Water holds a deep fascination for Pharrell Williams, and feeds his artistic spirit.
In his latest endeavor, Humanrace Skincare, he dives right in.
His angular cheekbones are heirlooms from his grandmother.
His father gave him almond-shaped eyes.
And his sensitive, philosophical bent applies to every category of his pursuits.
Sometimes you should probably cleanse your spirit, he says.
Sometimes it’s crucial that you cleanse your mind.
Sometimes youve just got toget rid of some dead skin.
Are you seeing this?
The word Humanrace leaps off of the packaging.
Humanrace Skincare launches with a rice powder cleanser, an enzyme exfoliant, and a humidifying moisturizer.
I grew up in humidity, he says.
(He was born in Virginia Beach, less than a mile from the ocean.)
The way I think about things… Im anAries, but Im also aCancerrising.
Water makes me feel free.
Water is very inspiring to me.
In fact, its kind of a lifelong theme.
Williamss ability to market water to the Atlantic or sand to the Sahara is always on display.
To that point, he produces a loden-green sandal and thrusts it into the webcam.
It looks like a shower slide wearing a puffy tube top.
I told everybody, Listen, wearing these are like [wearing] socks, he says.
I look them up: Adidas x Pharrell Williams Boost slides, $100 a pair.
And they sell out, because people want comfort.
Water makes me feel free, says Williams.
Lead image: Cactus Plant Flea Market bracelet.
Fashion stylist, Cactus.
Hair: Johnny Castellanos.
Set designer: Sasha Wyroba.
Production: Select Services.
If you wanted to invent a title for him, Williams is Humanraces chief sensations officer.
You put on that humidifying cream.
He grins and his little black mustache goes flat.
Youre like, Oh man, my skin is popping.
He started biking around Miami 15 years ago, as a physical and spiritual exercise.
The cardio from riding some hundred miles a week keeps his skin close to his frame.
I like to be slim, he specifies.
I dont want to be bulky.
I dont want to have big muscles and shit.
Like, Im not looking to be some Greek statue.
Sometimes you should probably cleanse your spirit.
Sometimes you should probably cleanse your mind.
Sometimes youve just got to get rid of some dead skin.
Williams is riding south.
He rides south until hes done riding south, and then he rides north.
Theres this force that comes from nature that you just…
If youre down to be in tune, it speaks to you.
It speaks to me.
Theyd talk to me about their skin and the things that theyd do, he says.
(Williams married Helen Lasichanh in 2013; the couple had a son in 2008 and triplets in 2017.
He is no longer meeting women and quizzing them on their skin-care routines.)
The celebrity web connection is both the best and worst place to seek out skin-care advice.
They are often not reliable narrators.
Williamss explanation of his skin-care line is perfectly Pharrell-y: Humanrace is a full-on brand, he says.
We just want to make things better.
We want to democratize the experience of achieving wellness.
And Im not trying to be like any other wellness brand out there.
Thats what they do.
Thats what they give.
Ours is all based on results and solutions and sensations.
We wanted to look at sensations.
I mean, we live in a world that needs it.
In previous interviews, Williams has been careful to point out that he is not primarily an activist.
But this past summer, shaded by theMovement for Black Lives, his thinking has evolved.
Some people are great orators.
Some people are great strategists.
Some people can stand and hold a placard, protest sign, for way longer than other people.
There are people making sandwiches and bringing nourishment to people who are out there.
My activism has [taken a lot of shapes].
Because my culture, our lives matter.
When I ask Williams if the song is inspired at all by his business success, he demurs.
I mean, Jay and I just did that song as a PSA, Williams says.
Youve generationally been told how tough its going to be for you.
Its like youre on the baseball team, with one arm behind your back.
You might be able to catch the ball.
How far are you going to be able to hit it?
They need you to be able to make it all the way home.
Williams has made it home.
He has written or produced or performed at least one of your favorite songs.
How does Pharrell Williams make music?
Its like a house, he says.
Theres more than one way inside the house.
Its not just the front door.
The side doors, windows, patios.
The first interview occurred while he was in the middle of working on Rosalias third studio album.
The rest of it is figuring out what the groove is going to be.
He and Hugo are currently helping engineer the groove forRihannas thirstily awaited ninth album.
Rih is in a different place right now.
Shes from a different world.
Im an Aries, but Im also a Cancer rising.
Water makes me feel free.
Water is very inspiring to me.
Williams has the bewildering ability to make music that is excellent and popular.
In the past decade he scored two 10-week-plus Billboard Hot 100s, for Blurred Lines and Happy.
Williamss groove changed with Happy.
CeeLo Green was originally supposed to provide vocals, but his team passed on the opportunity.
But that is not the world we live in.
Williams ended up recording Happy, his honeyed voice coating its syllables, hardening into sonic gold.
It probably granted him a new valence of fame.
Is that really you?
Still in motion, Williams thanks her.
Did you hear what she said?
She said, Im so happy.
It was likeBlack Mirrorfor me, bro.
