Nelly Furtado

Background

Nelly Kim Furtado was born on December 2, 1978, to Maria Manuela and Antonio Jose Furtado, both Portuguese emigrants to Canada. She grew up in Victoria, Canada, and has two brothers and sisters. Her mother was a church choir member, and the rest of her family was musically inclined. Furtado accompanied her mother in singing duets at the chapel. By the time she was nine years old, she had mastered the trombone and the ukulele. Furtado later learned to play the guitar and keyboards. As a teenager, she was a member of a jazz band, a concert band, and a marching band. She graduated from Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996. Tallis Newkirk of the hip-hop group Plains of Fascination was a friend of hers, and she sang vocals on their 1996 album “Join the Ranks.” The following year, she and Newkirk formed Nelstar, a trip-hop duo, but she left the group soon after.

She participated in “The Honey Jam,” a talent show for urban ladies, in 1997. The Philosopher Kings’ singer Gerald Eaton and his bandmate Brain West also recognized her. Eaton and West collaborated with the young singer to co-produce her debut album, “Whoa, Nelly!” in 2000. The album received four Grammy nominations and had three international singles, including ‘I’m Like a Bird.’ In 2001, she embarked on the ‘Burn in the Spotlight Tour’ to promote her record. She toured the United States, Canada, and Europe, performing in various venues. Her second album, “Folklore,” was published in 2003. The album had a more peaceful and varied tone than its predecessor, with a rock-oriented, acoustic approach. It included the track ‘Forca,’ which served as the official anthem for the 2004 European Football Championship. “Loose,” her 2006 album, had dance, R&B, and hip-hop elements. Furtado was criticized for the album, which has been described as introspective and mournful. It goes into the theme of female sexuality, for which she was chastised. She released “Mi Plan,” a Spanish album she recorded in 2009. The album was a tremendous smash in the United States, where it was certified Platinum and reached number one on the Latin Billboard list.

In 2010, she embarked on a concert tour to promote her album “Mi Plan,” stopping in Mexico, Venezuela, Chile, Brazil, Argentina, the United States, and Europe.

“The Spirit Indestructible,” her last album, was released in 2012. She co-produced this album, which included hit singles including ‘Big Hoops (Bigger the Better),’ ‘Parking Lot,’ and ‘Waiting for the Night.’ With Jasper Gahunia, with whom she was in a relationship, she has a daughter, Nevis. The pair, however, split up in 2005. She married Demacio Castellon, a sound engineer, in 2008, and the couple later parted ways. She and musicians Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake once co-hosted an M.T.V. show about AIDS.