Latest news with #TheNeptunes
Korea Herald
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
British K-pop group Dear Alice returns with 'Sweet'
SM Entertainment's first-ever British boy group, Dear Alice, is back with a new track. On Friday, the group released its second single 'Sweet' across global music platforms. The song is an upbeat and charming pop track that perfectly suits the summer season. SM Entertainment described 'Sweet' as a sleek, up-tempo pop song inspired by early 2000s pop icons such as The Neptunes and Justin Timberlake. The track features funky percussion and guitar riffs, as well as hints of British culture hidden in lyrics that add a playful, localized touch. "Sweet" was crafted by an international team of hitmakers, including singer-songwriter and producer Jesse Saint John and producer Pink Slip. Dear Alice made a strong debut in February with its first single 'Ariana,' which quickly climbed to No. 2 on the UK Official Physical Singles Chart and No. 3 in Singles Sales, within just a week of release. The group was also spotlighted on BBC Radio 1's 'Future Pop' segment as a rising global artist. The group has also been gaining live experience as part of SM Town Live, sharing the stage with other SM artists. They have already performed in Seoul, Mexico City and Los Angeles, and are set to take the stage in London on June 28.
Daily Mail
11-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
People are only just realising Pharrell Williams has a VERY famous relative
Pharrell Williams has become one of the most influential producers in music. The singer, 52, has won 13 Grammy Awards over his career and he is also a two-time Oscar nominee. But fame clearly runs in the family as fans were shocked to discover Pharrell's famous cousin is none other than Timbaland, 53. The music producers are related through their grandmothers and both grew up in Virginia; Pharrell in Virginia Beach and Timbaland in Norfolk. The pair even worked together during their early years of trying to make it in the music industry. They were both members of the hip-hop group Surrouned By Idiots in the early 1990s, but they disbanded before maing any records. Pharrell then founded The Neptunes with Chad Hugo in 1992, producing hits like Wreckx-n-Effect's 'Rump Shaker' (1992) while still in high school. He gained fame by producing the likes of Nelly's 'Hot in Herre' (2002), Justin Timberlake's 'Like I Love You' (2002), and Britney Spears' 'I'm a Slave 4 U' (2001). Timbaland rose to prominence by producing the likes of Ginuwine's Bachelor (1996), Aaliyah's One in a Million (1996), and Missy Elliott's Supa Dupa Fly (1997). He also memorably produced Justin Timberlake's Cry Me A River in 2002. Fans have regularly taken to social media in recent months to express surprise at learning of the pair's family connection. Meanwhile, things have turned sour between Pharrell and Chad Hugo however as the pair are involved in a legal battle over the rights to The Neptunes name. Hugo, 50, said in court docs in April that Pharrell 'fraudulently' sought to gain total control of the band's name and trademarks, Billboard reported. Hugo's legal team said in docs filed at a federal tribunal that Pharrell sought to register trademarks for The Neptunes name without Hugo's involvement, in breach of a past professional pact they had made to divide everything down the middle. 'Throughout their over thirty year history, [Hugo] and Williams agreed to, and in fact, have divided all assets,' Hugo's lawyer Kenneth D. Freundlich said in legal docs reviewed by the outlet. Fans have regularly taken to social media in recent months to express surprise at learning of the pair's family connection Freundlich said that 'by ignoring and excluding [Hugo] from the any and all applications filed by applicant for the mark "The Neptunes," applicant has committed fraud in securing the trademarks and acted in bad faith.' Pharrell's rep told Billboard in a statement that the Happy artist was 'surprised by this' lawsuit, as he and his team 'have reached out on multiple occasions to share in the ownership and administration of the trademark and will continue to make that offer. 'The goal here was to make sure a third party doesn't get a hold of the trademark and to guarantee Chad and Pharrell share in ownership and administration.' The paperwork Pharrell filed suggested otherwise, Freundlich told Billboard in a response statement. 'If Pharrell's intent was to include Chad in the filing, he should have registered it in the name of their jointly owned company Neptunes, LLC and not in his own name,' Freundlich said. 'This was a land grab in a long simmering dispute that has yet to be resolved.' According to Hugo's legal team, on three occasions in 2022, Pharrell's company PW IP Holdings LLC attempted to trademark the name "The Neptunes" for purposes of streaming; music videos and ancillary content; and live shows, Billboard reported. Pharrell uses the company PW IP Holdings LLC for other business endeavors including his musical group N.E.R.D.; his hotel, The Goodtime Hotel: South Beach Miami Hotel; and other brands he's endorsed. Hugo's legal team told the court Pharrell 'knowingly and intentionally' filed the trio of applications without contacting Hugo, despite being 'fully aware' Hugo should have been named a partner on the papers. 'Nothing, either written or oral, provided Williams or [PW IP Holdings] with the unilateral authority to register the trademarks,' Hugo's attorneys told the court, noting that Pharrell and his team have 'repeatedly' been flagged about the issue. Pharrell has 'admitted' Hugo 'is equal co-owner of the trademarks' and vowed to involve him, Hugo's lawyer said.
