Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (/fəˈrɛl/; born April 5, 1973), also knownmononymously asPharrell, is an American musician, record producer and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duothe Neptunes, which he formed withChad Hugo in 1992.[4] 15 oftheir productions have peaked within the top ten of theBillboard Hot 100, which includes four songs that peaked atop the chart.[5][6] The two also formed therock andhip-hop bandN.E.R.D. withShay Haley in 1999, for which Williams served as lead vocalist. He has been regarded as one of the most influential producers in modernpopular music.[7][8][9][10] He has also contributed on all theDespicable Me films as a musical contributor.
In the early 1990s, Williams formed a hip-hop group named Surrounded by Idiots withChad Hugo, Magoo, and cousinTimbaland; they disbanded before making any records.[23] He then formed a four-piece "R&B-type" group,the Neptunes, with Hugo and friendsShay Haley and Mike Etheridge.[24] They entered a high school talent show, where they were discovered by producerTeddy Riley, whose studio was next to the school.[24] After graduating, the group signed with Riley.[24]
In 2002, Clipse released their debut album,Lord Willin', produced entirely by the Neptunes.[30] That year, the Neptunes produced numerous songs onJustin Timberlake's debut albumJustified, including the singles "Señorita", "Like I Love You", and "Rock Your Body".[23] In 2003, the Neptunes released a compilation album,Clones.[31] According to an unnamed August 2003 survey cited byThe Age, it was found the Neptunes produced almost 20% of songs played on British radio at the time; another survey in the U.S. found they'd produced 43% of radio songs.[20] The Neptunes producedSnoop Dogg's single "Drop It Like It's Hot" (2004), which also featured vocals from Williams.[32]
Williams worked withShakira on her songs "Did It Again", "Why Wait", "Good Stuff", and "Long Time" for her sixth studio album,She Wolf (2009).[45] The following month, Williams made a guest appearance on French singerUffie's debut album, which was released in early 2010.[46] The Neptunes produced numerous songs on Clipse's third album,Til the Casket Drops (2009).[47]
2010–2014:Despicable Me,Despicable Me 2 and solo international success
In 2010, Williams worked on the music score for the animated filmDespicable Me with composersHans Zimmer andHeitor Pereira.[48] In 2010, N.E.R.D. released their fourth studio album,Nothing, through Star Trak.[49] In late 2011, Williams worked on three tracks forMike Posner's second album,Sky High.[50] In 2012, Williams composed and produced the music for the84th Academy Awards alongside Hans Zimmer.[51]
In 2013, Williams collaborated withAzealia Banks with the song "ATM Jam".[55] The song was initially intended for Banks's 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.[56] Williams penned three new original songs, included alongside composerHeitor Pereira's score, for the filmDespicable Me 2 (2013).[57] These were "Just a Cloud Away", "Happy", and "Scream" (featuringCeeLo Green).[58] His two original songs from the first film, "Despicable Me" and "Fun, Fun, Fun", were also reprised on theDespicable Me 2soundtrack.[59] He also participated in the drummer sessions of thesoundtrack ofMan of Steel by Hans Zimmer.[60] In March 2013,Robin Thicke's single "Blurred Lines", written and produced by Williams, was released.[61][62] The song peaked at number one in multiple countries, including the United Kingdom and the United States.[63][64] In mid-2013, Williams was involved in two songs that sold a million copies in the UK: "Get Lucky" and "Blurred Lines".[65]
On February 18, 2014, Williams announced via Twitter that his second album,Girl, would be released on March 3, 2014.[75] The album was supported by a European concert tour,Dear Girl Tour.[76] At the86th Academy Awards on March 2, 2014, Williams's song "Happy" lost to "Let It Go" fromFrozen. Afterwards, whenGQ 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".[77] At the Oscar Awards that same year, he wore a controversial outfit consisting of a tuxedo with shorts.[78] In May 2014, Williams received an Innovator Award at theiHeartRadio Music Awards.[79]
(video) Williams introducing a N.E.R.D section of his live performance atSummer Sonic Festival inJapan, 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-continentLive Earth concert on June 18, 2015, to raise awareness about and pressure governments to act on climate change.[88] On February 8, 2015, Williams made a cameo in an episode ofThe Simpsons entitled "Walking Big & Tall" where he comes toSpringfield to write a new anthem for the town.[89] Williams recorded three songs for the soundtrack to the 2015 animated filmThe SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.[90] On May 18, 2015, Team Pharrell had 16-year-oldSawyer Fredericks win theeighth season ofThe Voice.[91]
A film loosely based on Williams's life,Golden was filmed byMichel Gondry and set for release on May 9, 2025. However, the film was canceled byUniversal in February 2025 prior to the film entering post-production due to a disagreement with Williams and other producers. The film is permanently shelved and will not be offered to other studios.[110]
Williams executively produced Clipse's fourth albumLet God Sort Em Out, which released on July 11, 2025, and also appeared on the album as a guest.
Williams appears as a feature on track 1 of Tyler, The Creator's 2025 album "Don't Tap the Glass", titled "Big Poe" and is credited as Sk8brd, his rap name he briefly used in 2011.
Williams has also referenced hissynesthesia as contributing to his art and his enjoyment of music from a young age.[113][114]
Four-count start
Throughout his career, Williams has been known for his "four-count loops" or "four-count starts" at the start of the beats that he produced, which is considered as a producer signature. Williams revealed in a 2019 interview withVulture that the creation of the four-count loop was unintentional, and the loop was essentially what was left in the song while trying to start a song on the beat instead of using ametronome.[115]
Fashion and business ventures
In 2005, Williams partnered with Japanese fashion iconNigo to create the streetwear brandsBillionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream footwear.[116] In 2008, Williams co-designed a series of eyewear and jewelry forLouis Vuitton.[117] In 2008, Williams founded a non-profit organization called "From One Hand To AnOTHER" (FOHTA).[118] In 2009, Williams unveiled a collaborative sculpture withTakashi Murakami atArt Basel, which spoke to the metaphor of value.[119][120][better source needed] In May 2011, it was announced that Williams would serve as creative director ofKarmaloopTV alongside founder and CEOGreg Selkoe and formerAMC president Katie McEnroe.[121]
In May 2012, Williams launched the social media ventureI Am Other.[122] In August 2013, Williams created a line of sunglasses for fashion brandMoncler called "Moncler Lunettes".[123] In 2014, Williams entered a long-term partnership withAdidas.[124][125][better source needed] HisAdidas NMD "Human Race" collection was released on July 23, 2016.[126] In February 2014, Williams announced a collaboration betweenG-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 theAmerican Museum of Natural History in New York City.[127][128][better source needed]
In 2014, Williams appeared on a cover designed by French artistGrégoire Guillemin of New York-based men fashion magazine Adon, covering the collaboration.[129][better source needed] Williams released a collection for retail giantUniqlo in April 2014 entitled "i am OTHER". It was created with Nigo, creative director of UT, the company's T-shirt division.[130] In 2014, Williams worked on art withEmmanuel Perrotin and a French manufacturer, Domeau & Pérès.[131][132] In June 2014, artist collective Rizzoli published a book byFriendsWithYou,We Are Friends With You, that featured contributions from Williams,Alejandro Jodorowsky, andPeter Doroshenko.[133] Williams was theexecutive producer of the 2015crimecomedy-drama filmDope.[134]
In 2017, Williams designed a €1,000 sneaker in collaboration withChanel and Adidas.[135] In November 2018, Williams performed at aFriends of the Israel Defense Forces Gala, which raised a record high of $60 million. He also spoke about thePittsburgh synagogue shooting, stating "what happened in that synagogue was incredibly cruel, it was wrong, and it's not supposed to be what our nation is... this group of people have been tested over and over and over again ... but you guys show an incredible resilience."[136] Williams was criticized for singing "Happy" on social media, with critics citing theIDF as having killed over 200 Palestinians in 2018, calling the song contrary to the actions of the military.[137]
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.[138] In November 2020, Williams launched Humanrace, askin care brand.[139][140] In December 2021, Williams would launch the winter line "Premium basics" together withAdidas Originals.[141]
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 asNFTs.[142]
On February 14, 2023, Louis Vuitton announced that Williams had been appointed their new men's creative director, a position left vacant by the death ofVirgil Abloh in 2021.[143] Williams displayed his first collection during Paris Men's Fashion Week in June 2023.[144][145]
Personal life
Williams married his longtime partner, model and fashion designer Helen Lasichanh, on October 12, 2013.[146] The couple have four children together: son Rocket (b. 2008) and triplets (b. January 2017).[147][148] TheDespicable Me song "Rocket's Theme" was written in honor of their son Rocket.[149]
In 2005, Williams was voted "Best Dressed Man in the World" byEsquire.[150] He is a fan of the science fiction seriesStar Trek,[151] as indicated by his consistent use of theVulcan salute to signify his label name,Star Trak.[152] Williams is a skateboarder and has ahalf-pipe inside his home.[153] In 2011, Williams announced his charitable foundation, From One Hand to Another, would be funding a $35 million after-school center in his home town,Virginia Beach.[154][155] In 2019, Williams offered internships to 144 students at Promise Academy inHarlem,New York City.[156]
On March 26, 2021, Williams's cousin Donovan Lynch was shot and killed by an officer from theVirginia Beach Police Department after "brandishing a handgun" following three shootings in the area. Williams has called for a federal investigation into the incident.[157]
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