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He looked back at every highlight of Pharrell’s career, from the Neptunes to hits produced for Jay-Z and Britney Spears, including, of course, the hit song “Happy,” which elevated the singer to international stardom. “The irresistible lyrics of this soundtrack, composed for Despicable Me, a movie made from a French studio, travelled far beyond cinema screens,” Macron said. “Its rhythm spread and you became the man who made the world dance in unison.”
“But Pharrell,” he continued, “with you, creation is never confined to a single art.”
On February 4, 2023, fashion house Louis Vuitton shook up the fashion world with the announcement that Pharrell was to become artistic director of its men’s collections.
Vuitton selected Pharrell “for your irreverence, your boundless creativity, and your total commitment. And from the very first year, you delivered with a spectacular debut collection, unveiled during a landmark show on the Pont Neuf, transformed for the occasion into a golden stage,” Macron said. “The world discovered the silhouettes you had imagined: the Louis Vuitton Damier reinterpreted as bold pixelated camouflage, boldly paired with denim, tailoring, or with unexpected hats and accessories.”
It was, Macron said, “a manifesto show, in your own image, expressing a vision of masculinity liberated from clichés. And you went even further at UNESCO in 2024, where your new collection carried a universal message—a call for unity among humankind, beneath the United Nations flags at the Place de Fontenoy.”
The tribute was also an opportunity to talk about Pharrell’s connection with contemporary art, into which he continues to infuse historical references, pop culture, and a sense of performance: “Moving from musician to exhibition curator might have made others hesitate. But not you. You didn’t shy away from experimenting—not even when it meant being cast in a mold, remaining immobile for hours, breathing through a straw, so that Daniel Arsham could create a sculpture in your likeness. After all, you always sought to learn from the very best, and to create alongside them.”
Macron, who recalled Williams’ participation in the Pièces Jaunes concert with his wife Brigitte Macron, didn’t shy away from commenting on the rigorous lifestyle and discipline of the artist.
“Dear Pharrell, listing all your achievements would be impossible: you have the rare ability to live a thousand passions within a single lifetime,” he said. “You managed to do so because you are incredibly talented, but also thanks to your steadfast discipline that could intimidate even an Olympic athlete. A five a.m. wake-up call. Five hundred sit-ups. Meditation. A hot bath, a cold shower—and sometimes even a burst of songwriting in the bathroom itself.”
Beyond routine, however, is something less tangible, he said. “Behind the brilliance of your success lies this daily rigor. But also a guiding principle to which you remain deeply faithful: gratitude. Gratitude for the journey that brought you here, allowing you, despite worldwide recognition, to remain the humble, witty, and deeply human creator so admired by your teams.”
Originally published in Vanity Fair France.
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Valentine Ulgu-Servant
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