Pharrell Talks Oscars Gig, Lupe Fiasco Joint Album, & Jay-Z's 'Glory'
Pharrell is a man of few words. The musical maestro was not particularly forthcoming in his interview with GQ, but the magazine still tried its best to get the scoop on his upcoming gig as a music consultant for the 84th Annual Academy Awards, his secretive joint album with Lupe Fiasco, his Billionaire Girls Club clothing line, and his production on “Glory,” Jay-Z’s dedication to his daughter Blue Ivy Carter. “That was another covert operation,” said P. Read on to see what he had to say.
On scoring the Oscars alongside composer Hans Zimmerman: “We have to reinterpret some of the music for the nominees. We have to do other music as well that is at times new and original and at others borrowing from movie scenes. … Hans and I have tried to keep it under wraps so that there’s literally no expectation and people are excited about the stuff we’re cooking. We’re thinking beyond the usual standards.”
On his upcoming travel book Places & Spaces I’ve Been: “It’s just things and people that have moved me and inspired me around the world and that I am also honored to know.”
On his BBC line for women: “It’s definitely us. It’s signature us. It’s awesome. … It may be in the middle of ’13. But you’ll be seeing hints of it in the marketplace in 2012.”
On his collaborative album with Lupe Fiasco: “I can’t talk about that. Lupe is my man and whatever we’re talking about we can’t really discuss and get into right now. We’re talking about some very interesting things.”
On producing Jay-Z’s “Glory”: “Uh, that was awesome. But again, that was another covert operation.”
On adding Blue Ivy’s cries at the end of the song: “That was, uh… That was, um… Everything was by design. That’s all I’ll say.”
Read the rest of the interview at GQ.com.