The Metropolitan Museum of Art announced today that the 2025 Met Gala will be co-chaired by Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, A$AP Rocky, Pharrell Williams, and Anna Wintour, with LeBron James serving as honorary chair. According to Vogue, the star-studded event will occur on May 5, 2025, with the Costume Institute’s spring exhibition, Superfine: Tailoring Black Style, as its centerpiece.
Inspired by Monica L. Miller’s book Slaves to Fashion: Black Dandyism and the Styling of Black Diasporic Identity, the exhibition will showcase garments, paintings, photographs, and more, highlighting the influential style of Black men from the 18th century to the present day.
The Met Gala, chaired by Wintour since 1995, has long been one of fashion’s most anticipated events. The 2025 edition will focus on the enduring legacy of Black fashion and culture. The exhibition will open to the public on May 6 and run through October 26, 2025. The official dress code will be revealed in early 2025, setting the stage for an unforgettable evening of fashion and culture.
The list of the 10 highest-grossing music biopics of all-time includes Bohemian Rhapsody (#1), Straight Outta Compton (#2), Walk The Line (#4), Bob Marley: One Love (#5), I Can Only Imagine (#7), and Ray (#8). Some of those are perfectly fine films, but they’re also safe. Most music biopics are. They’re glorified Wikipedia summaries. But it appears we’re entering a new era for movies about famous artists and iconic groups that are willing to take weird risks.
When I first read about Piece By Piece, I thought it was a joke. A movie about the life and career of Pharrell Williams… told through Legos? But the more I thought about it (and once I triple-checked it was real), the more I liked the concept. For one thing, the guy who wrote and/or produced “Milkshake,” “Get Lucky,” “Happy,” “Alright,” “Hot In Herre,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and “Got Your Money,” songs so famous that I don’t even need to list the artist, absolutely deserves the biopic treatment. The Lego connection makes sense, too. Pharrell has synesthesia, which means that when he’s hearing music, he’s seeing it in color. “It’s the only way that I can identify what something sounds like,” he told NPR. “I know when something is in key because it either matches the same color or it doesn’t. Or it feels different and it doesn’t feel right.”
Piece By Piece is a playful extension of Pharrell’s unique way of perceiving the world. But why Legos, in particular? “It’s never too late for you to go pick up a Lego set and make things and be a co-creator. It’s never too late to wake up to that. It’s never too late to gain that self-awareness,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “This is my dream, for people to have that.”
If your dream is to see a movie about Robbie Williams told from the perspective of a monkey, you’re in luck!
As a kid, I was confused by the popularity of Robbie Williams. I would read about how he was a massive star in Europe, but in the United States, it was crickets. Even now, I’m only vaguely aware of a few of his songs, so Better Man normally wouldn’t be something on my radar — until I saw the trailer, which has the only acceptable use of “I know what you’re thinking” in voiceover history. He’s right: what is with the monkey? Better Man is “based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams,” per the official synopsis, but instead of Robbie being represented by, like, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, he’s portrayed by actor Jonno Davies in a mo-cap suit to look like a CGI monkey. Obviously.
So, about the monkey: why? “I asked you [Robbie] if you were an animal, how would you see yourself? In your own words, you would refer to being dragged up on stage to perform like a monkey,” director Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman) said in an interview with the singer. “I immediately thought portraying you not as we see you, but how you see yourself… I am going to see you and relate to you in a way that is going to be more engaging than yet another musical biopic.” It’s a clever creative decision, as it depicts Robbie Williams how he perceives himself, and a smart financial one, too. “Do you want to see the Robbie Williams movie?” Eh, not really. “Do you want to see the movie where that pop star is played by a monkey?” I’m buying tickets now.
Piece By Piece, Better Man, Alex Ross Perry’s experimental Pavements, and before them, Baz Luhrmann’s King of Rock and Roll fever dream Elvis, aren’t the first weird biopics. There’s Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, an experimental short about The Carpenters singer, and I’m Not There, featuring six different actors playing Bob Dylan, both from director Todd Haynes. The hilarious Weird: The Al Yankovic Story literally has the word “weird” in the title! But in a post-Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story world, which brilliantly mocked every rise-and-fall trope, it’s nice to see familiar biopics told in unfamiliar ways. The generic Back To Black‘s of the world are always going to exist, but if Piece By Piece and Better Man do well (they’re both getting solidreviews), maybe we’ll get a Nine Inch Nails Broadway-style musical. Or a Stevie Wonder pixel-art animated movie. Or a Fleetwood Mac erotic thriller. Let’s get weird.
Piece By Piece is out in theaters on October 11, followed by Better Man on December 25
When you click on this song, via YouTube or streaming, you’ll see the name Doodles. Don’t get confused. Doodles is the name of the new duo formed by Lil Yachty and Swae Lee. It’s an odd name, but it actually sums up the bouncy, happy-go-lucky tone of their music together. “Doodleverse” is the first Doodles single. And it features a guest appearance/production from Pharrell Williams. That is a lot of star power to have on one song. That’s decades of hits in various styles, so it was hard to predict what this would sound like.
“Doodleverse” sounds like a hallucinatory dream in an Adult Swim show. It sounds both surreal and silly, especially with Lil Yachty taking center stage on the chorus. Getting him to sing about “Doodleverse,” where all the Doodles live magically, is going to be a non-starter for some. We get it. If you’re able to get over the Lil Yachty hurdle, though, you’ll find that “Doodleverse” is a pretty fun song. Pharrell’s production is bouncy and perfectly suited to the title. He probably comes in third in terms of vocal contributions, but that’s only because Swae Lee steals the show. The former Rae Sremmurd rapper is able to float effortlessly over the beat, giving the song some much needed shape.
Let us know what you think of this brand-new track, 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.
Pharrell is in legacy mode. The legendary artist and producer is on the cusp of releasing a LEGO biopic about his life, Piece By Piece. There’s a lot to get through, given all the different hats he’s worn. Each of these hats has been accompanied by incredible music, though. Pharrell has finally unveiled the tracklist for the Piece By Piece soundtrack, and it lived up to the hype. Not only will fans get an assembly of some of the artist’s most beloved songs, but some new ones too. And a brand new collab with protege, Tyler, The Creator.
There are some obvious inclusions here, as they rank among the biggest hits of Pharrell’s career. We’re talking songs like “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk and “Alright” with Kendrick Lamar. There’s also “Happy,” which remains Skateboard P’s biggest solo hit to date. It appeared on the soundtrack to another kids film, Despicable Me 2, so no-brainer there. Less expected, but just as welcome, are the inclusions of classic N.E.R.D. songs like “Sooner or Later,” “God Bless Us All” and “Maybe.” N.E.R.D. is an essential piece of the Pharrell puzzle, so it’s nice to know they made the cut.
Yes, JAY-Z, Snoop Dogg and Clipse get inclusions with the classic singles “Give It 2 Me,” “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and “Grindin.” The most exciting material on the soundtrack, though, is the new stuff. Pharrell wrote the first two songs on the tracklist, “It’s Happening” and “Piece By Piece,” specifically for the film. Then there’s “L’Ego Odyssey” and “For Real,” which will also play crucial roles in the narrative. Then there’s a previously unheard Tyler, The Creator remix to the song “Virginia Boy.” It’s been a minute since these two have worked together, and we can’t wait to hear what it sounds like. Piece By Piece soundtrack is slated to drop October 11.
It’s Happening
Piece By Piece
Virginia Boy (Remix) [featuring Tyler, The Creator]
Pharrell Williams probably isn’t the first musician you would think of to have their life be turned into movie, let alone a Lego movie — until you take a look at how many hits he’s had a hand in.
With The Neptunes, there’s over a dozen top-10 hits, including “U Don’t Have to Call” by Usher, “Hot In Herre” by Nelly, “Rock Your Body” by Justin Timberlake, “Milkshake” by Kelis, “Drop It Like It’s Hot” by Snoop Dogg, “Hollaback Girl” by Gwen Stefani, and “Money Maker” by Ludacris. Pharrell also produced “Blurred Lines” and wrote “Happy” (which he also sings) and “Get Lucky,” two impossibly catchy songs that will be played at weddings and bar/bat mitzvahs until the end of time. So, yeah, with that context, the Pharrell movie Piece By Piece makes a lot more sense.
Here’s everything to know about Piece By Piece, including plot details, the voice cast, and when it comes out.
Plot
The trailer for Piece By Piece begins with Pharrell telling Oscar-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) that it would be cool “if we told my story with Lego pieces.” It’s not dissimilar from how it happened in real life. “That’s how the conversation went down in my head,” Neville told Variety. “I didn’t know what it was going to be, but it was going to be interesting and I was completely in.”
Pharrell was initially wary of participating in a biopic or documentary about himself because “everyone was doing them at the time, and I was like, ‘Hell no.’ I never want to do what everybody else is doing. Everybody’s taking the Lincoln Tunnel, then I want to take a plane,” he explained. “But when [Neville] finally said the magic words, ‘You can do it any way you want,’ I knew deep down inside that I wanted to do it through Lego.” Sounds like enjoyed Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga as much as I did (fun game!).
Piece By Piece features animated reenactments of key moments in Pharrell’s life and interviews with some of his famous collaborators, including Kendrick Lamar, Gwen Stefani, and Jay Z. Except they didn’t know they were going to appear in Lego form. “We purposely did not tell anyone that that would be the finished product. We wanted people to just answer the questions and really give their full, unedited reactions to the opportunity to do the interviews,” the hit-maker confessed. “Because if we would’ve said, ‘Okay, this is going to be in Lego,’ then people would have sort of curved what they were saying.”
Pharrell’s hope with Piece By Piece is to inspire people to follow their ambitions, as he did. “It’s never too late for you to go pick up a Lego set and make things and be a co-creator. It’s never too late to wake up to that. It’s never too late to gain that self-awareness,” he told The Hollywood Reporter. “This is my dream, for people to have that.”
Cast
The voice cast consists of [famous person] as themselves, beginning with Pharrell Williams as, well, himself. There’s also Gwen Stefani, Kendrick Lamar, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Busta Rhymes, Jay Z, and Snoop Dogg.
Release Date
It’s surprisingly been five years since the last big-screen Lego movie, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part. That streak comes to an end on October 11, when Piece By Piece opens in theaters (the same weekend as Saturday Night, Terrifier 3, and We Live In Time — and they say counterprogramming is dead).
Trailer
You can check out the trailer for Piece By Piece below.
As annoying as social media has made some things, there’s one place the concept still absolutely excels: Hoisting goofballs on their own petards with a timely “this you?”
Pharrell may have some egg on his face after claiming “I don’t do politics” in a recent interview. After decrying celebrities who “tell you who to vote for” — at a time when the fabric of democracy of itself is on the line — fans were quick to remind the producer that he does, in fact, “do politics,” pulling up his photos for the “Vote Or Die!” campaign of 2004 on Twitter. They also resurfaced a tweet from Pharrell’s account endorsing former NFL player Aaron Rouse for Virginia State Senator in a special election in 2022. “Virginia! Let your voice be heard, VOTE NOW,” he wrote, adding a very clear suggestion of whom to vote for with a #TeamRouse hashtag (were we still doing those in ’22?).
Speaking of choosing sides, Pharrell’s antics of late might just have fans claiming #TeamChad in Hugo’s lawsuit against his former production partner for control over The Neptunes name. There’s no telling how Pharrell’s upcoming Lego-animated biopic Piece By Piece will affect that outcome, other than continuing to convince people that Pharrell Williams might just be a deeply unserious person.
At this point in the 2024 presidential election cycle, most celebrities have made it clear where they stand when it comes to their candidate of choice. Pharrell, though, would prefer that most of those celebrities pipe down.
“I don’t do politics. In fact, I get annoyed sometimes when I see celebrities trying to tell you [who to vote for]. There are celebrities that I respect that have an opinion, but not all of them. I’m one of them people [who says], ‘What the heck? Shut up. Nobody asked you.’ When people get out there and get self-righteous and they roll up their sleeves and sh*t, and they are out there walking around with a placard: ‘Shut up!’ So, no, I would rather stay out of the way, and obviously, I’m going to vote how I’m going to vote. I care about my people and I care about the country, but I feel there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, and I’m really about the action.”
Pharrell is pushing his Something In the Water festival to 2025. Originally set for April 2024, it was moved to October. The fest will be presented to Virginia in 2025.
“Dearest Virginia, I love you with all my heart,” Pharrell wrote on Instagram. “Nobody loves you more than I do. Virginia doesn’t deserve better, Virginia deserves THE BEST. So SOMETHING IN THE WATER has to match that. It just isn’t ready yet. That’s why we as a team have decided that we must postpone this year’s SOMETHING IN THE WATER festival that was due to take place in October.”
You can see his entire message below.
Dearest Virginia, you deserve THE BEST. I promise it will be worth the wait. See you in April. All my love – P pic.twitter.com/X5z2fX1WcO
If you were holding your breath until Something In The Water 2024’s lineup reveal, you can sadly exhale. Yesterday (September 13), the multi-day festival’s founder Pharrell Williams revealed that this year’s event has officially been postponed.
In a heartfelt note posted to the festival’s Instagram page, the “Double Life” musician revealed that Something In The Water will be pushed back to 2025.
“Dearest Virginia, I love you with all my heart,” he wrote. “Nobody loves you more than I do. Virginia doesn’t deserve better, Virginia deserves THE BEST. So SOMETHING IN THE WATER has to match that. It just isn’t ready yet. That’s why we as a team have decided that we must postpone this year’s SOMETHING IN THE WATER festival that was due to take place in October.”
Since its inception, Something In The Water has faced difficulties from inclement weather the logistical hiccups. However, organizers have managed to tough it out. But to ensure its best possible installment, the team felt it was best to hold off until next year.
To close the note, Pharrell was sure to extend his thanks for the continued support. “I am so grateful to our amazing sponsors and the city for their continued support and trust in us to get this right,” he wrote. “And that time is April 2025.”
View the full statement below.
Instagram
Refunds are currently being offered at the point of purchase. But it is important to note that local in-person purchasers are urged to go to the Veterans United Home Loan Amphitheater ticket office to be reimbursed. Also, those who previously purchased a ticket are promised first access to the sale for Something In The Water 2025. Find more information here.
That sound you just heard was millions of millennials crying out in anguish as yet another part of their childhoods died today. In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Pharrell Williams confirmed that he and his former production partner Chad Hugo, with whom he’d collaborated as The Neptunes throughout the late ’90s and 2000s, are no longer on speaking terms after Hugo filed a lawsuit against him over the use of their group name.
When asked about the status of their relationship, Pharrell replied only, “I always wish him the absolute best.” Pressed about whether the two are on speaking terms, he admitted, “No. But I love him, and I always wish him the absolute best, and I’m very grateful for our time together.”
The Neptunes collectively produced dozens of hits throughout their tenure as a hotly demanded duo, working with Beyoncé, Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, Nelly, Snoop Dogg, and more. The duo also formed two-thirds of the experimental rock trio N.E.R.D. with Shay Haley, producing five albums from 2001 to 2017.
Hugo sued Williams in April after Pharrell allegedly filed for trademarks for the Neptunes’ name without including his former partner. Chad’s attorneys said this violated their standing agreement to split the group’s profits 50/50, while Pharrell’s reps argued that they had attempted to contact Hugo several times with no success.
Despite not speaking to Pharrell, Chad’s voice will be heard in Pharrell’s animated biopic, Piece By Piece, which uses documentary interviews with collaborators like Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, who weren’t informed of its animated nature.
