Farrell Williams (Pharrell Williams): interesting facts, best songs, biography, listen

Farrell Williams (Pharrell Williams)

Farrell Williams is a bright and talented musician, whose work is popular not only among fans of rap and hip-hop. In great demand he and among the famous performers. This American has managed to produce more than a dozen songs for world-class stars, which we describe below. For more than 20 years of “experience” in music, Farrell managed to become the one he was equal to.

short biography

On April 5, 1973, the Faroe and Carolyn Williams family became bigger: a boy was born who was given the name Farrell. He was born in the largest city in Virginia, Virginia Beach, where four more of his brothers grew up.

The childhood of young Farrell was filled with music, more precisely learning to play different instruments. His parents sought to develop creative abilities in their children, which had a strong influence on the future career of the younger son. As a schoolboy, he learned to play keyboards and drums.

According to the musician himself, in his youth he tried to surround himself with people with similar hobbies. He managed to find such a person in an ordinary summer camp, where the young rapper was sent at the age of 13. He did not like the place, so Farrell decided to get a friend in misfortune to pass the time. They became Chad Hugo, who played an important role in the life of Williams.

As it turned out, adolescents studied in the same school, where school activity was encouraged. Without thinking twice, in 1990, two talented boys organized a band called The Neptunes. Initially, it was a quartet, later transformed into a trio. The guys sang in the style of RnB and hip-hop, were popular in the walls of their own school and received awards at music competitions.

Despite the success, Farrell and Chad did not consider themselves to be masters of their craft, and therefore did not seek to conquer a wider audience. But the famous American producer Tedd Riley has changed everything. He convinced the guys that they deserve more and offered to sign a contract with his studio.

The group "The Neptunes" practically did not write their own singles. What were they doing then? Created hits for other stars. At 19, Farrell wrote "Rump Shaker" for the "Wrecks-n-effect" team. The song reached high positions in the charts, and Williams himself was given the opportunity to feel like a good composer.

Career young people went up the hill because of their bold and original arrangements. They feature electronic funk, oriental motifs and other effects. Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Gwen Stefani, Mariah Carey - a small part of the names that Farrell and Chad have worked with.

In 2002, the already popular musicians create the group "N.E.R.D.". If "The Neptune" was more positioned as a producer project, then "N.E.R.D." - as an opportunity to play independently. The debut album "In Search Of ..." can not be called commercially successful - in the US, he was able to achieve only 56 lines. But the subsequent work of the young men caused a greater response from the audience. After 5 years of existence, the group broke up.

The guys just didn’t want to be just the best producer duet. Therefore, in 2005, they create their own label "Star Trak", whose main mission is to help in the promotion of beginning rap artists. In the same year, Farrell decided to pursue a solo career and presented to the public the debut single "Can I Have It Like That". The first album "In My Mind" was released the following year. While writing it, Williams was inspired by the creativity and energy of Gwen Stefani, whom he calls his muse.

In 2013, the era of "Happy". This song entered the second solo album and made the audience take a different look at Farrell. In front of the audience there was a difficult rapper, who had previously often flashed in the clips of other artists. A new singer of modern music has appeared in front of them, which stands out for its light text, pleasant male vocals and memorable rhythms.

What did Pharrell Williams achieve in his 44 years? The universal love of fans and recognition from colleagues. This is not counting a happy family and the realization of oneself in various creative fields. In general, everything is sung in his song: "I'm happy".

Interesting Facts

• Farrell doesn't like to be interviewed. The singer explains the reason for such an attitude to the “usual” point of the star life simply: he cannot stand talking about himself.
• A well-known musician is engaged in environmental protection along with the Parley project. The company's activity is to purify the oceans from plastic bottles and recycle them in recyclables. Williams himself does not consider himself an example for imitation: with a stretch he calls himself "green."
• The singer’s charity projects also include a fund to support children and teenagers from disadvantaged families.
• The Western press is often concerned about one question: how does Farrell manage to look so young? Give him 44 no one dares. The secret of eternal youth is simple: an American actively uses facial scrubs and drinks plenty of water. He jokes or not, is unknown.
• At one time, Michael Jackson interviewed the hero of our article. Similar experiments were arranged by the American magazine Interview Magazine. During the conversation, the musicians found out that they have the same musical preferences: Stevie Wonder, Donnie Hathaway.
• In 2015, the singer released a children's book called "Happiness". Her appearance was provoked by the song of the same name, which led the American charts of the 100 best songs in 2014. What is the book about? How good to be happy and true to yourself.
• In 2014, Williams became a guest of Oprah Winfrey. During the telecast, she showed the rapper a few clips shot by different people for the song "Happy". The man burst into tears on the air, saying that he was very touched.
• Farrell is married to Helen Lasichan. At the time of the wedding, which took place in October 2013, the couple had already been together for 5 years. The eldest child, Rocket, was born in 2008, and in 2017, Helen gave birth to triplets.
• The name of the eldest son, Rocket, was not chosen by chance. The inspiration was Elton John's song "Rocket Man". The love for this composition can also be seen in the soundtrack of "Rocket's Theme", written by Farrell for the cartoon "Despicable Me."
• Farrell Williams is famous not only for a successful musical career. It draws attention with characteristic stylish images. The passion to dress differently than everything led the singer to create his own brand. Under the brand name "Billionaire Boys Club" he produces sports and casual wear. Launched rapper and line of shoes "Ice cream". She is represented by comfortable sneakers bright colors.
• The musician was involved in the design of sunglasses. The collection was presented by the French fashion house Louis Vuitton, which manufactures luxury clothing and accessories.
• As a teenager, Williams worked at McDonalds, but not for long. The guy was too lazy, for which he was fired.
• Free time Farrell devotes to the family and ... astronomy.
• The name of the group is "N.E.R.D." is an abbreviation of the expression "No One Ever Really Dies". Translated from English, this means "no one will ever die for real."
• There are two clips for the song "Happy". The first version sounds familiar 4 minutes with a little, and the second - the whole 24 hours. Farrell was the first to decide on such an experiment, which was marked by an Oscar nomination. The musician admits that he did not see the entire clip.
• In 2015, the court accused Farrell and Robin Tick, with whom he collaborated, of plagiarism. The precedent arose because of the song "Blurred Lines", similar to the composition of Marvin Gay's "Got to Give It Up". The creators of the hit denied the moment of borrowing, but the judge was not inclined - the musicians were obliged to pay more than $ 7 million to the family of Gay and write his name in the authors.
• Farrell wrote a song that hardly any of his contemporaries ever hear. Her release is scheduled for ... 2117. The composition is called "100 Years". But the future generation will be able to hear it only under one condition: if it starts caring for the environment. The fact is that the single is recorded on a clay disc and placed in a safe, which is afraid of moisture. Due to climate change, world ocean levels are rising. If nothing is done, water will enter the safe and ruin the record. These are the calculations of Williams.
• When is the Day of Happiness? 20th of March. And all this thanks to Farrell, who enlisted the support of the UN and made the people around him even happier.
• The beginning of the 2000s was the real peak of the success of the band "The Neptune". 43% of the songs that were regularly played on American radio were created by Farrell and Hugo. This allowed the musicians to take large sums for their work. In 2009 - 2010 they earned about half a million dollars per song.

Vivid collaboration

• Britney Spears. For this American singer, Farrell wrote "Boys" and "I slave 4 you." In the first composition, Williams acted as a co-performer, which became a common practice for him in the future.
• Snoop Dogg. In the creation of the single "Beautiful" Farrell did not limit himself to a duet. He also took part in the video recording. A year later, Snoop Dog had already specifically invited Williams to collaborate on the song "Drop It Like It's Hot." It is noteworthy that Farrell considers Snoop his friend. It was to him that he turned for help when he decided to start a solo career.
• Jay-Z Farrell's backing vocals can be heard in "Excuse Me Miss", written for J. Z. But that’s not the end of their work. In 2003, Williams released his solo single "Frontin", where Jay-Z performs one verse and is already co-sponsored, and not as the owner of the song.
• Madonna. In 2008, this eccentric singer led the Spanish and Dutch charts and entered the top ten songs of many other countries. And all thanks to Farrell, who produced “Give It 2 ​​Me” for her. The further fate of this song is no less enchanting - a nomination for a Grammy Award.
• Gwen Stefani. The ability to work with his own idol and inspiration to create hits appeared to Farrell in 2005, when he worked on his first solo album. Together they recorded "Can I Have It Like That".

The list goes on and on: Beyonce Knowles, Justin Timberlake, Mariah Carey, Shakira, Jennifer Lopez, Miley Cyrus ... It’s hard to name a world-class star who didn’t manage to use the talent of Farrell Williams.

But the main hit for many remains the single "Get Lucky", written for the French duet "Daft Punk" in 2013. In this case, Farrell sings it from beginning to end, although the song is included in the album of the French. At the time of release, the composition has become the most listened to among British and American audiences. Commercial success was also high: in the first two days, sales amounted to more than 50,000 copies. But that's not all. In 2014, the song won two Grammys.

Best songs

If we talk about the best songs of Farrell Williams, then this, of course, "Happy" and "Freedom". Both compositions are filled with a good mood and a call to live a happy life without restrictions.

• "Happy" won the love of the public at the end of 2013. A wave of its popularity swept through Europe, Australia and New Zealand, leaving behind a sweet aftertaste and a desire to fill existence with pleasant moments.

"Happy" (listen)

• "Freedom" You will not find a musician on any solo album. This composition was written specifically to launch the Apple Music service. Nominations for the Grammy Award were awarded a video for the song, but the award went around Farrell.

"Freedom" (listen)

Films about Farrell Williams and with his participation

In his busy schedule, the famous singer finds time to shoot in feature films. True, he gets a bit part. He managed to play in the following films:

• "Entourage" (2015);
• "Perfect Voice 2" (2015);
• "Escape from Vegas" (2010).

Farrell Williams Music in Films

In the career of this American musician there are more than 300 films, TV shows and TV shows that use his work. Farrell was specifically invited to create separate soundtracks, for example, for the cartoon "Despicable Me." We will touch only the most famous films that the rapper worked on.

For what would not take Pharrell Williams, it is waiting for success everywhere. Be it a producer, a clothing design or a solo career. What is his secret? In your own feelings. According to the singer, it is emotions that make him create and create things that others like.