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A “Voice” star has a huge announcement about an upcoming project — Pharrell Williams is collaborating with K-pop group BTS, also known as Bangtan Boys, a South Korean boy band. Its members include Jin, Suga, J-Hope, RM, Jimin, V, and Jungkook. The group has sold millions of albums and won hundreds of awards, including nine American Music Awards and 12 Billboard Music Awards.
Here’s what you need to know:
Pharrell Williams & BTS Revealed Their Secret Collaboration in an Interview With Rolling Stone
As part of its Musicians on Musicians series, Rolling Stone brought BTS and Williams together and they talked about their secret collaboration, which Williams says is “amazing.”
“My project, it’s called … it’s [under] my name, and the title of the album is ‘Phriends.’ It’s the volume one. You guys [BTS] are on there, obviously. And I’m actually talking about this way more than I’m supposed to, but it’s a song from my album that [BTS] sang and it’s amazing, and I’m super grateful,” said Williams, adding, “Everyone that hears it is like, ‘Whoa.’ … I love it, love it, love it.”
“I f***ing love it,” added BTS member RM.
The two artists also talked about how it can be overwhelming at times to have so many worldwide fans who are super into their music. They love it, but it’s also a lot of responsibility and they hope they can be “a better grown-up for the fans,” as RM put it. The former “Voice” coach said he cannot even fathom what it must be like for BTS, who is arguably the biggest group in the world right now.
“What people don’t realize is when you have literally hundreds of millions of fans and you encounter them 100,000 at a time … it is a massive energy coming at you and you say, ‘Jump,’ then they jump,” said Williams. “And you sing, and they sing every word. And you can feel through their voices that so many of their lives have been affected and changed because of something you’ve done. I don’t know how you do that. Because I’ve had a couple songs do that, and then when I get out there and go sing it, that would make me cry because it was too much of a responsibility. Man, every time I get that close to that, I always step back.”
He continued, “It’s too heavy, man. It’s too much of a responsiblity.”
RM agreed and said he has to remind himself that every concert is the biggest night for those particular fans and he has to try to give his all every night.
“I have to offer them the best night ever in their lives. So it’s a mess, and it’s too much energy. I’m a human and I really get nervous and I really sometimes get depressed by, and even get swallowed by, all the energies. But I try to deal with it because I love the music. I love their love. Because I think love is really happening when we give to somebody, not when we take. So I just want to give back to them,” said the K-pop artist.
Williams Also Offered to Join RM on His Solo Album
In the same conversation for Rolling Stone, Williams said that he knows RM is “90 percent done with [his] solo album,” but if RM wants Williams, he’s got him.
“You said you’re 90 percent done with your solo album. But if within that last 10 percent, if you need — you don’t need me, but I mean… if you want to do something, we can actually do it,” said Williams, to which RM responded, “I’m honored and grateful.”
Pharrell has collaborated in the past with other huge artists. In 2013, he collaborated with Daft Punk on their album “Random Access Memories,” which he said in an interview with Creators blew him away.
“I was just blown away [by ‘Get Lucky’],” said Pharrell. “I was like, ‘Wow, I love that and I can’t believe I’m on it.'”
He also talked to the podcast “Drink Champs” about working with Justin Timberlake, Snoop and more.
Williams was a coach on “The Voice” for four seasons, departing in 2016 after season 10. He later told “Today” that he was not returning in 2017 because he had “so much work to do.”
“Honestly, I have to work. I got so much work to do. It was so much fun and while I was doing it, helping other people was like a drug for me. I couldn’t get enough of helping them, but I have work to do, music to make and so many records.”
“The Voice” airs Mondays and Tuesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern and Pacific times on NBC.