Pharrell Williams signs to Columbia Records for first solo album in 8 years

After playing guest star to pretty much all the major hits of 2013, Pharrell Williams has now announced that he’s inked a deal with Columbia Records for his second solo album.

The upcoming release is expected to drop during 2014 and will follow on from 2006′s In My Mind. According to The Guardian, it’ll include recent single “Happy” from the film Despicable Me 2.

Williams has enjoyed a successful year commercially, appearing on two of the year’s highest-selling singles: “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”.