Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams married model and fashion designer Helen Lasichanh on October 12, 2013. They have four children: their son Rocket, born in 2008, and triplets born in January 2017.

Williams wrote "Rocket's Theme" from Despicable Me in honor of his son Rocket.

Williams met Chad Hugo while they were students in Virginia Beach. Williams played drums and Hugo played saxophone, and the two began producing music together. A performance at a high school talent show brought them to the attention of producer Teddy Riley, whose studio was near their school.

As the Neptunes, Williams and Hugo produced major singles including Noreaga's "Superthug," Britney Spears's "I'm a Slave 4 U," Nelly's "Hot in Herre," Justin Timberlake's "Rock Your Body," Kelis's "Milkshake," and Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot." The duo also worked with Clipse and produced the group's 2002 debut album, *Lord Willin'."

In 2001, Williams and Hugo formed the band N.E.R.D. with Shay Haley. The group released In Search of..., Fly or Die, Seeing Sounds, Nothing, and No One Ever Really Dies. The Neptunes received the Grammy Award for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, in 2004.

Williams began his solo career with the 2003 single "Frontin'" featuring Jay-Z, followed by his debut album In My Mind in 2006. He achieved major international success in 2013 by co-writing and producing Robin Thicke's "Blurred Lines" and co-writing and appearing on Daft Punk's "Get Lucky." "Get Lucky" won the 2014 Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Williams wrote "Happy" for Despicable Me 2. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, received an Academy Award nomination, and became the lead single from his second solo album, G I R L, released in 2014. He also created a 24-hour interactive music video for the song.

His soundtrack work includes Despicable Me, Despicable Me 2, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Hidden Figures, Despicable Me 3, and Mufasa: The Lion King. He produced several songs on Ariana Grande's Grammy-winning album Sweetener and worked with Hans Zimmer on multiple film and awards-show projects.

Williams joined The Voice as a coach in 2014 and remained on the program through 2016. He also appeared in projects including Pitch Perfect 2, voiced the narrator of The Grinch, and played himself in the animated documentary Piece by Piece.

In 2019, Williams and the city of Virginia Beach launched the Something in the Water music and cultural festival. The event featured artists including Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Missy Elliott, Usher, Timbaland, Tyler, the Creator, Travis Scott, and Pusha T.

He later developed projects with Comme des Garçons, Adidas, G-Star Raw, Uniqlo, and other fashion and design companies.

He founded the multidisciplinary media company I Am Other in 2012 and launched the skin-care brand Humanrace in 2020. Louis Vuitton appointed him men's creative director in 2023, and he presented his first collection for the fashion house during Paris Men's Fashion Week that year.

Williams has won 13 Grammy Awards, including three awards for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. He was also nominated for Academy Awards for "Happy" and as a producer of Hidden Figures, and received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from New York University in 2017.

His production style is associated with syncopated rhythms, unusual sounds, layered keyboard parts, and a characteristic four-count opening at the beginning of many beats. Williams has also discussed synesthesia as an influence on how he experiences music and visual art.