Pharrell to Perform at Oscars

Pharrell Williams will perform his Academy Award-nominated song “Happy” during this year’s Oscars, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The producer/singer/rapper’s cut for Despicable Me 2 will compete for Best Original Song against U2‘s “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, Karen O’s “The Moon Song” from Her and “Let It Go” from the Disney film Frozen.

The category’s fifth nominee “Alone Yet Not Alone,” from a Christian movie of the same name, recently had its nomination revoked after the film’s producer was accused of improperly influencing voters. The Oscars will air Sunday, March 2nd on ABC starting at 7 p.m. EST.

Take a Listen to This Year’s Oscar Nominees for Best Original Song

While “Happy” – which also boasted the first 24-hour music video – marks Pharrell’s first Oscar nomination, he served as musical consultant in 2012 for the 84th Academy Awards alongside famed composer Hans Zimmer. If “Happy” wins, Pharrell will be the third rapper to capture an Oscar, joining Eminem (8 Mile‘s “Lose Yourself”) and Three Six Mafia (Hustle and Flow‘s “It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp”).

Last month, Pharrell captured four Grammy awards for Producer of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Album of the Year thanks to his work on Daft Punk‘s Random Access Memories and its smash single “Get Lucky.”

And proving Pharrell doesn’t know the meaning of the phrase “take a breather,” you can now catch him rhyming on “Aerosol Can,” a new cut from Diplo’s Major Lazer that will appear on the DJ outfit’s upcoming Apocalypse Soon EP. Pharrell is also reportedly at work on a new solo album, his first since 2006.