Pharrell Williams x Louis XIII: Song of the century

How the Happy singer teamed up with the iconic cognac brand to make a truly unique track

2_pharrell-williams-at-conway-studio.jpg
(Image credit: stefania rosini)

Multi-award-winning musician, record and film producer and multimedia owner Pharrell Williams journeyed to Shanghai for the performance of a song he had written. Unlike his normal work, this was commissioned for a one-off performance by the French cognac house Louis XIII to highlight the dangers of climate change. Referencing the fact that Louis XIII is an intricate alchemy of up to 1,200 eaux-de-vie, the cognac makers decided to ask Williams to create a work that would be played to an audience of 100 select guests, once only. Recorded onto a "vinyl" disc made from the clay of the Cognac region, this track was then placed in a safe, to be opened and played again in a century's time, but only if global warming has not caused the waters to rise so much that the safe and the record are destroyed. Here, we talk to Williams to find out more:

Why did you want to do this project?

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up