Pharrell Williams has curated an exhibition of work by artists including Tracey Emin and Marina Abramovic in Paris.
He said: "Just like my album, what I tried to do is offer many different facets of my appreciation for women. And that's what this exhibition does."
Talking to reporters ahead of the exhibition opening, the 41-year-old spoke about the recent arrests of six young people in Iran who posted a video online of themselves dancing to Happy.
The song has sparked similar videos all over the world, with people dancing down streets and smiling in choreographed crowds. However, in Iran, laws ban women from dancing in public or appearing outside without the hijab.
"I have the utmost respect for people's religious views, so I have to say that first and foremost," he said.
"But at the same time and I'm a universalist, and I think everybody should be able to express their happiness and their celebration of the gift of now. And of the present. The present is a gift, and if you just want to celebrate your happiness, you should be allowed to do that.
"And so I tweeted back that they should be freed. I think most of them were detained for a longer period of time, and then they eventually they let them all go. So we were happy to hear about that. But for me, I was sad by it, because I was like 'man they are just dancing'.
"But at the same time, I don't live in that country, I don't know the laws. But I in my heart of all hearts just thought, they were dancing and they should be able to express their happiness."
Williams said he chose Paris for the exhibition because France had always been good to him.
GIRL will be open at Emmanuel Perrotin's new space in Paris, the Salle de Bal, until June 25.
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