Before Pharrell Williams became a Grammy-winning artist, he held a job at McDonald’s. In a BBC Radio 2 interview, the 51-year-old “Happy” musician shared that working at McDonald’s was his “first and only job,” but he “got fired three times.” Explaining why, he admitted, “I was eating the chicken nuggets.”

He elaborated, saying the first two firings were due to laziness. The third time, his manager caught him “just sitting there eating nuggets.”

Pharrell’s career took off after he formed The Neptunes with Chad Hugo in 1992, producing hits like Snoop Dogg’s “Drop It Like It’s Hot” and Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” Later, Pharrell, Hugo, and Shay Hale formed the band N.E.R.D in 1999, releasing In Search Of… in 2002.

As a solo artist, Pharrell has topped charts with tracks like “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke and T.I., and “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk. His song “Happy” sold over 13.9 million copies, becoming one of the best-selling songs ever and was the most-played track on British radio in the 2010s. Forbes also noted its record-breaking 24-hour music video until Twenty One Pilots’ 2020 release.

Pharrell’s career expanded to fashion as well, with his Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream brands. In 2023, he became the men’s creative director for Louis Vuitton.

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