Girl (stylized as G I R L) is the second studio album by American recording artist and record producer Pharrell Williams. The album was released on March 3, 2014, through Williams' label i Am Other and Columbia Records. Girl is Williams' first studio album in eight years, following his 2006 debut, In My Mind. The album contains appearances by Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Daft Punk and Alicia Keys.
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. It peaked at number one in 12 countries worldwide, also charting in the top 10 of 17 other countries. The album has sold 519,521 copies in the United States as of September 17, 2014.
The album's lead single is the Academy Award-nominated song "Happy" (from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack), which is a huge worldwide success, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. Further singles "Marilyn Monroe", "Come Get It Bae" and "Gust of Wind" have achieved moderate success.
At the 57th Grammy Awards, the album is nominated for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album. The track Happy was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.
Williams provided vocals for French duo Daft Punk's 2013 album Random Access Memories. After returning from the Paris recording sessions, he attended a meeting with record label managers, who said that the results were "spectacular" and that "Get Lucky" would be Daft Punk's next single. They also made Williams an offer to record his own album, to which he agreed quickly, "overwhelmed that someone wanted to know what's in my heart."
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that Williams had signed to Columbia Records and would release his second studio album in 2014. In a December 2013, press release Rob Stringer, Chairman of Columbia Records, said, "When we excitedly partnered with Pharrell in January of this year, we felt it was his time again. Since then, 'Blurred Lines' and 'Get Lucky' have defined pop music in 2013, and now we are preparing to launch Pharrell as a global solo superstar in 2014. 'Happy' is just the beginning."
On February 18, 2014, Williams unveiled a trailer for the album. The next day, he said in a statement, "When Columbia Records presented me with the opportunity to make an album, three things came to mind, One was the sense of overwhelming honor that I felt when I realized that they were interested in partnering with me on the album that I had always dreamt of making. Two, it would have to feel festive and urgent. And three, I instantly knew it would be called G I R L. I hope you like it."
Called a feminist "almost-concept" album in early reviews, Girl is Williams' attempt to "eliminate what he sees as an understandable degree of uncertainty over what his attitude to women actually is." He said that he felt the need to clarify himself in the wake of "Blurred Lines" controversy, as with the song's "questionable lyrics, and the nature of the aesthetic of the video, it's easy to get confused about that." Williams also stated, "There's an imbalance in society, in my opinion, and it's going to change. A world where 75 percent of it is run by women – that's a different world. That's gonna happen, and I want to be on the right side of it when it does."
Interviewed by Zane Lowe backstage at the 2014 BRIT Awards, Williams specified that the capitalization and double-spacing of the album title is deliberately designed, "Because when you look at it, it looks a little weird... Because society is a little unbalanced." He also added that he wished to honor the female figures that had been part of his life by making the record.
The opening track on the album, "Marilyn Monroe", begins with an orchestral string introduction. The song's production is characterized by Williams' signature "skittering" beat and "bumping" bass line, and its lyrics discuss "helpless romantics and the perfect lady."
The album's first single, "Happy", is a neo soul and funk song that Williams sings in a falsetto singing tone.
"Come Get It Bae", which features uncredited guest vocals from Miley Cyrus, is a funk song with playful beat, Lyrically, the song is based around sex and the metaphor "You want to ride my motorcycle?" serving as a double entendre for sex.Girl (stylized as G I R L) is the second studio album by American recording artist and record producer Pharrell Williams. The album was released on March 3, 2014, through Williams' label i Am Other and Columbia Records. Girl is Williams' first studio album in eight years, following his 2006 debut, In My Mind. The album contains appearances by Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus, Daft Punk and Alicia Keys.
The album received generally positive reviews from music critics. It peaked at number one in 12 countries worldwide, also charting in the top 10 of 17 other countries. The album has sold 519,521 copies in the United States as of September 17, 2014.
The album's lead single is the Academy Award-nominated song "Happy" (from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack), which is a huge worldwide success, selling more than 10 million copies worldwide. Further singles "Marilyn Monroe", "Come Get It Bae" and "Gust of Wind" have achieved moderate success.
At the 57th Grammy Awards, the album is nominated for Album of the Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album. The track Happy was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.
Williams provided vocals for French duo Daft Punk's 2013 album Random Access Memories. After returning from the Paris recording sessions, he attended a meeting with record label managers, who said that the results were "spectacular" and that "Get Lucky" would be Daft Punk's next single. They also made Williams an offer to record his own album, to which he agreed quickly, "overwhelmed that someone wanted to know what's in my heart."
On December 17, 2013, it was announced that Williams had signed to Columbia Records and would release his second studio album in 2014. In a December 2013, press release Rob Stringer, Chairman of Columbia Records, said, "When we excitedly partnered with Pharrell in January of this year, we felt it was his time again. Since then, 'Blurred Lines' and 'Get Lucky' have defined pop music in 2013, and now we are preparing to launch Pharrell as a global solo superstar in 2014. 'Happy' is just the beginning."
On February 18, 2014, Williams unveiled a trailer for the album. The next day, he said in a statement, "When Columbia Records presented me with the opportunity to make an album, three things came to mind, One was the sense of overwhelming honor that I felt when I realized that they were interested in partnering with me on the album that I had always dreamt of making. Two, it would have to feel festive and urgent. And three, I instantly knew it would be called G I R L. I hope you like it."
Called a feminist "almost-concept" album in early reviews, Girl is Williams' attempt to "eliminate what he sees as an understandable degree of uncertainty over what his attitude to women actually is." He said that he felt the need to clarify himself in the wake of "Blurred Lines" controversy, as with the song's "questionable lyrics, and the nature of the aesthetic of the video, it's easy to get confused about that." Williams also stated, "There's an imbalance in society, in my opinion, and it's going to change. A world where 75 percent of it is run by women – that's a different world. That's gonna happen, and I want to be on the right side of it when it does."
Interviewed by Zane Lowe backstage at the 2014 BRIT Awards, Williams specified that the capitalization and double-spacing of the album title is deliberately designed, "Because when you look at it, it looks a little weird... Because society is a little unbalanced." He also added that he wished to honor the female figures that had been part of his life by making the record.
The opening track on the album, "Marilyn Monroe", begins with an orchestral string introduction. The song's production is characterized by Williams' signature "skittering" beat and "bumping" bass line, and its lyrics discuss "helpless romantics and the perfect lady."
The album's first single, "Happy", is a neo soul and funk song that Williams sings in a falsetto singing tone.
"Come Get It Bae", which features uncredited guest vocals from Miley Cyrus, is a funk song with playful beat, Lyrically, the song is based around sex and the metaphor "You want to ride my motorcycle?" serving as a double entendre for sex.false2022-11-02 13:12:26G I R L420142014-01-012014-01-0151Contemporary R&BDance-PopFunkNeo SoulPopPop SoulR&BSoul11769722159252bf7e160-aeeb-4cfa-8cba-c84abe967131149f91ef-1287-46da-9a8e-87fee02f1471b98397c3-76c8-4d00-8274-fbbc418bb99f/media/data/media4/Music/Pharrell Williams/Girl/folder.jpgPharrell WilliamsAlbumArtist/config/metadata/People/P/Pharrell Williams/folder.jpgPharrell WilliamsArtist/config/metadata/People/P/Pharrell Williams/folder.jpgPharrell WilliamsPharrell WilliamsPharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), often known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the hip hop and R&B production duo the Neptunes, which he formed in 1992 with Chad Hugo. They produced 15 singles which peaked within the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, including four songs that peaked atop the chart. He also formed the alternative band N.E.R.D. with Hugo and drummer Shay Haley in 1999, for which Williams serves as lead vocalist. He has been considered one of the most influential music producers of the 21st century for his impact on popular music.
After co-founding the record label Star Trak Entertainment with Hugo as an imprint of Arista Records in 2001, Williams released his 2003 debut single, "Frontin'" (featuring Jay-Z), which peaked at number five on the 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 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 year, he won two Grammy Awards—Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance—for his appearance alongside Nile Rodgers on Daft Punk's single "Get Lucky", which peaked at number two on the chart. Williams' 2013 single, "Happy"—released for the soundtrack to the animated film Despicable Me 2—became his second song to peak atop the chart within that same year. It also served as the lead single for his second album, Girl (2014), which peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 and saw positive critical reception.
Williams has received numerous accolades and nominations. He has won 13 Grammy Awards, including three for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical (one as a member of the Neptunes). He is also a two-time Academy Award nominee: in 2014 for Best Original Song for "Happy"; and in 2017 for Best Picture as a producer of Hidden Figures. As sole proprietor, he founded the multi-disciplinary media company I Am Other in 2014, which acts as both a record label and creative umbrella for his other endeavors, including his fashion label and retailer, Billionaire Boys Club. He has served as Men's creative director for Louis Vuitton since 2023.