Marilyn Monroe might be the ultimate blonde bombshell, however Pharrell Williams‘ is paying homage to the iconic Hollywood beauty with a different, more diverse, image in mind.
The musician/producer/fashion designer has tapped professional dancer Khadija Nicolas as the cover girl for his brand new single “Marilyn Monroe.”
It’s a bold and beautiful move to cast the dark-skinned stunner, especially after the “Happy” singer took some unsubstantiated heat over supposedly not having a black woman on the cover art for this album G I R L. Long story short: there was a black girl on the cover, but apparently she wasn’t dark enough for folks. #Ugh
Well, that shouldn’t be a problem with Khadija fronting Pharrell’s latest project. The Trinidad-born and Brooklyn-raised beauty is serving up flawless ebony-hued skin for the cover art and showing off her superb dance training in the song’s video.
Khadija expressed her excitement about being featured front and center for Pharrell’s single via her amazing Instagram account, writing: “And they told me 7yrs ago, as a black girl, I wouldn’t work much in this town.”
Well, “they” were clearly wrong. The 26-year-old has danced with Beyoncé and just got finished circling the globe on Rihanna’s Diamonds World Tour. Let’s just say, we’ll be looking out for Khadija a lot more.
In celebration of her major “Marilyn Monroe” moment, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite snaps from Khadija’s IG thread. Feast your eyes on all her awesomeness…
