“Happy” is a song written, produced, and performed by American singer and producer Pharrell Williams from the Despicable Me 2 soundtrack album. It also served as the lead single from Williams’ second studio album, Girl (2014). It came out on November 21, 2013, alongside a long-form music video. The song was reissued on December 16, 2013, by Back Lot Music under exclusive license to Columbia Records, a division of Sony Music.
“Happy” is a neo soul and funk song on which Williams’ falsetto voice has been compared to Curtis Mayfield by critics. The song has been highly successful, peaking at number one in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and 19 other countries. It has sold over 5.6 million copies in the United States and over 1.8 million copies in the United Kingdom,and has reached number one in the latter on a record three separate occasions. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but lost to Let It Go from Frozen.
The music video for the song is nominated for Best Male Video and Video of the Year at The 2014 MTV Video Music Awards.
