Pharrell to Cover GQ

Fresh off the release of G I R L, Pharrell Williams gets ready to grace the cover of GQ’s April issue. While the cover shoot looks to have gone well, the associated cover story and interview are really what’s to pay attention to, as they give a great look into Pharrell‘s current mindset and gets his opinions on many of the things that have been going on in his life lately. Read a few excerpts from the interview portion below, or click here to read the story in full.

GQ: Originally G I R L was going to come out in May. Why did you end up moving up the release to March 3?
Because Columbia just was like, “You’re almost done with it; you’re doing the Oscars. There’s almost a billion people watching: Why not give it to them then?” I was like, “Alright, cool.”

This is your second solo record, after 2006’s In My Mind—did this one feel different? 
Way different. In My Mind was just purpose-oriented toward, like, competing and being like my peers—the Jays and the Puffs of the world, who make great music. But their purposes and their intentions are just completely different than what I have discovered in myself that I wanted to achieve in this one. So it makes it easier to sing about, because I don’t gotta sing about myself. Jay’s good at that. He’s great at it. I began to sound so self-serving and so self-satisfied, whereas he can do it and make you feel inspirational about who he is and what his intention is.

The last time I saw you was the week before the Grammys, and you were wearing the original buffalo hat, and it didn’t seem so outrageous. Then you wear it on the Grammy red carpet, and it becomes this enormous thing. Was that surprising to you? 
Totally. It’s not my doing. A, I didn’t create the hat. B, I didn’t produce the Grammys show, and C, I’m not the one purchasing the hat. None of it’s my doing.