Pharrell Williams: It's the year of woman

Pharrell Williams wants 2014 to be "the year of the woman".

The Happy artist hit the stage at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on Monday, where he encouraged the audience to "let loose".

The multitalented singer, songwriter, producer and fashion designer performed hits from his second solo album, including Girl and Marilyn Monroe.

"2014 is the year of the woman!" the star shouted to his fans, pausing the music to encourage listeners to fight for gender equality, according to AFP.

Pharrell also performed Snoop Dogg's Drop It Like It's Hot and Gwen Stefani's Hollaback Girl, ending the performance with Blurred Lines and Get Lucky.

The performer revealed he never thought Happy would receive so much acclaim.

"It was humbling… I couldn't believe anything that I ever did could get that kind of attention," he shared. "That's the magical part of it… Everyone has their own interpretation of it…their videos are all so much better than mine".

Happy was made for the soundtrack of the film Despicable Me 2, which hit theatres in 2013.

The 41-year-old feels "blessed to be able to see ... a lot of people's feelings, and you know, them dancing with no inhibitions. Just being joyous," he told the outlet.

He took home Best Male R&B/Pop Artist and Best Video for his hit dance track Happy at the BET Awards last month.

Pharrell also opened the show with a performance of his new tune with Miley Cyrus, Come Get It Bae. Miley didn't join him for the show, but he was with surprise guest Missy Elliott, who performed her hit 2003 single Pass That Dutch.