Sunday 7th July 2013 by Adam Tait | Photos by Wenn

Tags: Pharrell

Pharrell Williams has discussed his determination to do things differently to other musicians, saying that he’s always trying to make sure he’s not copying anything.

As one of the most in demand producers in the world at the moment Pharrell can be heard, either as a producer or musician, on many of the biggest albums and songs of 2013.

But talking to Collider about pushing himself to “go beyond the aesthetic that you guys are so able to apply so effectively to so many different artists” Pharrell explained that he was driven to do things that no one else was doing.

“If someone asks me what inspires me, I always say, ‘That which is missing’, because I don’t want to copy everything that’s already happening.”

He continued: “I feel like when you copy, you blend in, and when you blend in, you get lost. When I make music, I try to make something that is super colourful and something you’ve never heard before, so when you hear the whole album, it’s a good feeling. Musically that’s what I aspire to do whenever I’m making an album.”

The music superstar also spoke of how his past experiences influenced his work.

“You learn from experiences, and I suppose that’s where I colour most of my music, from experiences,” he said.

Check out Pharrell’s ‘Happy’, written for Despicable Me 2, below

“Part of it is reaching into oblivion for things that don’t exist, like what the writers did when they were creating the story for Despicable Me, like what is a Minion and what does it look like? They were reaching into oblivion. Most of my work is coloured by experiences.”

Pharrell was recruited to provide the soundtrack for the first Despicable Me film, and was brought back to do the same for its sequel, which is in cinemas now.

Below: The coolest men in music: Bowie, Pharrell and more