Pharrell Williams Biography
Pharrell Williams (born April 5, 1973) in Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S., is an American singer and songwriter who has been involved in a number of pop hits as part of the producing team the Neptunes, as a songwriter, and as a solo performer.
When he was a child, Williams was a percussionist in his school band, 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.
The 13 “Grammy Awards” winner 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.
Williams released his debut solo album, In Mind in 2006 and has received numerous accolades and nominations
Wiki Profile
| Real Name: | Pharrell Lanscilo Williams |
| Date of Birth: | April 05, 1973 |
| Place of Birth: | Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S. |
| Nationality: | American |
| Wife/Spouse: | Helen Lasichanh |
| Occupation: | Singer & Rapper |
| Net Worth | $250 million |
Early Life, Childhood and Education
Pharrell Williams was born on 5 April 1973, in Virginia Beach, Virginia, United States. His father’s name is Pharaoh and his mother’s name is Carolyn. They have three children of which Pharrell is the oldest.
He attended “Princess Anne High School” and “Kempsville High School.” When he was in his seventh grade, he became acquainted with Chad Hugo with whom he later formed ‘The Neptunes.’
He would later state in interviews that he used to be different from the average kid, and that he was a nerd.
Career
Pharrell Williams performed with Chad Hugo in 1990 and the duo formed the record production team ‘The Neptunes.’
They successfully contributed to the works of several artists in the late-1990s as well as in the 2000s. They became known for producing hit songs, such as ‘I Just Wanna Love U’ by Jay Z and ‘I’m a Slave 4 U’ by Britney Spears.
After a few successful projects, they released an album titled “The Neptunes Present… Clones” in 2003. The album peaked at the first position on the ‘US Billboard 200.’
It also received mostly positive reviews. The album included ‘Frontin,’ Pharrell’s debut solo single, which peaked at the fifth position on the ‘US Billboard Hot 100.’
It also became the 34th best-selling song in the country for 2003.Williams’ debut studio album ‘In My Mind’ was released in July 2006.
It turned out to be quite successful. It debuted at third position on the ‘US Billboard 200.’
Even though several songs from the album had been leaked on the internet before its release, the album successfully sold over 142k copies within the first week of its release.
For the next few years, he did collaborations with several well-known singers, such as Shakira and Jennifer Lopez. He was credited as a co-writer and producer for Lopez’s hit song ‘Fresh Out the Oven.’
In 2010, he composed the soundtrack for the popular animated comedy movie ‘Despicable Me.’
The following year, he paired up with American singer Adam Lambert to write two tracks for Lambert’s second studio album ‘Trespassing.’
Pharrell also composed and produced the music that was used for the 84th ‘Academy Awards.’ In the year 2013, Pharrell Williams composed the soundtrack for the animated film ‘Despicable Me 2,’ which complimented ‘Despicable Me.’
His song ‘Happy,’ which was written for the film, became a huge hit. Not only did it reach the first position on the ‘US Billboard Hot 100,’ the song also won an ‘Oscar’ nomination. It also served as the lead single of his second album ‘Girl’ which was released in March, 2014.
The album became a huge success, peaking at number one in 12 different countries. It sold 591k copies in the US within a year.
It received mostly positive reviews from critics. The same year, Williams was also announced as the new coach in the popular TV singing competition ‘The Voice.’
In 2014, Williams also served as a co-composer for the soundtrack of the hit superhero movie ‘The Amazing Spiderman 2.’
In 2016, he was a producer as well as composer for the popular biographical drama film ‘Hidden Figures.’ The film was a huge success, and received an ‘Oscar’ nomination.
The following year, he served as the composer of the third version of the ‘Despicable Me’ series, ‘Despicable Me 3.’ The film turned out to be a blockbuster.
The same year, he also designed 1000 pairs of sneakers in collaboration with ‘Chanel’ and ‘Adidas.’ In 2018, he narrated the 3D computer animated movie ‘The Grinch.’
In early 2019, Williams launched a three-day music festival called “Something in the Water,“ with many renowned artists performing on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront.
Pharrell Williams is the winner of 13 “Grammy Awards” and six “Billboard Music Awards,” among other awards. He has also received two ‘Academy Award’ nominations.
In 2014, he won two ‘BBC Music Awards’ under the ‘International Artist of the Year’ and ‘Song of the Year (Happy)’ categories. n 2015, he won the ‘People’s Choice Award’ for ‘Favorite R&B Artist.
Personal Life
In 2013, Pharrell Williams married Helen Lasichanh, who is a model and designer. The couples have a son named Rocket Williams who was born in 2008. In 2017, the couple had three more children, a set of triplets.
Social Media
- Instagram: @pharrell
- Twitter: @Twitter
