So when I’m playing, I’m sort of painting a feeling but in the air. You treat the air as a canvas and the paint is the chords that come through your fingers, out of the keyboard. What would you say inspires you in your music? What is it that inspires you to create your music? So, I’m interviewing you, right? And I think it’s seven questions, or something like that? WILLIAMS: No, listen, man, I can’t believe I’m on the phone with you. So please forgive me for being late with this call. JACKSON: You must forgive me, but Gregory Peck, who died yesterday, was a very dear friend of mine, and I’ve been helping his wife prepare the memorial and all those things. PHARRELL WILLIAMS: Hello! How are you, man? With Star Trak Presents… Clones (Star Trak/Arista), a star-studded compilation of Neptunes tracks due this month, Williams is at pop music’s pinnacle-a place his interviewer, the legendary Michael Jackson, knows all about.
As one half of the production team the Neptunes (with Chad Hugo), he has translated soulful rhythms and infectious melodies into a slew of hits for the likes of Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, No Doubt, P. Whether he’s crafting beats for Britney, singing alongside Snoop, or remaking rock with his band N.E.R.D., Williams is music’s man with the golden touch. If a song is currently burning up the charts, chances are that Pharrell Williams’ fingerprints are all over it. Music’s Hottest Hitmaker Talks to the Thriller In our August 2003 issue, Pharrell sat down with legend Michael Jackson to discuss his outlook on music and the success he’d accomplished so far. Amongst his list of nominations is the Grammy’s highest honor, Album of the Year, for which Pharrell will essentially be competing against himself as he produced two other albums nominated in the same category: Ed Sheeran’s x and Beyoncé’s self-titled Beyoncé. This number ties him for the most nominated artist of the night alongside Sam Smith and Beyoncé. In March this year, eight years after his debut solo album, In My Mind, Pharrell released his sophomore solo effort, G I R L, which helped the artist earn six nominations at the 57th annual Grammy Awards. Through his features on two of 2013’s biggest hits–”Blurred Lines” by Robin Thicke and “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk–Williams further substantiated his role as more than just a producer within the industry. took home four of the six Grammy nominations he received. Working behind the scenes of the music industry since the ’90s, Pharrell Williams has produced hit records for Britney, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Frank Ocean, Ed Sheeran, and Beyoncé, just to name a few.