The biggest news from the Oscars? Forget slavery trouncing astronomy. Forget Adele Nazeem. Forget Ellen’s selfies. Forget our Cate winning big. No, the greatest flash of excitement happened early in the evening on the red carpet, when Pharrell Williams turned up without his trademark, oversized hat. You’ve certainly reached a new stage of fame when leaving your ‘titfer’ at home is worth a headline.

Admittedly, part of the excitement came from the fact he’d also left his trousers at home. Ditching tuxedo pants in favour of some snappy shorts isn’t traditional Oscar glam, but Williams has a habit of doing things a bit differently. For one thing, he’s surprised everyone with the rush-release of G I R L, his second solo album in a recording career spanning 22 years.

Although comfortable at the front of the stage, Williams built his reputation as a backstage man, producing the likes of Kelis, Beyonce and Madonna. His most recent shot at stardom was thanks to another collaboration — his vocals gracing last year’s radio-conquering Get Lucky from Daft Punk and Blurred Lines from Robin Thicke.

Still wondering what all the fuss is about? Here are five things you really should know about Pharrell Williams.

1. In 2003, he was responsible for 43 per cent of pop music played on US radio

The Neptunes, a production duo Williams formed with Chad Hugo in the early 90s, has had an incredible impact on the last two decades of chart music. They’ve generated at least 24 Top 10 Billboard hits, were once rumoured to charge $150,000 a song and are thought to be worth something in the region of $155 million. So cash flow is no excuse for those shorts, Pharrell.

2. Young children know more about him than you do 

When he’s not propelling pop stars into the stratosphere, Williams is writing music for cartoons. He wrote two songs for Despicable Me and a further three for its sequel. Happy, taken from the latter, graces his new solo LP. It’s the sort of dizzy soul-pop that will keep the kids giddy when the sugar high wears off.

3. He isn’t a misogynist

OK, sure. He did collaborate with moustachioed airbag Thicke on “rapey” smash Blurred Lines. But that video, with all those naked women, was supposed to be “moving Vogue page”, which is a women’s magazine, right? Besides, his new LP is a tribute to women, with the oddly-spaced title representing gender inequality, or something (and resemblance to the distinctive logo for Lena Dunham’s Girls is coincidental, probably). “My muse for it was women… I love them,” Williams recently said. “There will be a time when, like, 75 per cent of our world leaders will be women.”

4. He is an iconoclast

To his credit, Williams does have a history of producing R&B and hip-hop stripped of the sexist stereotypes that still dominate much of those genres. As the frontman for genre-baffling band N*E*R*D, Williams was famously credited for creating “new geek chic” — a fresh archetype who was neither ‘playa’ nor thug, but rather a black nerd obsessed with sci-fi and mainstream white rock.

5. He makes happy music and that’s OK

Williams has collaborated with everyone from Snoop Dogg to Mariah Carey, but his work is defined by being shamelessly upbeat, if rarely saccharine. G I R L avoids the predictable surges and peaks of modern chart pop, but is determined that the listener enjoy themselves. Really it’s hard not to, with Williams at full charm (even when enquiring “You want to get dirty, girl?” on Gush) and invoking the blissful, shiny soul of Prince.

Pharrell’s charmed year:

March 2013: Robin Thick’s Blurred Lines, featuring Pharrell Williams and T.I

June 2013: Daft Punk’s Get Lucky, featuring Pharrell Williams

March 2014: Performing his Oscar nominated song, Happy, at the 86th Academy Awards

Pharrell Williams tours Australia this month with Frontier Touring, his first show is this weekend as part of Future Music Festival in Sydney.

For ticket information visit Future Music Festival website.

G I R L is out now through Sony.