Williams explains album delay

Hip-hop star Pharrell Williams has defended the postponement of his debut solo effort, insisting the months of fine tuning will pay off.

The respected producer, who has previously collaborated with stars including Kelis, Justin Timberlake, Kanye West and Snoop Dogg, has been busy in the studio re-working the record and has replaced a few tracks, including a duet with jazz sensation Jamie Callum.

Last year's planned release of In My Mind came too soon for the N*E*R*D frontman, but he admits he is finally ready to let his music do the talking.

"I just decided I had pulled back the curtains too fast," said the 33-year-old.

"By the time I mixed the album I was like: 'Erm, I don't know if I want to use this now'. So I added new tracks that really reflected how I felt.

"The album was just meant to be a break from being a fashion company for other people's careers. For once I was modeling all the s**t."