Pharrell Williams Biography
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, 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]