trak. He also enjoys the works of the late
astronomer and science lecturer
Carl Sagan, whom he calls "a genius".
[59] Williams is a skateboarder and has a
half-pipe inside his home.
[60]
Williams is building a $35 million afterschool center in his hometown Virginia Beach.
[61] His charity
From One Hand To Another is a foundation developed for youth between the ages of 7 and 20 in at risk communities throughout the country.
[62]
In an interview for the magazine
GQ Style (Autumn/Winter 2013), Pharrell described his religious views: "On paper I'm a Christian, but really I'm a Universalist."
