Pharrell Williams to perform at Oscars
Singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams may need to get a new hat for the occasion.
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced Tuesday that Williams, who recently gained an Internet fan base (and Twitter account) for the park ranger-esque hat he wore at the Grammy Awards, 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.”
OSCARS 2014: Complete list of nominees
“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.
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