Pharrell Gives Chakra Lesson at Holi Festival
Pharrell's ability to see colors, when no one else does, is officially a holy experience now. The N.E.R.D. frontman went to this month's Holi Festival in India as a special invited guest of Bollywood star Ranveer Singh, and was so mystified it sparked numerous Twitter reactions.
Holi, a.k.a. the "festival of colours" is a celebration of the victory of good over evil and the arrival of spring. It is honored among locals and the diaspora with a focus especially on forgiveness and unity.
For Skateboard P, part of the purpose of his travels -- reportedly his first to India -- was to also unveil the spring/summer collection of his Hu (health ultimatum) sneakers and apparel line with adidas, Hu Holi.
Like any good time, this did not go unpunished. The Twittersphere called him out for alleged cultural appropriation.
“Hu is about the recognition and celebration of different colors, spirituality, and cultures,” Pharrell said back in 2016, when he unveiled his limited edition, adidas-made ode to Native Americans. He linked up with a tribe in North Dakota for that reveal, to uplift sneakerheads and pipeline activists alike.
"...[T]he point is to highlight the differences so people can realize that despite all those differences, we are all basically the same,” he explained.
Well, technically, Pharrell is kinda different. His diagnosed synethesia, allows him to see music as color, and when asked what he imagines when he sees the colors of Holi, he went straight to the silent hum of our vibrational centers.
Watch Pharrell live from the Holi festival below. "In my country, they throw shade sometimes," he said, "... but here, they actually throw color. That's beautiful."
