Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.) is an American musician who was involved in a number of pop hits as part of the producing team the Neptunes, as a songwriter, as a member of the band N.E.R.D., and as a solo performer. He also is known for his musical contributions to films, especially his hit song “Happy” for the animated movie Despicable Me 2 (2013).

Early life and career with the Neptunes

Williams was a percussionist in his school band when he was a child, and he found a kindred spirit in saxophonist Chad Hugo. Williams and Hugo devoted themselves to music and beat production and in high school began calling themselves the Neptunes. A scout for music producer Teddy Riley, who had recently opened a recording studio near the high school that Williams attended, heard the Neptunes perform at a school talent show and brought them to Riley’s attention. In 1992 Williams wrote a verse for hip-hop group Wreckx-n-Effect’s most-popular single, “Rump Shaker,” and the Neptunes produced the track “Tonight’s the Night” on the eponymous debut album (1994) of Riley’s vocal group Blackstreet.

The Neptunes were soon in demand as hip-hop producers and writers, with a signature style that mixed influences from soul, rock, and other musical genres. Neptunes-produced hits include Noreaga’s “Superthug” (1998), Mary J. Blige’s “Steal Away” (2001), Britney Spears’s “I’m a Slave 4 U” (2001), Nelly’s “Hot in Herre” (2002), Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” (2003), Kelis’s “Milkshake” (2003), and Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” (2004). Williams, often assisted by Hugo, penned the lyrics for many of those songs as well.

Discover the fascinating events that shaped the world, straight from our editors.

SIGN UP

By clicking “Sign Up”, you consent to the Britannica Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Britannica Quiz

Pop Culture Quiz

In 2004 Timberlake’s Neptunes-produced album Justified won the Grammy Award for best pop vocal album, and the Neptunes were named producer of the year (nonclassical). The Neptunes were also among the producers contributing to Mariah Carey’s 2005 album The Emancipation of Mimi, which won a Grammy for best contemporary R&B album.

N.E.R.D., early solo work, and Despicable Me

In 2001 Williams and Hugo joined with rap artist Shay to form the band N.E.R.D. The collaboration resulted in four eclectic albums of rhythm and blues, rap, pop, and rock music: In Search of… (2002), Fly or Die (2004), Seeing Sounds (2008), and Nothing (2010). Williams also struck out on his own with the 2003 single “Frontin’ ” and the 2006 album In My Mind. He branched out into soundtrack composition as well, scoring the animated film Despicable Me (2010). Noted composer Hans Zimmer produced the score, and the two collaborated again on the music that was played at the 2012 Academy Awards ceremony.

“Blurred Lines” and “Get Lucky”

In 2013 Williams cowrote and produced “Blurred Lines,” which was sung by Robin Thicke and featured T.I. and Williams. The song was a huge hit, but in 2015 a federal jury held that Thicke and Williams had committed copyright infringement by using parts of Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give It Up.” Williams also cowrote and was featured on “Get Lucky” (2013) by Daft Punk, which won Grammys for best pop duo/group performance and record of the year in 2014. At that year’s Grammy ceremony Williams was named producer of the year (nonclassical).

“Happy,” G I R L, and other music projects

He had further success with “Happy,” an effervescent and infectious song that he had written for the animated film Despicable Me 2 (2013). It received an Academy Award nomination for best original song, and Williams performed it at the Oscar ceremony in 2014. His second solo album, G I R L, was released the following day. Later in 2014 Williams again teamed with Zimmer, among others, on the soundtrack for the film The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and he became a coach on the popular TV show The Voice; he left the program in 2016.

Explore Britannica Premium!

The trusted destination for professionals, college students, and lifelong learners.

SUBSCRIBE

Williams collaborated with Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch on the score for the movie Hidden Figures (2016), which garnered them Grammy and Golden Globe nominations. He was also a producer on the film. In 2017 he wrote and performed the songs in Despicable Me 3 (2017). In addition, he reunited with his band N.E.R.D. for the explicitly political album No_One Ever Really Dies (2017).

Williams scored another hit single in 2018 with “Sangria Wine,” a collaboration with singer Camila Cabello. That same year he produced Ariana Grande’s Grammy-winning album Sweetener. In 2019 he performed and cowrote (with Hugo) the song “Letter to My Godfather” for the documentary film The Black Godfather. The track was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for outstanding song and lyrics. Other hit songs that he produced include “Cash In Cash Out” (2022; performed by Tyler, The Creator and 21 Savage) and “Doctor (Work It Out)” (2024; performed by Miley Cyrus). In 2024 Williams worked with Lin-Manuel Miranda and Nicholas Britell to compose the score for the film Mufasa: The Lion King, directed by Barry Jenkins.

Acting

Williams also made brief appearances in movies, often playing himself or characters similar to him, as he did in Entourage and Pitch Perfect 2 (both 2015), respectively. He took on a larger role when he lent his voice as narrator to the animated feature The Grinch (2018), an adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s children’s classic (1957). In 2024 Williams again played himself in the LEGO movie Piece by Piece, which chronicles his life and successes.

Fashion projects

Williams’s other projects have included the premium street-wear clothing lines Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream (with Japanese music producer Nigo). He also collaborated on a unisex fragrance with the perfume division of the fashion house Comme des Garçons.

In 2023 Louis Vuitton named Williams as creative director of its menswear collection, filling the position left vacant after Virgil Abloh died in 2021. Williams debuted his first collection that summer, offering variations of the brand’s signature Damier, or checkerboard, motif, including new colorways and a pattern he called “Damoflage,” a kind of pixelated camouflage. Pharrell’s “uncanny knack for staying ahead of the cultural curve”—as a CNN fashion critic put it—was recognized when he was named one of the cohosts of the 2025 Met Gala, the annual benefit for the Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.