- For the male rapper, see Nelly.
Nelly Furtado on the cover of the CD single of her hit song "I'm Like a Bird"
Nelly Furtado (born December 2, 1978 in Victoria, British Columbia) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, who has been one of Canada's most visible pop stars in recent years. She won a Grammy in February 2002 for her debut hit song, "I'm Like a Bird".
One of three children to Portuguese parents, Furtado learned to play trombone and ukulele at the age of nine, keyboard at 11, and began composing her own songs at 13. She then formed a trip-hop group called Nelstar , which allowed her to play eight dates on "the village stage" at Lilith Fair.
Some of her songs feature lyrics in Portuguese and Hindi.
Nelly also gave birth to a little girl named Nevis, on September 20, 2003.
On performing one night at Toronto nightclub Lee's Palace, Furtado hooked up with Philosopher Kings singer Gerald Eaton. Eaton became an important collaborator, co-producing Furtado's debut album, Whoa, Nelly! , when she signed with DreamWorks.
Her style, described by Toronto Sun writer Jane Stevenson as a cross between Macy Gray and Ivana Santilli, incorporates pop, trip-hop, bossa nova, soul, R&B, hip-hop and folk, and was a result of her urge to move beyond the kinds of music that had always emotionally moved her. She has mentioned Cornershop, Beck and Finley Quaye as factors in her sound.
Before her record deal, her music was slighty gloomy, along the lines of Portishead and Radiohead. After awhile, she tired of all her songs being depressing. She has been quoted that: "...then I realized good music does not have to be sad, it can be poppy and wonderful and fun, and that's the kind of record I want to make."
Her second album, Folklore, was released in 2003, which included Força (Force), the official anthem of Euro 2004.
She has also been associated with the band Swollen Members who are old friends from British Columbia.
Timeline of Noteworthy Events in Nelly Furtado's career
Discography
- 2000 "Whoa, Nelly!"; #24 US, #2 UK
- 2003 "Folklore"; #38 US, #11 UK
Hit singles
- 2001 "I'm Like a Bird" #9 US, #5 UK
- 2001 "Turn off the Light" #5 US, #4 UK
- 2002 "On the Radio (Remember the Days)" #18 UK
- 2002 "Hey, Man"
- 2003 "Powerless (Say What You Want)" #13 UK
- 2004 "Try" #15 UK
- 2004 "Forca" #40 UK
- 2004 "Explode"
- 2004 "The Grass Is Green"
External links
- nellyfurtado.com http://nellyfurtado.com/ - Official Website
- shitontheradio.com http://shitontheradio.com/ - The official Nelly Furtado fan site
- burninthespotlight.com http://www.burninthespotlight.com/ - The official Nelly Furtado fans forum
Last updated: 02-10-2005 11:53:38
