Williams’ music, blending elements of soft rock and soul, jazz, funk and hip-hop, is seen as an extension of this genre. “I think the definition of genres has gone as far as it can,” he continues. “We are all built on our experiences – what we listen to, what we wear, where we’ve been. We’ve all been on a boat, right?!”
While the vessel, designed by acclaimed Greek mega yachts specialist Lally Poulias, probably saw its fair share of decadent partying, ultimately, Williams says, it really was all about the music; the yacht just provided a luxurious means to make it. “Music brings people together,” he smiles. “Music is a force that touches people in a completely open way that reaches people wherever they are and at any time. Nothing gets in the way because it’s able to fill up all the space around us. Music is an incredible force and I am deeply grateful that I am able to make music that reaches out to people all over the world.”
The RM Elegant, its name since changed to the Elegant 007, is as ‘mega’ as yachts come: those 15 luxurious suites are split into the bridge deck’s master suite plus a VIP suite, then eight staterooms on the main deck and another five below. Living and entertaining areas include two saloons and an art deco dining room. Between song sessions and parties, Williams could work out in the spacious gym then take a sauna or head to the massage room. There’s also a beauty salon for the ladies. Weighing 1,541 tonnes, the vessel has a top speed of 18 knots.
For anyone unfamiliar with Williams’ work, he’s an accomplished musician and producer who has made his millions through sheer hard work and diversity. He’s the front man and drummer with N*E*R*D, co-producer in The Neptunes,
©Richard Bord/Getty Images
IN HIS CAPACITY AS FASHION ICON AND ENTREPRENEUR, WILLIAMS HAS CERTAINLY MADE WAVES, NOT LEAST WITH HIS 2015 LAUNCH OF THE RAW FOR THE OCEANS LINE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE G-STAR RAW LABEL
which has created hits for a string of other artists, and a successful solo performer, perhaps his best-known song, Happy, being a huge commercial hit. His collaboration on Daft Punk’s club classic, Get Lucky, is on most pop playlists. On top of that he co-founded the exclusive Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream fashion labels, is an ambassador for Chanel, and heads up numerous philanthropic endeavours. Essentially, Pharrell Williams is ‘the man’.
Williams is no stranger to the yachting lifestyle: he’s been seen and performed on plenty throughout his career, but perhaps the finest moment for him came on his wedding day in October 2013 when he and his fiancée, model Helen Lasichanh, boarded the luxurious 36-metre Never Say Never for a pre-wedding party and photo session. Among the guests were R&B star Usher and rapper Busta Rhymes, who performed a ‘mini show’ for the couple. But for 11-time Grammy award winner Williams, the pre-nuptials reception in Miami was in some respects a farewell to the luxurious, more superficial lifestyle of his single years. Indeed, for all the wealth he has accumulated, Williams has toned it all down, which largely comes down to the influence of his wife and their expanding family: now with triplets joining their
eight year old son, Rocket. Giving up his playboy lifestyle was the only option, he couldn’t have his cake and eat it. As he told Oprah in 2014, “I hurt her a lot in the very beginning once she was free and was available, because I had given her all of this attention but I wasn’t ready to, like, let go. I looked at my life and I was like, ‘Man, I could keep doing this for another 10 years, is that what I want to do?’ And so I made a decision.”
In his capacity as fashion icon and entrepreneur, Williams has certainly made waves, not least with his 2015 launch of the RAW for The Oceans line in collaboration with the G-Star Raw label. That may not sound so special; that is until you realise the range is tagged as “Turning the tide on ocean plastic pollution” – created as it is from recycled plastic waste recovered from the ocean.
Working with Bionic Yarn, a textiles company for which Williams was creative director, along with the Parley for the Oceans environmental organisation, it’s a cause close to his heart. “We have a connection with the ocean,” he said when launching the brand. “It yields so much life, including our own. We owe it.”
ONBOARD | AUTUMN 2017 | 31
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