Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (/fəˈrɛl/ fə-REL; born April 5, 1973) is an American musician, songwriter, record producer and fashion designer. He initially became known as one half of the music production duo the Neptunes, which he established alongside Chad Hugo in 1992. Fifteen of their productions have peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, which includes four songs that peaked atop the chart. The two also formed the rock and hip-hop band N.E.R.D. with Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams served as lead vocalist. He has been regarded as one of the most influential producers in modern popular music. He has also contributed music to all Despicable Me animated films.

Williams co-founded the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Hugo in 2001, as an imprint of Arista Records. Williams's 2003 debut single, "Frontin'" (featuring Jay-Z), peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. He then signed with Virgin and Interscope Records to release his debut studio album, In My Mind (2006), which peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 despite mixed critical reception. Williams produced and guest performed alongside T.I. on Star Trak signee Robin Thicke's 2013 single "Blurred Lines", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). That same year, his guest appearance alongside Nile Rodgers on Daft Punk's single "Get Lucky" peaked at number two on the chart and won Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Williams's 2013 single, "Happy"—released for the soundtrack to Despicable Me 2—became his second song to peak atop the chart that same year. It also served as lead single for his second album, Girl (2014), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical reception.