PHARRELL

Pharrell Williams, Trent Reznor, And Maren Morris Moved A Step Closer To Winning Best Original Song At The 2025 Oscars

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Dianne Warren has been nominated in the Best Original Song category at the Academy Awards a record 15 times — and never won. The songwriter will try for a 16th nomination at the 2025 Oscars, as her song for Tyler Perry’s The Six Triple Eight, “The Journey,” made it to the shortlist. All she has to do is beat Pharrell Williams… and Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross… and Elton John and Brandi Carlile… and Maren Morris… and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

The nominees will be announced on Friday, January 17. The Oscars air on ABC on Sunday, March 2, 2025.

Below, you can find the shortlist for Best Original Song at the 2025 Oscars, along with each track’s songwriters (the award goes to the lyricists, not the performers).

The Shortlist For Best Original Song At The 2025 Oscars

“Forbidden Road” by Robbie Williams, Freddy Wexler, and Sacha Skarbek from Better Man
“Winter Coat” by Nicholas Britell, Steve McQueen, and Taura Stinson from Blitz
“Compress/Repress” by Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross, and Luca Guadagnino from Challengers
“Never Too Late” by Elton John and Brandi Carlile from Elton John: Never Too Late
“El Mal” by Clément Ducol, Camille, and Jacques Audiard from Emilia Pérez
“Mi Camino” by Clément Ducol and Camille from Emilia Pérez
“Sick In The Head” by Móglaí Bap, Mo Chara, DJ Próvaí, Adrian Louis Richard Mcleod, and Toddla T from Kneecap
“Beyond” by Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear from Moana 2
“Tell Me It’s You” by Lin-Manuel Miranda from Mufasa: The Lion King
“Piece By Piece” by Pharrell Williams from Piece By Piece
“Like A Bird” by Abraham Alexander, Brandon Marcel, and Adrian Quesada from Sing Sing
“The Journey” by Diane Warren from The Six Triple Eight
“Out Of Oklahoma” by Lainey Wilson, Luke Dick, and Shane McAnally from Twisters
“Kiss The Sky” by Delacey, Jordan Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Maren Morris, Michael Pollack and Ali Tamposi from The Wild Robot
“Harper And Will Go West” by Sean Douglas, Kristen Wiig, and Josh Greenbaum from Will & Harper

Drake And PETA Are Now On Good Terms After The Rapper’s OVO Clothing Brand Updated Its Featured Materials

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Drake has a mountain of music enemies, and it seems to grow by the day. However, the “Family Matters” rapper has found a friend in an enormous organization.

Over on X (formerly Twitter), PETA announced that their beef has been traded in for vegan chocolate. In the post, PETA revealed that Drake’s OVO clothing brand has nixed its use of animal fur.

“Here’s a toast to @champagnepapi! Clothing and lifestyle brand October’s Very Own (OVO), cofounded by Canadian rapper Drake, has confirmed that it will no longer sell products with real animal fur,” wrote the organization.

PETA went on to brag that their stern advocacy and constant communication with the company played a huge role in the call. “The decision follows pressure from PETA and more than 100,000 e-mails to the brand from PETA’s supporters urging the company to ban fur—including fur from rabbits and coyotes,” PETA wrote. “In thanks, we’ve sent the company some delicious bunny–shaped vegan chocolates.”

The same can not be currently said of Drake’s foe Pharrell and Louis Vuitton.

Over the past few months Pharrell has been approached at least twice in-person. During a Piece By Piece screening, a protestor attempted to storm the stage to shame Louis Vuitton, where Pharrell serves as the Men’s Creative Director. He was also approached outside of the GQ Men Of The Year Party.

It looks like PETA’s work isn’t done just yet.

A New Movie Based On Pharrell’s Childhood Will Feature Halle Bailey, Janelle Monáe, Anderson. Paak, And Missy Elliott

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Pharrell had one of the year’s most notable movies with Piece By Piece, a biopic animated in the style of Lego. He’s not finished telling his story through film yet: It was just revealed he’s teaming up with Michel Gondry on Golden, a movie set for 2025 that was inspired by his childhood.

The cast is led by Kelvin Harrison Jr. and Halle Bailey. Bailey isn’t the only noteworthy musician in the movie, as the film also features Janelle Monáe, Anderson. Paak, and Missy Elliott. The cast is rounded out by Da’vine Joy Randolph, Brian Tyree Henry, and Quinta Brunson.

Of the movie, Pharrell tells Empire:

“Piece By Piece is about my life, whereas Golden is about a neighborhood that I grew up in. This is very different. It’s a musical expedition, set in the summer of 1977 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, with the spirit of the music [of that time]. You know how in Dirty Dancing and Grease, the music was almost a character? That’s what it’s like in this film. It’s a coming-of-age story about self-discovery and pursuing your dreams, but it’s so much more magical than that. It’s a celebration of Black life, Black culture, and most importantly, Black joy.”

The film was originally titled Atlantis, after the housing development where Pharrell grew up. Of the name change, Pharrell explains, “It just speaks to the narrative, the area, the energy and literally everything about [the film, which is] this analysis of what being ‘golden’ is. Children and grown-ups with inner children within them can connect to it and realize that there’s a golden aspect to them too, whether it’s realized or latent.”

Pharrell Wasn’t Too Happy About Being Aggressively Confronted Seemingly By PETA Protestors (Yet Again)

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Pharrell has found himself in the middle of controversy yet again. but this time it has nothing to do with his hot takes on celebrities’ involvement in politics.

In the famed producer’s animated biopic, Piece By Piece, he showcased his ability to maintain his cool under pressure. Following after the GQ Men Of The Year Party in West Hollywood, California onlookers witnessed it firsthand. As the “Happy” musician attempted to leave the annual shindig, held on November 14, Pharrell was aggressively confronted outside of his car service.

During the exchange, captured by The Hollywood Fix (viewable here), the animal rights advocates can be heard screaming: “Shame on you, you animal murder. You are a loser. What type of person still uses fur?”

Initially, Pharrell lashes back at the protester mocking them repeating back, “Shame on you.” Then as the cameras grew closer, Pharrell let his frustrations go. He then says, “I don’t use fur. God bless you.”

Afterward, Pharrell attempts to cut their tension with a hug. However, the activists were not open to the embrace. Back in September, Pharrell’s Piece By Piece screening, the event was crashed by PETA supporters carrying a sign which read: “Pharrell: Stop Killing Animals For Fashion.”

PETA and Pharrell jagged relationship is tied to his post as Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Creative Director.

Drake May Have Melted Down Pharrell’s Old Chains But The Producer Wasn’t Bothered By It

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Drake boasted about buying and melting down Pharrell Williams‘ old chains in a few recent songs, but Pharrell isn’t bothered by the gestures, calling them the actions of a “fan of music.” In a conversation with GQ, Pharrell was asked how he felt about Drake’s verses from songs like Travis Scott’s “Meltdown” and the Kendrick Lamar diss “Family Matters.”

Pharrell responded with a typically even-keeled answer, saying, “No, because I think beyond all of the on-goings, at the heart of all of it, he’s a fan of music. He’s a fan of the history of what it is, and I happen to be a part of that, and those artifacts are a part of it.” He said he was “cool” with Drake buying his chains and didn’t have any thoughts on what the Canadian star melting them down might mean about Drake’s feelings about him.

“I guess some things are not for me to understand,” he admitted. “When you let things go, a huge part of it is actually letting go. Not just of the physical item, but letting go of your connection to what it’s supposed to mean, or the memory. You’re literally letting them go. That was the purpose. It’s like when people sell something and they go, ‘I just want to make sure you take care of it because this is my baby.’ And I’m like, ‘No, no, no.’ This is not my baby. That’s why I’m letting it go.”

While some fans determined Drake’s actions and bars to be disrespectful toward Pharrell (“I melt down the chains that I bought from yo’ boss / Give a f*ck about all of that heritage sh*t” from “Meltdown” and “You wanna take up for Pharrell, then come get his legacy out of my house” from “Family Matters”), it seemed that Williams was merely collateral damage in Drake’s ongoing feuds with Pusha T and Kendrick Lamar — the only ones he is widely believed to have lost. Maybe his first step at making amends could be to mend fences with the Virginia hitmaker.

Pharrell Assures Fans That Andre 3000 Will Start Rapping Again

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Pharrell is in legacy mode. The legendary producer is promoting his new biopic, Piece by Piece, and talking about the various ways in which creativity manifests. Pharrell has always been someone who has balanced his artistic muse with commercial sensibilities. It’s this threading of the needle that makes him uniquely qualified to speak on the career of Andre 3000. The Outkast rapper has seemingly abandoned hip hop to make experimental jazz. Pharrell is not worried, however. He predicted that Andre will find his way back to the genre that made him.

Pharrell got on the topic of 3K during a recent profile with GQ. Pharrell and Andre came up around the same time, and were at their artistic and commercial peak during the 2000s. Both men are also revered for their eclectic tastes and adoration of Prince. Skateboard P commended the Outkast rapper for taking a risk and following his muse. He also urged the fans to be patient, and let Andre 3000 return to hip hop on his own terms. “People got all this judgment and they don’t understand,” he asserted. “People should just give him his time. He’s going to be back. That feeling finds you—you can’t run from it.”

Read More: Pharrell Clarifies He Didn’t Mean To Diss Taylor Swift With Shot At Politcal Endorsements

Pharrell Predicts Andre’s Comeback Will Be “Hot”

Pharrell also noted that the same eclecticism that’s driving Andre 3000 to experiment with jazz is the same eclecticism fans praised during his time with Outkast. You can’t separate one from the other, and so patience is the best approach. “He not running, he just saying he not going to force it,” he explained. “What you love about him was when he was compelled. It’ll be back.” P also voiced excitement over how good Andre 3000’s return to hip hop will be. “When [he] does,” he noted. “He’s going to come in hot.”

Pharrell and Andre 3000 worked together on the N.E.R.D song “Rollinem 7’s” from 2017. The latter drops an absolutely mind-melting guest verse, proving that he still has what it takes to out rhyme guys who are half his age. Pharrell’s iconic production duo, the Neptunes, was also inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2019, the same year as Outkast. We hope Pharrell’s assertions about Andre 3000 are correct, and we hope to see these two collaborate again in the future.

Read More: Pharrell Williams Has The Perfect Response For Drake’s “Meltdown” Diss

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Pharrell Williams Debuts Music Video for “Piece By Piece” from New Animated Biopic Soundtrack

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GRAMMY Award-winning and Academy Award®-nominated musician Pharrell Williams has unveiled the official music video for his new original song, “Piece By Piece.” Directed by Academy Award-winner Morgan Neville, the video blends footage from the animated biopic Piece By Piece and new LEGO® animation.

The music video follows the release of the full soundtrack for the major motion picture Piece By Piece, which includes five original songs by Williams. Among these tracks are “Piece By Piece,” featuring the Princess Anne High School Fabulous Marching Cavaliers, and other songs like “It’s Happening,” “VIRGINIA Boy (Remix)” featuring Tyler, the Creator, “L’EGO Odyssey,” and “For Real.”

In addition to new tracks, the soundtrack features 16 of Pharrell’s greatest hits from his storied career, including collaborations with artists like Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Justin Timberlake, and Gwen Stefani.

Pharrell, who is also the Louis Vuitton menswear Creative Director, continues to expand his artistic influence with this latest venture into film music, blending his distinct musical style with animation in Piece By Piece.

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Pharrell Celebrates His Career In The Lego-Animated ‘Piece By Piece’ Video

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Piece By Piece, the Lego-animated biopic/documentary about the life and career of Pharrell Williams is out now. Although its box office receipts don’t exactly reflect it, it’s one of the most innovative and interesting examples of the genre, even with a growing number of “weird” biopics on the market. The new music video for its title track is a shining microcosm of the vibrancy of the film, including clips from the movie’s musical sequence highlighting the song and bits and pieces (heh) from throughout its colorful narrative.

The film knows it’s an unusual take on the genre, too, pointing out repeatedly that animating a story — with Lego pieces, no less — is a move most musicians wouldn’t take. Pharrell even went so far as hiding its animated format from some of the interview subjects, like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, to ensure they’d give more naturalistic responses. The result is as visually stunning as Pharrell’s production catalog has been for audiences’ ears for the past 20 years — although it does take a few liberties with the facts of Pharrell’s development as an artist and a pitchman. It’s still fun to see little animated details on the Lego avatars of his collaborators, like Lego Snoop Dogg’s little pocket bandana or Lego Gwen Stefani’s painted-on, Rocksteady-era abs. It’s worth checking it out, when you get some time.

In the meantime, you can watch the “Piece By Piece” video above.

Pharrell Says Writing His Hit Song ‘Happy’ Wasn’t A Happy Time At All, In Fact It ‘Broke Him’

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Pharrell Williams’ life story is officially on the big screen. The famed producer’s Lego style biopic, Piece By Piece, can be viewed at your nearest theater and to promote it Pharrell is opening up about some major moments in his career.

During an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, Pharrell made a shocking confession about his optimistic hit, “Happy.” The track, which featured in Despicable Me 2 and its soundtrack served as positive reinforcement for listeners. But according to Pharrell writing the smash “broke him.”

“I had written 9 songs that were rejected,” he said. “It was only until you were out of ideas, and you asked yourself a rhetorical question, and you came back with a sarcastic answer, and that’s what ‘Happy’ was. How do you make a song about a person that’s so happy that nothing can bring them down? And I sarcastically answered it and put music to it, and that sarcasm became the song, and that broke me.”

However, Pharrell managed to find the silver lining, saying: “It’s so crazy for us to think like as individuals, everything comes from us. Your ideas, everything that you get, is coming from a library of existence. Nothing is new under the sun.”

In the past, Pharrell admitted that after a while he grew annoyed with the record just like the rest of us after it become unavoidable.

Watch Pharrell Williams and Morgan Neville’s full interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe above.

Pharrell Continues To Impress With “Piece By Piece” Soundtrack

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Pharrell knows how to make great music. He’s been doing it since 1992, when he penned a verse for the classic rap single “Rump Shaker.” The single is on the Piece By Piece soundtrack, since the movie of the same name tells Pharrell’s life and career story. There are other classic songs on here, and collabs with the likes of JAY-Z, Snoop Dogg, Clipse, and Justin Timberlake. Piece By Piece is, in one regard, one of the best greatest hits packages you could ever hope to come across. It is a sampler of the best hip hop, pop and R&B music of the last three decades. Don’t worry, though, there’s new stuff too.

It would be pointless to sit here and write about the merits of, say, “Superthug” or “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk. You know these songs, and depending on how you feel about “Happy,” you love these songs. It’s the new material, largely composed and performed by Pharrell solo, that makes Piece By Piece such an interesting listen. Most of the new songs are up top, and they are stellar. “For Real” and the title song are Pharrell in his bag, dishing out radiant melodies over oddball production. The obvious highlight is the “Virginia Boy” remix, though. Pharrell and his protege, Tyler, The Creator, sound like they’re having a ball on the hard-hitting song.

Let us know what you think of this brand new album, in the comments section down below. Additionally, stay tuned to HNHH for the latest news and updates from around the music world. We will continue to keep you informed on all of your favorite artists and their upcoming projects.

Read More: Pharrell And ASAP Rocky Will Serve As Co-Chairs For The 2025 Met Gala

Pharrell And Tyler, The Creator Shine On “Virginia Boy” Remix

Piece By Piece Soundtrack tracklist:

  1. It’s Happening
  2. Piece By Piece
  3. Virginia Boy (Remix) [featuring Tyler, The Creator]
  4. L’Ego Odyssey
  5. For Real
  6. Maybe (featuring N.E.R.D)
  7. God Bless Us All (featuring N.E.R.D)
  8. Senorita (featuring Justin Timberlake)
  9. Rock Star (featuring N.E.R.D)
  10. Rump Shaker (featuring Wreckx-N-Effect)
  11. Superthug (featuring N.O.R.E.)
  12. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) [featuring JAY-Z]
  13. Drop It Like It’s Hot (featuring Snoop Dogg)
  14. Grindin’ (featuring Clipse)
  15. Frontin’ (featuring JAY-Z)
  16. Beautiful (featuring Charlie Wilson & Snoop Dogg)
  17. Sooner or Later (featuring N.E.R.D)
  18. Get Lucky (featuring Daft Punk)
  19. Happy
  20. Alright (featuring Kendrick Lamar)

Read More: Pharrell Has A Unique Take On His Iconic Single, “Beautiful”

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