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By Eric Kelsey LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Pharrell Williams pauses, takes a breath and considers how the past year has unfolded for the R&B producer and singer: four Grammy Awards and three mega hit singles including a song that has galvanized countless fans to express how they’re “happy.” And the key, says the 41-year-old known simply as Pharrell, in the midst of a career second act, has been tapping into audiences’ thirst for sincerity and heartfelt personal stories. “I think we’ve entered a new singer-songwriter era, regardless of the genre or music,” said Pharrell, who produced and performed on Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines,” the raunchy R&B hit that was last year’s top song across the U.S. Billboard music charts. They want a story they can connect to,” he said while promoting his Tuesday concert from New York’s Apollo Theater, which will be live streamed and directed by Spike Lee as part of American Express’ “Unstaged” series. Pharrell said he noticed a shift in audiences’ tastes over the past year in particular with the runaway success of “Happy,” his up-tempo song from the “Despicable Me 2” soundtrack that received little fanfare upon its release but has turned into an international viral hit.