Pharrell Williams All Set To Perform ‘Happy’ During The Academy Awards

Pharrell Williams is all set to spread a little happiness during this year’s Oscars ceremony.

The acclaimed singer, songwriter, and producer was recently tapped to perform his Despicable Me 2 track “Happy” during the upcoming 2014 Academy Awards. The tune will also compete against “Ordinary Love,” “The Moon Song,” “Alone Yet Not Alone,” and “Let it Go” for the Best Original Best trophy.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences let Pharrell Williams fans know about his involvement with the upcoming awards ceremony on Tuesday. Considering the amount of attention the singer’s hat generated during the 2014 Grammy Awards, chances are fans will have their eyes glued to the top of Williams’ skull on March 2.

The singer penned the song for the Despicable Me sequel, a film that went on to make a deeply impressive $970 million worldwide. During a conversation with Comic Book Resources last year, Williams gave fans a little insight into how he put the song together.

He told the website:

“The process is usually the same. They usually do one of two things: They go, “We’ve just written this new scene and we need X, Y and Z.” There’s your criteria – you have directives. Or, sometimes they’ll already have temp music, where the tempo works, and the feeling of the song works, but the song is just overplayed. Or a lot of it is right but they want something new and fresh. So there’s a criteria, and then there’s your mode of inspiration. And ingeniously, these writers and the director chose a different overarching theme for this one, which was in a much more happier place.”

Instead of cranking out a traditional clip for “Happy,” Pharrell Williams put together an interactive 24-hour music video that features several people singing and dancing to the song in question. Despicable Me 2 star Steve Carell even shows up at one point during the video.

The clip’s interface, which resembles a clock, allows folks to jump around to various points with relative ease. Williams also appears at the start of every hour. Check out the official 24 Hours of Happy website if you’re curious to see the video in action.

If you’re a fan of “Happy” but don’t want to drop your hard-earned cash on the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack, then you can acquire the song when Williams releases his solo record for Columbia Records. The label announced last year that the singer’s new batch of tunes should arrive on retail shelves at some point during 2014.

Are you looking forward to seeing Pharrell Williams perform “Happy” during the 2014 Academy Awards? Do you think the track will take home the trophy for Best Original Song?

[Image via Wikimedia Commons]