Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (/fəˈrɛl/; born April 5, 1973), sometimes known
mononymously as Pharrell, is an American record producer, rapper, singer, songwriter, and fashion designer. Alongside close colleague
Chad Hugo, he formed the
hip hop and
R&B production duo
the Neptunes in the early 1990s,[3] with whom he has
produced songs for various recording artists.[4] In 1999, he became lead vocalist of the band
N.E.R.D., which he formed with Hugo and drummer
Shay Haley. Williams has been widely referred to as one of the most influential and successful music producers of the 21st century, having had a significant impact on the sound of modern popular music.[5][6][7][8]
Pharrell Lanscilo Williams[1] was born on April 5, 1973, in
Virginia Beach, Virginia,[13][14] the eldest of the three sons of teacher Carolyn and handyman Pharoah Williams.[15][16] His ancestry goes back many generations in
Virginia and
North Carolina. One of his ancestors journeyed to
West Africa in 1831, prompting other relatives to emigrate from the U.S. to
Liberia in 1832.[17] Williams met
Chad Hugo in a seventh-grade summer band camp, where Williams played drums and Hugo played
tenor saxophone.[18] They attended
Princess Anne High School where they were in the school band.[19] Williams graduated from high school in 1991 and he attended
Northwestern University for two years before dropping out.[20]
Career
1992–2004: The Neptunes and N.E.R.D.
In the early 1990s, Williams formed a hip hop group named Surrounded by Idiots with
Chad Hugo, Magoo, and cousin
Timbaland; they disbanded before making any records.[21] He then formed a four-piece "R&B-type" group,
the Neptunes, with Hugo and friends
Shay Haley and Mike Etheridge.[22] They entered a high school talent show, where they were discovered by producer
Teddy Riley, whose studio was next to the school.[22] After graduating, the group signed with Riley.[22]
In 2002, Clipse released their debut album, Lord Willin', with produced entirely by the Neptunes.[28] That year, the Neptunes produced numerous songs on
Justin Timberlake's debut album Justified, including the singles "
Señorita", "
Like I Love You", and "
Rock Your Body".[21] In 2003, the Neptunes released a compilation album, Clones.[29] According to an unnamed August 2003 survey cited by The Age, it was found the Neptunes produced almost 20% of songs played on British radio at the time; another survey in the US found they'd produced 43% of radio songs.[18] The Neptunes produced
Snoop Dogg's single "
Drop It Like It's Hot" (2004), which also featured vocals from Williams.[30]
2005–2009: In My Mind and collaborations
Williams in Berlin, March 2005
The Neptunes produced
Gwen Stefani's single "
Hollaback Girl", which entered the
Billboard Hot 100 at number 82 on the issue dated April 2, 2005,[31] and topped the chart within six weeks of its release.[32] In 2006, Williams released his debut solo album, In My Mind.[33] It debuted at number 3 on the US
Billboard 200.[34] The Neptunes produced Clipse's second album, Hell Hath No Fury.[35] The Neptunes produced several songs on Stefani's second album, The Sweet Escape (2006), including the promotional single, "
Yummy", which features Williams.[36] In December 2006, Williams was announced as a performer at
Concert for Diana in
Wembley Stadium, London on July 1, 2007.[37] In 2007, the Neptunes produced on
Jay-Z's tenth studio album, American Gangster.[38]
Williams worked with
Shakira on her songs "
Did It Again", "Why Wait", "Good Stuff", and "Long Time" for her sixth studio album, She Wolf (2009).[43] The following month, Williams made a guest appearance on French singer
Uffie's debut album, which was released in early 2010.[44] The Neptunes produced numerous songs on Clipse's third album, Til the Casket Drops (2009).[45]
2010–2014: Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2 and solo international success
In 2010, Williams worked on the music score for the animated film Despicable Me with composers
Hans Zimmer and
Heitor Pereira.[46] In 2010, N.E.R.D. released their fourth studio album, Nothing, through Star Trak.[47] In late 2011, Williams worked on three tracks for
Mike Posner's second album, Sky High.[48] In 2012, Williams composed and produced the music for the
84th Academy Awards alongside Hans Zimmer.[49]
In 2013, Williams collaborated with
Azealia Banks with the song "
ATM Jam".[53] The song was initially intended for Banks' debut studio album, Broke with Expensive Taste (2014), but was later removed from the album after Banks blamed Williams for the song's poor commercial performance.[54] Williams penned three new original songs, included alongside composer
Heitor Pereira's score, for the film Despicable Me 2 (2013).[55] These were "Just a Cloud Away", "
Happy", and "Scream" (featuring
CeeLo Green).[56] His two original songs from the first film, "Despicable Me" and "Fun, Fun, Fun", were also reprised on the Despicable Me 2soundtrack.[57] He also participated in the drummer sessions of the
soundtrack of Man of Steel by Hans Zimmer.[58] In March 2013,
Robin Thicke's single "
Blurred Lines", written and produced by Williams, was released.[59][60] The song peaked at number one in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States.[61][62] In mid-2013, Williams was involved in two songs that sold a million copies in the UK: "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines".[63]
On February 18, 2014, Williams announced via Twitter that his second album, Girl, would be released on March 3, 2014.[73] The album was supported by a European concert tour,
Dear Girl Tour.[74] At the
86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014, Williams's song "Happy" lost to "
Let It Go" from Frozen. Afterwards, when GQ magazine asked Williams "how badly" did he want the Oscar, he responded: "When they read the results, my face was...frozen. But then I thought about it, and I just decided just to...let it go".[75] At the Oscar Awards that same year, he wore a controversial outfit consisting of a tuxedo with shorts.[76] In May 2014, Williams received an Innovator Award at the
iHeartRadio Music Awards.[77]
(video) Williams introducing a N.E.R.D section of his live performance at
Summer Sonic Festival in
Japan, 2015
2014–present: The Voice, Something in the Water and other ventures
In January 2015, Williams was announced as the musical director for a 7-continent
Live Earth concert on June 18, 2015, to raise awareness about and pressure governments to act on climate change.[86] On February 8, 2015, Williams made a cameo in an episode of The Simpsons entitled "
Walking Big & Tall" where he comes to
Springfield to write a new anthem for the town.[87] Williams recorded three songs for the soundtrack to the 2015 animated film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.[88] On May 18, 2015, Team Pharrell had 16-year-old
Sawyer Fredericks win the
eighth season of The Voice.[89]
In 2005, Williams partnered with Japanese fashion icon
Nigo to create the streetwear brands
Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear.[109] In 2008, Williams co-designed a series of eyewear and jewelry for
Louis Vuitton.[110][better source needed] In 2008, Williams founded a non-profit organization called "From One Hand To AnOTHER" (FOHTA).[111] In 2009, Williams unveiled a collaborative sculpture with
Takashi Murakami at
Art Basel, which spoke to the metaphor of value.[112][113][better source needed] 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.[114]
In May 2012, Williams launched the social media venture
I Am Other.[115] In August 2013, Williams created a line of sunglasses for fashion brand
Moncler called "Moncler Lunettes".[116] In 2014, Williams entered a long-term partnership with
Adidas.[117][118][better source needed] His Adidas NMD "Human Race" collection was released on July 23, 2016.[119] In February 2014, Williams announced a collaboration between
G-Star Raw and his textile company Bionic Yarn called "RAW for the Oceans," a collection of denim made from recycled plastic that is found in the ocean. The project was presented at the
American Museum of Natural History in New York City.[120][121][better source needed]
In 2014, Williams appeared on a cover designed by French artist
Grégoire Guillemin of New York-based men fashion magazine Adon, covering the collaboration.[122][better source needed] Williams released a collection for retail giant
Uniqlo in April 2014 entitled "i am OTHER". It was created with Nigo, creative director of UT, the company's T-shirt division.[123] In 2014, Williams worked on art with
Emmanuel Perrotin and a French manufacturer, Domeau & Pérès.[124][125] In June 2014, artist collective Rizzoli published a book by
FriendsWithYou, We Are Friends With You, that featured contributions from Williams,
Alejandro Jodorowsky, and
Peter Doroshenko.[126] Williams was the
executive producer of the 2015
crimecomedy-drama film Dope.[127]
In 2017, Williams designed a €1,000 sneaker in collaboration with
Chanel and Adidas.[128] Verizon partnered with Williams on April 26, 2019, to launch a tech-fused music curriculum in a nationwide Verizon Foundation Learning schools. The education organization under Verizon Foundation works toward providing free technology, internet access, technology-focused curriculum to under-resourced middle schools.[129] In November 2020, Williams launched Humanrace, a
skin care brand.[130][131] In December 2021, Williams would launch the winter line "Premium basics" together with
Adidas Originals.[132]
In June 2022, Doodles announced Williams as its Chief Brand Officer. Additionally, Doodles have set a release date for Williams to release a Doodles album that will be available to stream in addition to be sold exclusively as
NFTs.[133]
On February 14, 2023, Louis Vuitton announced that Williams had been appointed the fashion house's new men's creative director, a position left vacant by the death of
Virgil Abloh in 2021.[134] Williams' first collection will be displayed during the Paris Men's Fashion Week in June 2023.[135]
Personal life
Williams married his longtime partner, model and fashion designer Helen Lasichanh, on October 12, 2013.[136] The couple have four children together: son Rocket (born in 2008) and triplets (born in January 2017).[137][138] The Despicable Me song "Rocket's Theme" was written in honor of their son Rocket.[139]
In 2005, Williams was voted "Best Dressed Man in the World" by Esquire.[140] He is a fan of the science fiction series Star Trek,[141] as indicated by his consistent use of the
Vulcan salute to signify his label name,
Star Trak.[142] Williams is a skateboarder and has a
half-pipe inside his home.[143] In 2011, Williams announced that he is building a $35 million after-school center in his home town,
Virginia Beach.[144] In 2015, Williams bought a house in the
Laurel Canyon neighborhood of
Los Angeles.[145][better source needed] In 2019, Williams offered internships to 144 students at Promise Academy in
Harlem,
New York City.[146]
On March 26, 2021, Williams' cousin Donovan Lynch was shot and killed by an officer from the
Virginia Beach Police Department after "brandishing a handgun" following three shootings in the area. Williams has called for a federal investigation into the incident.[147]