Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo met when they were twelve years old, at music camp.  They met Shay Hayley in high school, and the three of them would get together in Hugo's garage, where Hugo would backbeat while the others danced.  They performed in the high school talent show,

N.E.R.D.

Music right now is a little redundant. I feel like it’s definitely open for something else to creep through and shake up the airwaves a little.

The Beginnings

Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo met when they were twelve years old, at music camp.  They met Shay Hayley in high school, and the three of them would get together in Hugo's garage, where Hugo would backbeat while the others danced.  They performed in the high school talent show, where they were seen by musician and producer Teddy Riley who recruited them.  They spent the next couple of years producing for other bands before setting out on their own.

In 2001, N.E.R.D. released their first album, In Search of . . ., in Europe.  Wanting a different sound, they rerecorded it with live instruments before releasing it in the United States.  The album debuted at #61 on the Billboard Top 200 charts, and peaked at #56.  The album eventually sold 603,000 copies in the United States and certified gold.  Offering a mixture rock, funk, and hip hop, the band appealed to fans of multiple genres.

The Height of the Career

They recorded their second album, Fly or Die, in 2003.  They learned to play their own instruments for this album, as opposed to using a back-up band as they had in the past.  The album debuted at #6 on the Billboard Top 200 and sold 119,000 copies in the first week.  Ultimately the album sold about 412,000 copies, certifying gold.  

N.E.R.D.'s contract with Virgin Records ended over a dispute; they began recording their third album without a label, which led Williams and Hugo to start Star Trek Entertainment, a subsidiary of Interscope Records.  Their next recording was released under this label.  Through much of 2008, the guys toured as part of the Glow in the Dark Tour, opening for Kanye West.  Their third album, Seeing Sounds, was released in 2008.  The album sold 80,000 copies in the first week after release.  Their single, Spaz, from this album, was used in the commercial for the Microsoft Zune.

Looking Forward to What's Next.

The group is working on a fourth album, Instant Gratification, which is due out in 2010.  In the meantime, fans can listen to singles on their website or buy and download music.  MTV recently filmed a clip for their Diary of . . . series, called The Diary of N.E.R.D.  Clips can be viewed at the MTV website.

N.E.R.D. does not currently have a tour scheduled, but they are scheduled to perform at MIT in Boston in April, 2010, and in Amsterdam in June.  Until Instant Gratification is released, the N.E.R.D. front is likely to be quiet.

Did you know . . .

1. N.E.R.D. is an acronym for “nobody ever really dies.”

2. Williams and Hugo originally were a duo known as The Neptunes.  When they added Hayley, they started N.E.R.D. as a side project.

3. In 2009, the band added a fourth member, Rhea, whom they dropped again in early 2010.  

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