US producer Pharrell Williams is set to perform his chart-topping single “Happy” at the Oscars, organisers have confirmed.

Williams, 40, is nominated in the Best Original Song category at the 86th Academy Awards, after he wrote the hit track for 3D animated movie Despicable Me 2.

Williams has been selected to perform on the basis of his international success. His 2013 number one collaborations - “Get Lucky” with Daft Punk and “Blurred Lines” with Robin Thicke and T.I - catapulted him into the musical spotlight and he took home seven Grammy Awards last week.

Last year’s performers were Adele, who sung her Best Original Song winner “Skyfall”, and the cast of Les Miserables.

The Best Original Song shortlist has been plagued by scandal this year, after “Alone Yet Not Alone” was disqualified by the Board of Governors. The song’s writer, Bruce Broughton, was accused of inappropriate campaigning when it emerged he had used his position within the Academy to email voters and draw attention to his submission.

The remaining contenders alongside “Happy” are “Ordinary Love” from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom, “Let It Go” from Frozen and “The Moon Song” from “Her”.

The Oscars ceremony takes place at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood on 2 March.