The 'Happy' singer explains that the lady who stands the closest to him in the cover is a black woman he used to date years ago.
- Feb 28, 2014
AceShowbiz - Pharrell Williams received backlashes after fans accused him of being racist for excluding black women in the cover art of his upcoming album, "G I R L". The super producer reacted to the controversy when he called into Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club morning show on Thursday, February 27.
"You know what really disappointed me is that, man, they jumped the gun," Pharrell said. "Because the one I'm standing the closest to is black. She's a black girl from like Wisconsin that I used to date like over ten years ago, or twelve years ago."
"And if they just bothered to listen to my album, they would know that my album was an ode to women, period. And the one thing that I'm trying to kill...The one thing I was just trying to help and aid in changing is this crazy statuesque standard of you gotta be white, waif and thin for you to be beautiful," he continued.
Pharrell also addressed the controversy in an interview with TheYBF.com. He said that black women had important roles in his life. "I'm standing by a black woman. My business is run by a black woman... I'm married to a black woman. I'm confused. I guess once you get the album you will look inside and see she's a black woman," he explained.
He went on revealing that the ladies in the cover were not models, saying, "And here I am trying to put ordinary, beautiful girls on the cover...not no models. I didn't go to 29 agencies looking for runway models."
