Pharrell says he's 'embarrassed' by Blurred Lines — do artists have a responsibility to own up to past work?

Every Friday, the q This panel looks at the biggest stories in music news. Today, CBC arts reporter Lisa Christiansen and music journalist A. Harmony join guest host Ali Hassan to take a look at Pharrell Williams' recent GQ interview, where the musician and producer admitted that he's "embarrassed" by Blurred Lines, his 2013 song with Robin Thicke and T.I.

"Some of my old songs, I would never write or sing today." Williams tells GQ. "I get embarrassed by some of that stuff. It just took a lot of time and growth to get to that place." From there, the interviewer asks when things shifted for him and Williams brings up Blurred Lines.

When it was first released, Blurred Lines was a huge hit and Williams has gone on the record in the past defending the song. Our panel discusses whether music fans and critics should give artists the benefit of the doubt and let them apologize for past work they may not be proud of anymore.

Click the 'Listen' link above to hear our screen panel's full conversation.

— Produced by ​Emma Godmere