April 5 marks the 45th birthday of Pharrell Williams.
The 11-time Grammy winner, 38-time Grammy nominee, was born Pharrell Lanscilo Williams in Virginia Beach, Va. He was a part of the producing duo “The Neptunes” with Chad Hugo for a long time before he became a household name. While “The Neptunes” might not be a recognizable name, some of their songs are, like Britney Spears’ “I’m a Slave 4 U,” and Nelly’s “Hot In Herre.”
His first solo album was released in 2005, while still juggling production gigs. However, his biggest year was arguably 2013, as it brought forth “Blurred Lines” and “Get Lucky,” both of which he co-wrote and sang, and lastly, “Happy.”
The last song is his most listened to on Spotify. Williams wrote the score for the first “Despicable Me” film and wrote the single “Happy” for the sequel.
This single was at No. 1 for weeks and set a Billboard record as a crossover chart phenomenon. It is also through “Happy” that Williams earned his first Oscar nomination.
To celebrate Williams on his birthday, open the search bar in the Spotify and tap on the camera icon. Then take a picture of the code to the right and listen to his song.
Kathryn Jordan, Features Writer
