Nelly Furtado Age, Height, Ex-Husband & Biography

Nelly Furtado is a Canadian singer-songwriter who became one of the most successful pop stars of the 2000s. Born in British Columbia in 1978 to Portuguese parents, she released her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, in 2000, led by the hit single I’m Like a Bird, which won a Grammy Award. She went on to top the charts with Promiscuous and Maneater, and she has won a Grammy Award and 10 Juno Awards.

Quick Facts

Who Is Nelly Furtado?

Nelly Furtado is a Canadian singer and songwriter known for her versatile voice and her ability to move between pop, folk, R&B and Latin music. She is best known for the songs I’m Like a Bird, Turn Off the Light, Promiscuous, Maneater and Say It Right, and she has won a Grammy Award and 10 Juno Awards. She is one of the most successful Canadian artists of her generation.

Furtado has also become known for her reinventions, moving from folk-pop to hip-hop-influenced pop and then to a Spanish-language album. She is the daughter of Portuguese immigrants, and she has recorded in English, Spanish and Portuguese. She is the mother of three children and continues to record and perform.

Early Life & Background

Nelly Furtado was born on 2 December 1978 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, to Portuguese parents who had emigrated from the Azores. She grew up speaking Portuguese at home and began singing in her church choir, learning to play the guitar, trombone and ukulele. She began writing songs as a teenager and performed in a trip-hop duo called Nelstar.

After moving to Toronto, Furtado recorded a demo tape that came to the attention of the record producer Gerald Eaton of The Philosopher Kings, who helped her to secure a deal with DreamWorks Records. Her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, was released in 2000, when she was 21 years old, and it became a worldwide hit.

Career

Whoa, Nelly! was released in 2000 and featured the singles I’m Like a Bird, which won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2002, and Turn Off the Light. The album reached the top 30 in the United States and sold millions of copies. She followed it with Folklore in 2003, featuring Powerless (Say What You Want) and Força, the official song of UEFA Euro 2004.

Her third album, Loose, was released in 2006 and became her biggest-selling record. Produced with Timbaland, it featured the singles Promiscuous, which topped the Billboard Hot 100, Maneater, which topped the chart in the UK, Say It Right and All Good Things (Come to an End). The album won the Juno Award for Album of the Year and made Furtado a global pop star.

Furtado followed Loose with the Spanish-language album Mi Plan in 2009, The Spirit Indestructible in 2012 and The Ride in 2017. She returned in 2024 with the album 7, featuring the singles Love Bites and Corazón with Bomba Estéreo. She has continued to record and perform, and she remains one of the most successful Canadian artists of her generation, known for her versatility and her willingness to reinvent her sound.

Facts About Nelly Furtado

• I’m Like a Bird won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2002.
• Força was the official song of UEFA Euro 2004.
• Promiscuous with Timbaland topped the Billboard Hot 100.
• Maneater topped the chart in the UK.
• She has won 10 Juno Awards.

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