Pharrell Williams and his mountie hat at the 56th GRAMMY Awards on January 26, 2014
Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter-producer Pharrell Williams has been announced as a performer for the 86th Annual Academy Awards , which will take place Sunday, March 2, 2014.
Also serving as a music consultant for the event, Pharrell will lift our spirits with “Happy,” the Despicable Me 2 track that is nominated for Best Original Song .
The song was released December 16, 2013 along with the first-ever 24-hour music video , which included an online playback that corresponds to the local time of the listener. A ballroom version of the video debuted January 24, 2014.
If Pharrell wins Best Original Song, he will be the third-ever rapper to receive an Oscar, following Eminem for “Lose Yourself” from 8 Mile and Three Six Mafia for “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp” from Hustle & Flow .
“Happy” is competing against U2 ’s “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom , “Let It Go” from Frozen , by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez and with versions performed by Idina Menzel and Demi Lovato , and “The Moon Song” from Her , by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs ’ lead singer Karen O .
The category originally included “Alone Yet Not Alone” from Alone Yet Not Alone by Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel , but its nomination has been rescinded, as Billboard reports .
“The song’s nominated writer, Bruce Broughton, a former governor and current music branch executive committee member, ‘had emailed [some of the other 239] members of the branch to make them aware of his submission during the nominations voting period.’”
Hosted by Ellen DeGeneres and produced by Craig Zadan and Neil Meron , the Oscars will air on Sunday, March 2, 2014 at 7pm EST/4pm PST on ABC.
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