Pharrell Williams is a visionary within the music, art, fashion, and design space. On Friday June 10th, I attended his talk with Minya Oh at Tribeca Film Festival. Sponsored by Indeed and Co-Hosted by Black House, Pharrell participated in a 60 minute talk.
Before the talk, I was able to chat with Jane Rosenthal, Founder/CEO of Tribeca Enterprises, Co-Founder of Tribeca Film Festival on the red carpet. Rosenthal touched on the future of Tribeca Festival within the growing Web3 Space. She also expressed her gratitude for how far the film festival has come since its beginning in 2001.
Minya Oh is a Brooklyn-based journalist, radio host, cultural commentator, and podcaster. She has covered hip hop music and culture for over a decade. Good friends with Pharrell, the two had great banter on stage. Minya gave praise to Pharrell for all of his contributions to music the last two decades.
Pharrell spoke on the importance of authenticity, being a forward thinker, and his admiration for this next generation of creative people. He commented on the spiritual warfare taking place on humankind as a whole. He encouraged audience members to stay true to their opinions and the story they feel so inclined to tell in their heart.
Pharrell encouraged those in the audience to find the thing in their life they feel the most passionate about. Something that they would do for free everyday if they were able to. Once you’ve found that thing, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
He expressed the joy he feels in helping other artists tap into a different part of themselves they otherwise hadn’t considered looking at. Pharrell teased new music in the works. He ended the talk asking audience members to stand up and cheer for themselves. Overall, he uplifted the crowd with his words and his energy. Rather than self-indulge in praise he encouraged others to root and bet on themselves.
Pharrell also recently announced a new interactive multi-sensorial experience “Nature’s Escape,” touring the nation this summer in partnership with STEM, a new collection of pest control products, for families to enjoy together.
