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Posts tagged as ““Happy””

Pharrell Williams Lands A “Happy” Book Deal with Putnam Books

By goodblacknews on February 25, 2015
Pharrell_Cropped
Prolific producer, musical artist and “The Voice” coach Pharrell Williams (pictured) recently secured a deal with publisher Putnam Books for a series inspired by his hit song, “Happy,” according to USA Today.
The 41-year-old Grammy Award winning singer-songwriter and trendsetter will write four books — the first one tentatively titled “Happy” — set to hit bookstores on September 22.  The book will reportedly have pictures of children from around the globe who will be “celebrating what it means to be happy,” according to the news site.
The mega-infectious ditty that was originally released in 2013 as part of the “Despicable Me 2″ soundtrack became a chart-topper last year.  “Happy” also earned Pharrell an Oscar nomination in 2014 in the “Best Original Song” category.  The song’s winning streak kept going this year at the Grammy Awards when it won Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Music Video.
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“Happy” will be Pharrell’s first venture into book writing and Putnam’s umbrella publisher, Penguin Books has reportedly already planned a 250,000 first run printing.
“I’m humbled by the global success of Happy, but especially in awe of the song’s young fans,” Pharrell said according to USA Today. “My collaboration with Penguin allows me to continue a dialogue with these children in a fresh, new way. We’re both committed to feeding the curiosity of young minds with imagination.”
article by Lori Lakin Hutcherson (follow @lakinhutcherson)

Pharrell Williams To Replace CeeLo Green As ‘The Voice’ Coach

By goodblacknews on March 31, 2014

Pharrell WilliamsGrammy Award-winning producer/musician Pharrell Williams will join NBC’s singing competition The Voice next season, the show announced on Twitter. He replaces original coach CeeLo Green who recently announced his departure.
“It’s been a huge year for Pharrell, with recognition for his contribution in the world of music — the ‘Despicable Me’ franchise soundtracks, his Oscar-nominated song ‘Happy’ and his Grammy-winning collaboration with Daft Punk on the breakout dance hit ‘Get Lucky.’ His dominance in record sales in 2014, coupled with his incomparable accomplishments in the world of fashion and design, make him an irresistible addition to ‘The Voice’ family,” said Paul Telegdy, President, Alternative and Late Night Programming, NBC Entertainment.
Said executive producer Mark Burnett: “I am thrilled to have Pharrell come back to ‘The Voice’ family, and this time … as a coach. Continuing in ‘The Voice’ tradition of having the biggest and most current music stars as coaches, Pharrell fits perfectly.” Pharrell, who was previously an adviser to team Usher on season four of “The Voice,” is a multi-platinum and international singer-songwriter, producer and fashion designer.
article by Nellie Andreeva via deadline.com

GBN MUSIC REVIEW: Quick Love for Pharrell Williams' "GIRL"

By goodblacknews on March 3, 2014

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Review by Lesa Lakin
Review by Lesa Lakin

In our quest for great music, we didn’t hesitate to add Pharrell Williams‘ latest release GIRL to our must-have list.  He is, after all, the man who makes us “Happy.”
GIRL celebrates women in this insightful, sultry, melodically delicious album.  Giving the ladies much more than a superficial “I get you” wink, Pharrell lyrically dedicates this album to all the amazing women he’s ever come across, and had me swooning from track one.  Listen closely to “Marilyn Monroe” — he celebrates ALL females and all of our differences.  In our current climate of technology-based put downs (social media rants) and the ever-increasing desire for perfect beauty, Pharrell thoughtfully doles out the love no matter who you are or what you look like.  He wants a different girl… and it’s refreshing.

My personal favorites on the album are “Hunter”, “Come Get It Bae”, “Lost Queen” (I love when he sing/talks on this one), “It Girl” and a fun song with Justin Timberlake called “Brand New” — all great turn-it-up-and-blast songs.  There’s something about the smoothness of Pharrell’s voice paired with his incomparable, artistic use of beats, lyrics and vocals that make me want to run, bounce, dance, drive… MOVE!   Simply put, this album will make you… yes, I’m saying it again, but in all caps now – HAPPY.  Additionally, Alicia Keys lends her vocals to the inspirational track “Know Who You Are.”  Great beats for the boys with melodic compliments to empower the girls.  This man pleases all while provoking deeper feelings.

And seriously, when I heard there was even a controversy about Pharrell’s choice of cover models (hysteric claims of no brown girls)… I sighed. Who doesn’t know that Pharrell likes brown girls, all girls… and why do we even care what models he chose?  Slow your roll haters and get your facts straight — Williams is extremely inclusive.  P.S.  there is a black model featured.    
GIRL is non-stop fun and a timeless keeper which should capture audiences of various ages.  I’ve been arguing with my youngest sister for years over who the original Pharrell fan is in the family.  She actually tried to claim that she’s loved/known about “Skateboard P.”  the longest.  It’s pretty cute but I can’t ever let her have this.  I’ve been digging Pharrell since, well… I’m not going to date myself.  Just trust that Mr. Williams has been making me dance for quite some time and there are no signs of him stopping any time soon.

Oh, and about Pharrell using “GIRL” as the album’s title before everyone starts — yes, of course sometimes calling a woman a “girl” can be condescending and even worse, derogatory.  But that’s certainly not Pharrell’s intention here.  It’s a fun, inclusive and tender use of the word, and truth be told, I don’t think there is a woman out there who doesn’t want to be somebody’s girl.  I’m winking back… thanks, Pharrell.

GIRL by Pharrell Williams – GBN highly recommended

Pharrell Williams to Perform Oscar-Nominated Song "Happy" at Academy Awards

By goodblacknews on February 4, 2014

Pharrell Williams

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday that Pharrell Williams will perform his Oscar-nominated song “Happy” at the 2014 Oscars.
“Happy,” which Williams wrote and produced for the animated film Despicable Me 2, is nominated for the original song category alongside “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, “Let it Go” from Frozen and “The Moon Song” from Her.
“I wanted to send a reminder: There are lots of reasons to smile,” the 40-year-old told the Los Angeles Times in an interview in December on his nominated song. “You can be resilient with your smile. Why is it so cool to be mad all the time? Some songs, everybody’s so upset.”
The song “Happy” has a “lyric version” — a video featuring the film’s minions making mischief around the song’s words in bold fonts. It also has a website launched for the song, 24hoursofhappy.com, where the song is played on repeat for 24 hours straight.
“Each take starting every hour is me,” he told The Times. “So I did 24 four-minute takes of ‘Happy.’ From 1:00-1:04, I perform ‘Happy.’ Then at 1:04, the next person does it. We picked all kinds of people, all types. Every hour is 15 takes.”
Williams, a seven-time Grammy Award winner, was named Billboard’s producer of the decade in 2010. Most recently, he collaborated on two of 2013’s top Billboard hits: Robin Thicke‘s “Blurred Lines,” which he co-wrote and produced, and Daft Punk‘s “Get Lucky,” which he co-wrote and also sang.
The Oscars, hosted by Ellen DeGeneres, will be held March 2 at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and broadcast live on ABC.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/envelope/moviesnow/la-et-mn-pharrell-williams-oscars-20140204,0,5694271.story#ixzz2sONfjm7t