HAPPINESS IS THE TRUTH

Pharrell Williams is a singer, songwriter, record producer, fashion designer, and a coach on NBC’s The Voice . And now he can add published author to that list. Williams has brought his hit song “Happy” to children in a colourful new picture book. Time for Kids reporter Jordan Millar talked with Williams about why “happiness is the truth.” 

TFK: Your hit song “Happy” was part of the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack and the best-selling song of 2014. What inspired you to write the song?
Williams: They gave me the opportunity to do the original music for the film Despicable Me 2 . It was so hard because I didn’t know what I was going to do, and my first nine tries did not work out for the film at all. Then I thought, “How do you make a song where the guy’s just happy?” And that’s how it happened.
TFK: In your new book Happy , based on your hit song, you talk about being a Happy Helper and how everyone can make someone happy. Why is this message important to you?
Williams: Being a Happy Helper is just being someone with good intentions and someone who aims to do good things. The world can never have too much good will.
TFK: In your song, you say, “Clap along if you know what happiness is to you.” How do you define happiness, and what was one of the happiest moments in your life?
Williams: Happiness for me is something that all people can access. One of the happiest days of my life was having my son Rocket.
TFK: Your #ReadHappy campaign asks people to share how reading makes them happy. For every post, a book gets donated to children in need. Why did you decide to make a connection between happiness and reading?
Williams: The connection is an important one. Reading is one of the main tools for us to gain information. If we want to be bright and we want to be able to operate in the real world, we have to be able to get information. So reading is very important.
TFK: Do you think you’ll write another children’s book? What would it be about?
Williams: We are. If I tell you what it is about, then I’ll ruin the surprise.