Pharrell Williams-singer, songwriter, producer
Pharrell Williams, known to most simply as Pharrell was born in Virginia Beach, Virginia on April 5, 1973. He was born to parents Pharaoh and Carolyn Williams with two younger brothers.
As Williams was growing up, he knew that he was not the average kid. He started performing at a young age and eventually him and friend, Chad Hugo paired up to start performing and producing together. They came to be known as The Neptunes.
The music Pharrell makes and produces falls under the genres of hip-hop, funk, r&b, and pop.
The Neptunes acquired major success, as they produced music for artists such as Jay-Z, Brittney Spears, Usher, Justin Timberlake, and many more.
The Neptunes received 18 nominations from the Billboard, Hip-Hop, and Grammy awards, and won a total of 6. Their wins include Producer of the Year, Producer of the Decade, and Best Rap Song.
In 2006, Pharrell released his first solo album titled, In My Mind, and it debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200.
Tracklist:
- Can I Have It Like That (ft. Gwen Stefani)
- How Does It Feel?
- Raspy Shit
- Best friend
- You Can Do It Too (ft. Jamie Cullum)
- Keep It Playa (ft. Slim Thug)
- That Girl (ft. Snoop Dogg and Charlie Wilson)
- Angel
- Young Girl (ft. Jay-Z)
- Take It off
- Stay With Me (ft. Pusha T)
- Baby (ft. Nelly)
- Our Father
- Number One (ft. Kanye West)
- Skateboard P Presents: Show You How to Hustle (ft. Lauren)
- Swagger International
Musical Style & Influence
Pharrell has stated that he does not have any direct musical influences but he admires musicians such as Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, and David Bowie. He realized that music was an art from the 1990 A Tribe Called Quest’s album, People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm.
Because I’m Happy! 🙂
Pharrell’s hit song, Happy, took the world by storm in 2013, remaining on the Billboard Hot 100’s #1 spot for ten weeks straight. The song was released as a single from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack. This was also the singer’s first solo #1 song. It was the best selling song of 2014 with 6.45 million copies sold.
Pharrell's Other Endeavors
i am OTHER- creative collective and record label, includes YouTube channel and clothing line.
Nigo- Pharrell partnered with this fashion brand to create the Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear.
Designing- worked with Louis Vuitton to co-design jewelry and glasses.
Non-profit organization- “From One Hand To AnOTHER” (FOHTA), educational foundation “to modernize the community center concept by empowering kids to learn through new technologies, arts, media and motivation”.
Sneakers- designed sneakers in collaboration with Adidas and Chanel
