By Lyndsey Parker, Launch.com

Canadian-based, Portuguese-born singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado may be young–only 21–but her debut album, Whoa Nelly, sounds like the work of a seasoned pro. This shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise, since Nelly has been writing songs since she was 12 years old, plays various instruments (guitar, keyboards, ukulele, trombone), sings in several languages (English, Portuguese, Hindi), and has multiple diverse influences (everyone from Mary J. Blige to Jeff Buckley to Caetano Veloso). Judging from her answers during her October 25 LAUNCH online chat, Nelly, a former creative writing student, is wise beyond her years as well. Whether she was giving advice to aspiring musicians, discussing her Portuguese ancestry, contemplating the current state of top 40 radio, or reflecting on the heady experience of overnight success, her responses were always thoughtful, interesting, and from the heart. Here’s what she had to say:

launch_nelly_furtado: Hey everybody, thanks for coming to my chat. I’m excited. Let’s get started.

babygirl1971_99: How old were you when you first started performing?

launch_nelly_furtado: I was 4 years old the first time I sang–I did a duet with my mom on Portugal Day in church.

mel_baby_girl4: Are you happy that your music is being played on top 40 radio or where you hoping to attract a different type of audience?

launch_nelly_furtado: I feel that my record addresses all types of different audiences, because it’s so diverse. Right now the song being played on top 40 is “I’m Like A Bird.” But I also have another single out called “Party,” which is being spun at clubs. There’s a vinyl edition out right now, and it may be getting spun at college radio. I’m glad the record is going to mean a lot of different things to different people.

Sonyfish: You did great on the tonight show, will you be doing David, Rosie, and other shows?

launch_nelly_furtado: Thank you. Yes, I will be doing David Letterman on December 13, and we might be doing Saturday Night Live in January or February.

mel_baby_girl4: What is the song “Hey Man” about?

launch_nelly_furtado: “Hey Man” is the oldest song on the album; I wrote it three years ago. At the time, I was taking creative writing courses at college and I had just bought a guitar. I wrote that in my room in Victoria, B.C. I think the song is capturing a moment…I can’t quite explain it.

mel_baby_girl4: What is the song “… on the radio” about?

launch_nelly_furtado: Let’s return to that later.

Sonyfish: When you tour again, will you do clubs again or go for stadiums?

launch_nelly_furtado: Well, it depends on how well the record is doing (laughs). Right now, my next show is in Lisbon, Portugal. I believe it’s November 23. Then I have a bunch of Christmas radio shows in December. Then a show in England in January and a REAL U.S. tour in January/February. It will probably not be stadiums, though one day they would be fun to try.

safari_cutie: tell nelly its ashley her friend (little ashley) and ask her if she well ever do a tour in vancouver

launch_nelly_furtado: Hi Ashley! How are you? Thanks for keeping up to date on all the Nelly news. Say hi to your family for me. I am hoping to play Victoria or Vancouver in December, because we have a radio show in Seattle, so we hope to swing by there.

fatbra89: Did you want to be something else other than a singer?

launch_nelly_furtado: Well, my second passion is creative writing, which I studied at school. I would maybe like to return to university one day. I like to follow my heart; there’s all different kinds of ways I like to express myself. Basically, with all my decisions, I have used my gut instinct, so I am going to see what comes up and make my decisions accordingly. I only like to do things I really care about.

LyndseyLaunch: How old are you and what is your sign?

launch_nelly_furtado: 21. I’m a Sagittarius, turning 22 on December 2.

ropich: Do you still play trombone?

launch_nelly_furtado: No, I haven’t played in about three years. I would like to start again–I miss it a little bit–but I think it’s helped me with my singing, such as in “Baby Girl”–pada pada ching!

mel_baby_girl4: What did you do on the day of your cd release?

launch_nelly_furtado: You’ll be very disappointed in me. I actually celebrated a few nights earlier on the Jay Leno show, Friday and Saturday night, because some friends were visiting from Vancouver and my band was in L.A., so we watched the show and celebrated. Tuesday I just chilled out by myself and sang on two radio shows in San Jose and San Francisco. Then I bought my album for $8.99–what a deal–at Virgin Mega. One lady recognized me and she bought my CD.

lovegrowsdeeper: Hey Nelly, w’sup? How important is success in the industry to you?

launch_nelly_furtado: I don’t know. Success to me has already happened to an extent, because I already have fans that understand what I’m about and appreciate my music. Even with all the acclaim I’m getting from the press, it’s the connection with the fans that I feel at my shows and reading my e-groups and website that really touches me and makes me feel successful, because that’s the thing that’s real.

killabigthrilla: so where are you from originally?

launch_nelly_furtado: I was born in Victoria, B.C., Canada. My parents were born in the Azores Islands, specifically from Sao Miguel. They are a group of nine islands 900 miles off the coast of Portugal, so that makes me first-generation Canadian. Yet I have lived in Toronto for the past three years. I speak English and Portuguese, and a tiny bit of Spanish, too.

mista1313: ARE YOU COMING OUT WITH A FULL LENGTH PORTUGUESE ALBUM

launch_nelly_furtado: I would love to come out with one. I promise that I will come out with one in the next five years. That’s really important to me; I have a project in mind. There’s a lot of things I didn’t touch on in Whoa Nelly, even though it sounds pretty international. I want to delve even further into my Portuguese history and use other influences, such as folkloric songs and famous church melodies, and maybe incorporate some other cultural styles, such as Indian and Brazilian. When I sing in Portuguese, I feel in my element, and an important part of my personality, as a singer, is the Portuguese-singer side of me.

safari_cutie: are u ever going to sing in ur home town and VICTORIA MISSES YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

launch_nelly_furtado: Hopefully, I will back in December, it’s not confirmed yet. I miss Victoria, too.

mel_baby_girl4: What is your favourite song on the album?

launch_nelly_furtado: My favorite song is “Sh-t On The Radio.” To me, it describes my entire album Whoa Nelly. It kind of addresses what I was feeling when I was making the record. I think that because I’ve been making music for so long for my own interests, that when the opportunity came around to record a pop record with a major label, I was faced with all sorts of fears. Then I realized the songs I was writing were coming from me, and there was nothing wrong with them, and I shouldn’t be afraid to express myself. I think it addresses in a way about having my song played on top 40 radio. I’m making pop music, but I don’t have to fit under the pop umbrella. I don’t have to fit under one category, as I did when I was a trip-hop artist. Now I’m a Nelly artist.

babygirl1971_99: If you were a cartoon character whom would you be?

launch_nelly_furtado: Betty Boop or something, or the Road Runner. Or Garfield, cause I’ve always wanted to be a cat and sleep and eat all day.

clints_teddy_bear: Hi Nelly My Question is Do You Have A Bf

launch_nelly_furtado: No, currently single. (laughs)

mel_baby_girl4: Who are your musical influences?

launch_nelly_furtado: They range so much. The first type of music that I was totally infatuated with was hip-hop and R&B. I would listen to everything from Bel Biv DeVoe to Salt N’ Pepa to Mary J. Blige, Ice-T, and LL Cool J. Then I discovered rock influences like Radiohead, the Verve, Oasis, and Smashing Pumpkins. Jeff Buckley has been one of my biggest influences. More recently, a big influence has been Caetano Veloso, a Brazilian artist. And I was just listening to Ani DiFranco on the plane, the Not A Pretty Girl CD.

lovegrowsdeeper: how’s it feel to hear your own s… on the radio? (and clubs?)

launch_nelly_furtado: The first time I heard “I’m Like A Bird” on the radio was in Toronto, and I had to get up really early in the morning so I was in a bad mood. Then I heard my song and it obviously cheered me up. Last week in L.A., KROQ played “Sh-t On The Radio.” I was driving in the car and it sounded great. I was happy for the rest of the day.

puppypawzzzzz: Do you play any instruments?I play piccollo

launch_nelly_furtado: In the past I played ukulele and trombone. Currently, I mainly play guitar, but I play keyboards in the studio and I like to program bass lines and stuff in the studio.

LyndseyLaunch: what would you say has shaped your life most?

launch_nelly_furtado: Probably just my Portuguese identity and going back to the Azores as a child, experiencing the culture, learning the language. I think it’s made me proud, open-minded. Also coming from a working-class background shaped my identity in a huge, positive way.

puppypawzzzzz: Are you ever going to have fans in one of your videos?

launch_nelly_furtado: Well, I really liked Limp Bizkit’s “Break Stuff” with all their fans, and so I think it looks like a good idea. I might just have to do that. Maybe an exclusive concert or something and tape it.

ricardoferreira2000: Hey Nelly! You coming to Karen and Oscars this weekend? They r having a Halloween party. And how r u?

launch_nelly_furtado: I wish I was. Karen always manages to have way more fun Halloweens than I do. I’ll probably wind up packing or something. I always have boring Halloweens, except for the time we all dressed up like black cats and went around in the red van.

Sonyfish: Someone just asked me if I’d started a fan club for you… do you know for sure if someone working for you DID start one? If they didn’t please let me know.

launch_nelly_furtado: There’s an address on my CD that is my manager’s P.O. Box where you can send fanmail. There is nothing official, really. Please leave messages, I read them.

killabigthrilla: Hey, would you date a fan?

launch_nelly_furtado: Electric or paper? (laughs out loud)

lovegrowsdeeper: You’re album was already circulating in MP3 before the release date? How do you feel about that?

launch_nelly_furtado: I don’t think my whole album is on Napster yet, but if it is, it’s beyond my control. I think Napster is positive and negative at the same time. It’s great that people can share music online. I think it’s good for music, because artists that would go unheard-of can have an audience online. On the other hand, a CD is a pretty good deal, I’d say. My CD is only $8.99 at Virgin Records!

Sonyfish: Have you had any extremely memorable experiences while touring?

launch_nelly_furtado: I think just getting on the tour bus for the first time, because it had been a dream all my life. Getting on a bus, with a book, travelling to the next place. Meeting fans has been great, too.

lovegrowsdeeper: is nelly short for noella?

launch_nelly_furtado: No, just Nelly. Nelly Kim Furtado. I was named after a gymnast.

safari_cutie: Nelly, have ur parents seen u do a live performance ?

launch_nelly_furtado: My parents have only seen me on TV, doing Leno and Mike Bullard (Canadian TV host).

michelfr_2000: I understand that you became *very* famous in a *very* short time… How are you dealing with it, and what’s the one thing about being famous you had NOT foreseen?

launch_nelly_furtado: That’s why I want to come to Vancouver and play a show. They loved what they’ve seen so far, especially my video, which is getting spins on Much Music. I’m not famous yet, kid. (laughs out loud) I hear that once my video gets on heavy rotation, that’s when the real weirdness will start. I guess I have to wait and see.

killabigthrilla: If you could see a concert, standing in the front row, who would you choose to see?

launch_nelly_furtado: It would be Amalia Rodrigues, Jeff Buckley, or Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

pacheco_nelson: to prove this Nelly what was the other name for the red van???

launch_nelly_furtado: The Dodge Caravan–the Portuguese Mafia Mobile. I hope I didn’t get it wrong.

killabigthrilla: Whats your advice t someone who wants to get into the business too?

launch_nelly_furtado: My advice is to realize that every opportunity that comes your way is coming for a reason, because you never know what could come from them, so don’t fear opportunity. Also, make music that you love, that comes from your heart. If you make music you love, other people are bound to like it, too. Constantly seek out other musical people, because you will learn something from every musical experience.

angelbeautybabe: If you would organize a tour like lilith fair who would you invite

launch_nelly_furtado: Jill Scott, Kinney Starr, Esthero, Dido, Ani DiFranco, Mary J. Blige, Marisa Monte, Caetano Veloso, Beck, Cornershop, Incubus…and the list goes on and on.

Blunt_48: Hey Nelly! My favorite cut off the album is the song *On the radio*. I was just wondering what yours is?!?!?!

launch_nelly_furtado: It is mine too, but I also like “Party.”

star287: What do you think of such pop artists as Britney Spears?

launch_nelly_furtado: Wait! I would also put Asian Dub Foundation on the tour, and Beth Orton, Elliott Smith, the Verve, and the New Deal. As for Britney, I don’t know. I guess there’s an audience for every artist out there.

SweetLaoAngel: Do you write your own music?

launch_nelly_furtado: I do, I write all my songs, and I co-produced the record. I have been writing songs since I was 12 and recording since I was 16. I have lots of unreleased material. As much as I can have at the age of 21…heh heh.

mel_baby_girl4: Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

launch_nelly_furtado: I will either be making a record or touring. I guarantee that at least my second record will be out. (laughs) I have plans for album number two, musically. I do love Whoa Nelly, and I hope you like it, too.

lovegrowsdeeper: Are the songs you write about ACTUAL personal experiences? or just feelings and ideas?

launch_nelly_furtado: A lot of the songs are about personal experiences, but a lot are feelings, too. I don’t think I ever write narratively, except for “Trying To Find A Way,” but that’s like a Beat poet song. I like to flow.

star287: What’s your biggest career goal and how do you plan to achieve it?

launch_nelly_furtado: One of my biggest goals is to have a stage show that really represents what I’m about, completely. I want to really dream up something surreal, beautiful, and exciting in the immediate future.

ropich: Any songs that you would you like to cover?

launch_nelly_furtado: There’s a song by Prince called “Power Fantastic.” I would love to know from fans what they would like to hear covered at shows. I am looking for something from early-’90s R&B world. Hip-hop. Something unpredictable. Put it on the website message board at www.whoanelly.com or www.nellyfurtado.com. I am really excited that now the record is in stores and that people who buy it will tell a friend. Even if radio or video doesn’t go as I want it to, I hope word of mouth will spread. Thanks for coming to the chat and making me smile. You guys are THA BOMB. I’m a lucky girl.

Nelly Furtado combines the romance of Portuguese fado with hip-hop electricity

Even during the eight summers she worked alongside her mother cleaning hotel rooms, Nelly Furtado knew that she would grow up to be a musician. Her childhood in a working-class Portuguese-Canadian family in Victoria (her father, Antonio, is a stonemason and land- scaper) was steeped in song and dance. Her mother, Maria, sang at Portuguese festivals, and Nelly began doing so as well when she was only 4. Later, as she learnt folk dancing and took up the ukulele and jazz trombone, Nelly was confident she would one day become a recording artist. And now, the 21-year-old’s soon-to-be-released debut CD, Whoa Nelly!, is getting the kind of advance buzz most young artists can only dream of. Everyone from Vanity Fair to Rolling Stone has heralded her as one to watch. And Entertainment Weekly dubs her “the thinking woman’s Christina Aguilera.” But that is selling her short. She is better described as a Portuguese Lauryn Hill — hip-hop’s most successful crossover artist.

Whoa Nelly! (DreamWorks) is an accomplished and refreshing debut owing much to Furtado’s diverse musical interests: Portuguese fado, Brazilian bossa nova, Pakistani devotional singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, alt-rockers Beck and Radiohead, pop artists Mariah Carey and TLC, and lots of hip-hop. And it doesn’t hurt that Furtado is a dark beauty with blue eyes and long black hair. Naturally, the artist has high hopes for her debut, but she insists she is more interested in pursuing her own musical vision than in saturating the market as Aguilera and Britney Spears have done. “Why would you want everyone buying your record because it is the cool thing to do?” she asks. “I’d prefer people to find out about me in an organic way.”

During a recent performance at Toronto’s Phoenix Concert Theatre, where she was opening for the Canadian band Jacksoul, Furtado was stiff and showing signs of inexperience for the first half of her act. But then she let loose, showcasing her strong, versatile voice that moves easily from baby-girl cooing to sultry to rough staccato to passionate Portuguese fado. Performing one of her finest songs, the teasingly sexy Turn off the Light, she swivelled her tiny hips to a crouch and jumped back up with one hand in the air, pumping the crowd like a confident, seasoned hip-hop performer. “When I first came out,” Furtado said of the concert the following day, “it was like coming out of the blocks in a track meet — you try so hard and you are almost overdoing it. But I just chilled a little and eased into it.”

Furtado began expanding beyond Portuguese music in high school, when she hung out with electronic DJs and went to dance clubs and raves. In 1998, after a year of creative writing studies at a British Columbia college, Furtado moved to Toronto to record a demo with Gerald Eaton and Brian West of the Philosopher Kings. She had been writing songs with Eaton, who encouraged her to break away from her underground street scene and develop her sound into something more professional. The demo landed Furtado a slot on the 1998 Lilith Fair tour and her DreamWorks recording contract. Now, West and Eaton wait in the wings like proud fathers. “I am no longer her mentor,” said Eaton after seeing her recent Toronto performance. “I am a huge fan.”

Furtado, who accompanies herself on the guitar for some songs and performs with a seven-piece band, plans to immerse herself more in the hip-hop side of her music in the future — taking cues from DJs on how to produce new music with turntables. But she will never forsake her musical roots. “There are two sides to me,” she says, “the urban, street-smart English singer, and then the Portuguese singer. When I sing Portuguese, I kind of turn into another person, very emotional, more like a songstress.” Furtado’s rare combination of talents may bring her to pop success without compromising her artistic vision.

Maclean’s Magazine 

Even with a U.S. record deal and media hype galore, singer Furtado’s keeping cool

You may not have heard of Nelly Furtado yet.

But you will.

The hype preceding the release Tuesday of the adventurous pop singer’s debut album, the aptly titled Whoa, Nelly!, is about as big as it could possibly get. And it’s been building for months.

Vanity Fair featured the Toronto-based artist — whose unique, free-spirited sound incorporates pop, trip-hop, bossa nova, soul, R&B, hip-hop and folk — back in June.

SPIN, Elle, Interview, Glamour and Elm Street followed with similarly glowing features, and Furtado, 21, was scheduled to appear on Jay Leno this past Friday.

Rolling Stone just reviewed Whoa, Nelly!, giving it 3 1/2 stars out of five and describing it as “wild-ass pop go-go.”

Entertainment Weekly went one step further, delivering an “A” rating and pointing out the album’s “sassy, jittery, let’s-try-that energy.”

Much like the girl herself.

Seated in the lounge at the Phoenix two weeks ago, before an opening set for Jacksoul, Furtado doesn’t seem worried about living up to the huge hype directed her way.

“The cool thing is that a lot of the people who have been generating or creating the hype are people who have already heard the record or seen my show,” said Furtado, a high-strung, eloquent and stylish ball of energy.

“It’s nothing pre-fabricated; it’s really organic. It’s not an artificial interest or love or persuasion of any kind. It’s coming from the ground up, which is nice.”

Furtado’s good looks — her olive skin and intense blue eyes are the product of her Portuguese background — haven’t hurt her cause either. The family music gene runs as far back as her great-grandfather.

Fortunately, she’s as sweet-sounding as she is striking.

“It’s nice to get press,” she shrugs. “And I guess it makes it easier for certain press, for a fashion magazine, to feature an artist who maybe looks more like the people in their magazine than not. I have to admit that it’s probably true.”

Not that Furtado is being styled. She has her own deliberate way of dressing and presenting herself. On this day, her long brown hair is tied back and she’s wearing a form-fitting denim dress — by Toronto design company Snug — and bright red boots from Portugal.

“That’s the cool thing. I’m very picky that way. I bring my own clothes.”

Furtado’s confidence now betrays her initial introduction to The Big Smoke.

She arrived here from Victoria, B.C., at the ripe old age of 17, having just graduated from high school. The plan was to stay with her aunt for four months. She ended up staying a year, after forming the trip-hop group Nelstar.

“The first impression was, yeah, very overwhelming,” admits Furtado. “It was great for me. It was very eye-opening. Just even the culture here. People are more open-minded, obviously, in a big city than they are in a small city, so you experience a lot of new things. It really opens your mind up. And the music scene, obviously, is amazing and so fruitful.”

Furtado is referring to her “discovery” at Lee’s Palace three years ago after her performance at Honey Jam, a showcase for black female artists.

Her delivery of an original song led to her being sought out by Philosopher Kings frontman Gerald Eaton and his manager Chris Smith.

“Gerald came up and asked if I wanted to write songs,” remembers Furtado. “And I said, ‘Sure,’ but I wasn’t really that into it or whatever. I was but I wasn’t, ’cause I didn’t want to hear about management or anything like that at that point. And I had already booked my ticket. I was going to Europe, backpacking with my friends for the summer and then back to college.”

Furtado returned to Victoria to study creative writing at college while learning to play the guitar.

Whenever Philosopher Kings would come to town, Eaton would try to convince her to come out to Toronto for a week so he and bandmate Brian West could produce some demos.

Finally, a year later, she acquiesced.

“The three of us really clicked,” Furtado says. “They made me less scared of my popness. ‘Cause when I did trip-hop, I did write hookier stuff than what was prevalent in that scene. I didn’t really fit into that. I wasn’t quite cool enough for it.”

Not only that, but her music was so strong that Furtado wound up getting directly signed to DreamWorks Records in the U.S. after being pursued by several labels.

Her ear-catching demos also featured a self-written stream-of-consciousness bio and pictures from a photo booth she took in a Toronto shopping centre.

“From day one, we set out to have this really Nelly, straight-up project and people got it and they liked it,” says Furtado.

In Canada, she is distributed by Universal Records, which also has plans to release the album in England and Germany. But Furtado is clearly more jazzed about the fact that the first single, I’m Like A Bird, is already a Top 10 single in Portugal, where the album will be released in November.

She describes her hard-to-describe sound (think Macy Gray meets Ivana Santilli), as the product of a desire to move beyond the kinds of music that had always emotionally moved her.

Helping nudge her along were records by Cornershop, Beck and Finley Quaye.

“The styles I was into before were a little more melancholic,” says Furtado. “Kind of like Portishead and Radiohead and stuff like that. It’s great music, but it’s melancholy. And I think there was a point where I was sick of everything good having to be sad — including the music I was writing. And then I realised 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.

“I’m thinking, ‘I’m young, I don’t want to be touring a sad record.’ I want to be having fun on stage every night. I want to have the same energy that I’d seen on a hip-hop show.”

By Jane Stevenson, Toronto Sun  

In the unlikely event that Nelly Furtado’s music career doesn’t pan out, the Victoria-born singer-songwriter might want to consider a future as a talent scout for a major record label.

“People always tell me I’m more comfortable talking about music than I am talking about myself, and it’s true,” says Furtado, 21, whose startlingly assured debut CD, Whoa, Nelly!, hits stores Tuesday.

“I’m constantly referring CDs and tapes to people I know. I like finding new, unsigned stuff. That’s what I listen to. I always have my ear to the street, trying to find out what’s going on. There’s a lot of great stuff coming out of Toronto right now. Tonight, I’m going to see the Movement Collective, this great group of DJs from Toronto. And the New Deal? Have you heard of them? A really good live band.”

Furtado’s tastes are as wide-ranging as they are astute. Trip-hop acts Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead and an entire roster of rappers, as well as pop-rock acts from the Verve, Smashing Pumpkins and Radiohead to singer-songwriters Elliott Smith, Beth Orton, Rufus Wainwright and Ani di Franco are passionately cited in a recent interview.

Not that anyone is betting against Furtado making it on the strength of her own talent. Whoa, Nelly!, a DreamWorks release originally due out last summer, has received positive notice in Spin, which hailed her as an up-and-comer, and in Rolling Stone, which ran favourable reviews of both the album and a Chicago club gig.

The music itself is a seamless blend of world beat, pop and urban, with traditional Portuguese influences mixed in. It even opens with a song, “Hey, Man!,” that samples “White Man Sleeps,” from the Kronos Quartet’s Pieces Of Africa CD.

“There’s something for everybody on the record,” Furtado says. “But there’s enough of a pop sensibility that you can still get a bigger audience. If I wanted to make an underground record, I wouldn’t be on a major label. But I wanted to make a pop record because my songs are poppy and hooky, anyway.

“There are tons of bands that merge styles. But they don’t always tap into the collective subconscious. You need the song to carry it. Maybe my songs lend themselves to eclecticism, in the melodies or the phrasing. I don’t know. But people seem to be getting it.”

Furtado grew up in a musical household in Victoria’s relatively small but closely knit Portuguese community. She was 4 the first time she performed in public, singing a duet with her mother at church.

“Music was always around the house. My mother sang in the choir, and I’d hide behind the couch while the rehearsals were going on. Her father, grandfather, brother and uncle were all multi-instrumentalists in a band in San Miguel, Azores, where my parents are from.”

Furtado began writing her own songs at age 12 while grooving to the sounds of rap and hip-hop on a Seattle radio station. By the time she was 16, she was singing for a string of hip-hop and trip-hop outfits.

During a visit to Toronto, Furtado appeared at the Honey Jam talent showcase at Lee’s Palace, where she was spotted by Chris Smith, who became her manager, and Gerald Eaton and Brian West of the Philosopher Kings, who co-wrote several of the songs on Whoa, Nelly!.

“Gerald and Brian taught me not to be afraid of the pop stuff I was writing. And that’s great because I can be whatever I want. I’m not under any umbrella. It feels very free.”

Furtado’s distinctive singing is an alluring presence throughout, from the edgy “Hey, Man!” through the Macy Gray-ish “I’m Like A Bird” to the Latin-tinged hip-hop of “I Will Make U Cry” to the jazzy, world-beat stylings of “Scared Of You.”

“I say things on those songs that I would never say in real life. Part of what I like about urban music is that I get to be somebody else on stage. It’s such a culture in itself. It’s the walk, the talk. It’s more than just the music.”

Furtado, who opened for Jacksoul at the Phoenix earlier this month and is looking to headline her own show in November, is as at home on stage as she is in the studio. Riding around in a tour bus fulfills an ambition she has had since taking trips with her high-school band.

Next month, she heads to Portugal, where “I’m Like A Bird” is already a hit. Trips to England and Germany, as well as more touring throughout the U.S. and Canada, are in the offing.

“I always dreamt of sitting in the tour bus, writing in my journal or reading while travelling to the next city,” she says. “I’m a nomad. I love wandering. So being on the road is great for me. It’s a new thing for me every day.”

More than that, it’s a way to keep in touch with what’s current. “Kids show up at my shows with mixed tapes,” she says. “The tapes are totally eclectic, from Bebel Gilberto to DJ Shadow and Kid Koala to Elliott Smith. People’s ears are opening up.”
By Vit Wagner, Totonto Star 

“I heard my song on the radio for the first time this morning. It was, like, nine-fifteen in the morning and I was talking on the phone with my manager, telling him that the song was starting to get radio play, and I said, ‘Wait! It’s on right now!’ It was a moment. My manager told me that the first time you hear your song, it doesn’t really hit you, because you’re too tripped out. It’s true. I was thinking about stupid things like how the mix wasn’t quite right.

Typical me.

“There’s only a couple of things that are real in this business. There are the fans that listen to your music. And there are the record sales that indicate that someone has bought your record and has it sitting on their stereo. But television, radio, magazines, the whole business, those aren’t real. A lot of that is just work. A lot of it’s just stuff you have to do to get to that moment onstage where you can connect with your fans. And I think that moment overrides all the business. But the business stuff can be disheartening. It can be soul crushing.

“Musically, I’m totally a child of hip hop. I grew up in Victoria, which, believe it or not, does have a hip-hop scene. Victoria is sort of a smaller city, so there’s that suburban boredom thing where you hang out at McDonald’s and drink free coffee refills. We’d go to the mall and hang out with the hip-hop kids and you’d go to parties and there would be people rapping. I wrote rhymes for a while. So my music is infused with that hip-hop sensibility. But the music isn’t autobiographical. If I could describe it in a moment or a feeling, it’s like that moment when you’re watching a play and you really like it, but you don’t want to stand up to start the standing ovation because you’re afraid of being the first one to stand up. Well, my music is about being the first one to stand up.”

Nelly Furtado’s first album, Whoa, Nelly!, will be released 24th October on DreamWorks. She is currently touring with her band.

Saturday Night Magazine 

When pop performers draw on a wide range of genres in a single album, the result can be hors d’oeuvre music: varied and savory, but perhaps not as satisfying as a main course. Singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado, on her hook-laden debut album, Whoa, Nelly! (DreamWorks), borrows from a wide array of styles, such as pop, rock, hip-hop, bossa nova and even Portuguese fado. But Furtado imbues her work with such sprightly energy that her stylistic mix has real impact. Whoa, Nelly! is more than a plate of appetisers; it’s a musical meal.

Born in Victoria, B.C., Furtado, 21, is the child of Portuguese immigrants. As a grade schooler, she played a variety of instruments, including ukulele and trombone, but her real musical awakening came when she started listening to Brazilian artists such as Caetano Veloso, Tom Ze and Chico Science. “Portuguese music I love, but when I discovered Brazilian–that’s when I was like, ‘Yeah!’” she says. “Not just because it’s sung in Portuguese, which I understand and speak, but because it’s got all these great rhythmic elements, and there are just so many great Brazilian records to tap into.”

Furtado’s CD is a rich source of innovative rhythms and original musical ideas. One of the best songs,…On the Radio, is a hip-hoppy declaration of independence in which Furtado dedicates herself not just to climbing the charts but also to charting her own course. Another song, Legend, boasts a bossa nova beat as fresh as a cool breeze on a warm beach, and I’m Like a Bird, the album’s first single, is love-at-first-listen, smartly crafted pop. Whoa, Nelly! is one of the season’s best and brightest debuts.
By Christopher John Farley, Time 

We’ve all heard the catch phrases. ‘Next big thing,’ ‘this year’s model’ - there are many ways to blow the trumpet of acclaim in the direction of a critical darling. Whether or not those darlings are always deserving is another story. In some unfortunate cases, the buzz accompanying an artist can be so loud that it overwhelms the actual music being made, and buries a promising career under heaps of hyperbole.

Rest assured then, dear reader, that Nelly Furtado has the goods. She’s a 21-year-old Canadian-Portuguese pop explosion waiting to detonate. And detonate she will once her debut album, the whimsically titled Whoa Nelly hits stores on 24th Oct. She’s already receiving acres of press in outlets that most artists three albums deep into their careers would kill for - Interview magazine, Spin, Entertainment Weekly, Rolling Stone - the crème de la crème of North American music journalism is indulging in a practice they’re usually too jaded for, falling over themselves to anoint a rising star. The phrase ‘the next Macy’ (as in R&B sensation Macy Gray) has been uttered more than once. Is she at all worried about being overwhelmed by the accolades?

“We actually finished the record in April, and it was passed out to people in the industry in May or June, so for me it doesn’t feel that premature,” she says the day after a mesmerizing showcase performance in Toronto that left hundreds practically gasping for air (between gulps of beer). “And also the love for the record has been really organic - you know, we were at a radio station today that’s playing the song, and they said they had it at a meeting and just said ‘That’s a good song, let’s play it!’ So it’s been kind of natural.”

The song she’s talking about is current single ‘I’m Like a Bird,’ a breezy slice of pop that, once it inevitably hits the charts, will radiate some summer warmth even in chilly October. Still, even though she may seem calm and composed about her seemingly imminent ascent, there are still little things that surprise her. Just before kicking into the single onstage the night before, she asked the throngs sheepishly “Do you know this one?” She seemed genuinely thrilled with the responding roars.

“Last night was my first show post-radio, because the song only got released to radio last week. So yeah, it’s totally exciting - it’s a whole different ballgame. It’s a very difficult situation when you’re just going up cold, without the benefit of radio play. We’ve been on promotional tours, where you’re going out and playing for people in retail and radio, and I think a lot of people in the business are kind of jaded right now because there’s a lot of stuff out there right now that’s kind of prefabricated. Maybe people assume because I’m young, or they look at the cover, they’ll assume it’s not very good and so you do have to win them over at the show. If they’ve listened to the record, they’re usually convinced already.”

And for good reason. ‘Whoa Nelly’ is the sort of record that both critics and club kids can feel good about fawning over. There’s the genre-blurring, international flavour of the tracks that makes critics break out the hyphenated buzzwords, and there’s a literate sense that illustrates Furtado’s love for the written word (the only other thing she’s excited about doing besides music is creative writing). Not too many artists can throw the words ‘Mobius strip’ into a pop song as effortlessly as Furtado does in the hypnotic ‘Hey Man.’

But it’s not all about making the intelligentsia stroke its collective chin. Tracks like the TLC-esque ‘Turn Off The Light’ and the drum’n'bassified ‘Party’ have their sights set on one part of your anatomy - they head right to the booty, and hit the brain on the way up. That’s partly due to the stellar production from Gerald Eaton and Brian West (also known as two of the Philosopher Kings), but mostly due to Furtado’s sweeping musical tastes. She names Nusref Fateh Ali Khan, Jeff Buckley, Portishead and Eminem as important influences, seeing a thread amongst these seemingly disparate artists that inspires her work.

“I think there may be three threads. People like Nusref Fateh Ali Khan or Jeff Buckley used their voices as carriers, as a vessel towards transcendence. I think they really let their voices take them to another place, and I’m really intrigued by that. I’m intrigued by the idea of singing until you’re taken somewhere else, kind of stream-of-consciousness. But that connects to a lot of hip-hop a well - it’s all about the ‘now,’ very in the moment. And I’m very much about melody as well - I love artists like Elliot Smith because of his strong melodies. And I guess the flipside to that with artists like TLC, Mary J. Blige and LL Cool J…I like the posturing involved with a lot of urban music, you can become a different person or a character. On my record, on ‘I’ll Make You Cry’ and ‘Baby Girl,’ I can say things there that I’d never say in real life, like ‘I’ll never be your baby girl!’ I’d never say that in real life, you know?”

With a new eagerly-awaited album in the can, tour dates on the way and major TV appearances in the week ahead (Canada’s Mike Bullard show on 17th Oct and Jay Leno on 20th Oct), Furtado will have ample opportunity to find all the parts of herself that might pop up in future songs. It’s a great new chapter for a career that started in earnest at the age of 17, singing with a trip-hop group and turning down offers for management even then. It wasn’t until a performance at a family function that “the light bulb in my head” went off, and pointed the way to today. And as she prepares to fill the day with many more interviews, recounting that moment shines a light on the motives behind Furtado’s music. It’s not all about radio spins, photo shoots, or shiny superlatives. To use one of her favourite words, it’s about fulfilling a more ‘organic’ need.

“The moment where I decided it was time was at my grandmother’s birthday party. There was kind of a lot of people, it was at a restaurant, and I’d written some songs in Portuguese on the guitar. So I performed a couple of them, and it was weird, because all of a sudden my family kind of went ‘Wow.’ And from that day forward my mum was saying ‘Do what you want to do. ‘ And I was still trying to figure out what to do with my life, writing or singing. And somebody asked me ‘What do you do naturally? Why do you write songs?’ and I just said ‘I have no idea.’ And there was the answer. Whatever I do naturally, without thinking, is what I have to be doing…for now, anyway.”

By Barry Walsh, HMV.com

Whoa Nelly should speedily launch the career of the next Canadian pop icon

You’ve probably never heard of her.

But you’re going to hear a lot about her.

Toronto-based diva Nelly Furtado’s album, Whoa Nelly, due out next month, is already one of the most talked-about events of the year among those in the record biz.

She’s going to be big, they say. Very big.

The American media has picked up on Furtado already, after only a smattering of low-key gigs over the past few months.

The L.A. Times recently called her a “real talent” after she played L.A’s Conga Room.

A Rolling Stone reviewer tagged her “an extraordinarily well-developed songwriter” after seeing her perform at Schubas Tavern in Chicago. Entertainment Weekly magazine named her on its annual It List, calling her “the thinking woman’s Christina Aguilera.”

Furtado’s voice has been compared to that of last year’s new name on the scene, Macy Gray.

Her stage presence, according to her producer, is a cross between No Doubt’s hyper Gwen Stefani and earnest poet/songwriter Jewel.

The American media have picked up on Furtado already, after only a smattering of low-key gigs over the past few months. The L.A. Times recently called her a `real talent’ after she played L.A.’s trendy Conga Room

And sex appeal she doesn’t lack. Long black hair, midnight blue eyes, glowing amber skin and abs to rival Britney Spears’ have helped Furtado land photo spreads in Canada’s Elm Street and other fashion mags.
So who is this dynamo, this diva to die for?

Furtado, 21, was born in Victoria, B.C., into a working-class Portuguese family. She first performed at the age of 4 on the stage of a Portuguese festival, and went on to pick up the ukulele and the trombone, dance in musicals and play in a marching band.

After moving to Toronto as a teen, she jumped onstage at a talent show at Lee’s Palace, where she was discovered by Chris Smith, who is now her manager, and Gerald Eaton and Brian West, both of the Toronto band Philosopher Kings. They worked with her on a demo, which shortly landed Furtado a Dreamworks record deal, with Eaton and West acting as producers under the name Track and Field.

That was less than two years ago, but Eaton says Furtado has come a long way, after having played a few dates during last year’s Lilith Fair festival.

“She’s incredible,” he says. “We started writing songs together and she started developing as a performer and an artist in leaps in bounds.

“The songs she writes on her guitar are simple and innocent and very true to her personality,” he says, describing her as “childlike and grown up at the same time.”

“She’s always discovering the world, but then when she interprets it, she’s got a really mature insight on it. It’s so cool.”

Furtado grew up listening to Portuguese music, she says in a mini autobiography on her Web site, http://www.nellyfurtado.com.

“My mother sings in a church choir and my father also enjoys casual singing and has a deep interest in the Portuguese style of music “fado” or “fate.” These Portuguese elements and influences are very much what I like to call my ‘musical hard drive.’ ”

‘There is an artist in me. I see art everywhere I walk. I believe I was born to sing and create music that emotionally connects. I was born to document the way I see the world and the experiences I’ve had in it’ ~ Nelly Furtado

But since childhood, her influences have widened to include such diverse genres as Brazilian bossa nova, Indian qawwali, African traditionals, plus techno, drum ‘n’ bass, trip hop, hip hop, even candy pop.

The result is a CD with an international, earthy feel and an undeniably catchy hook.

Furtado takes lyrics seriously, too. Before the record deal , she had considered studying creative writing, and mentions literary influences like Leonard Cohen and Jack Kerouac in her autobiography.

“There is an artist in me,” she says. “I see art everywhere I walk. I believe I was born to sing and create music that emotionally connects. I was born to document the way I see the world and the experiences I’ve had in it.”

Local concert promoters SFX Canada have booked Furtado to open for Jacksoul’s show Thursday at the Phoenix Concert Theatre based almost solely on buzz.

“I’ve heard her CD, and I’m excited to see her live,” says Melissa Bub-Clarke, marketing manager at SFX. “We’ve heard really good things about her.”

Bub-Clarke says Furtado has a star quality that will appeal to a global market. “She’s got a really unique, great voice, and she’s certainly got a look. She’s not like any body else out there right now.”

By Daphne Gordon, Toronto Star

Judging from the septuagenarians celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary, the Barbetta restaurant in New York City could use a heft infusion of Viagra. Or maybe it just needs a few bars sung by a sprightly 21-year-old with the lung capacity of an Olympic swimmer and the confidence of a motivational speaker. “There’s a shadow in the sky / And it looks like rain / Whoa-ho-ho.” Nelly Furtado bellows at top volume at a neighbouring table. “And the shit is gonna fly / Once again / Whoa-ho-ho.” The elderly couple asks for the check.

Furtado is used to stirring things up when she sings. The first time the Canadian pop singer performed publicly, at an urban teenage talent showcase in Toronto, Gerald Eaton (of funk band Philosopher Kings) asked her to collaborate with him. In typical Nelly fashion, she blew him off. “I was very flippant back then,” she says, shrugging. But Eaton eventually convinced her to make a demo. The music, combined with her fresh face (which could sell Botox to 14-year-olds), created such a buzz that Furtado was asked to join the 1999 Lilith Fair tour, as well as appear in glossy spreads in fashion mags, before laying down a single track of her DreamWorks debut, Whoa, Nelly!

Eager to prove that she’s more than just another Bijou Phillips-style It Girl, Furtado takes on mainstream urban pop, alternative folk, R&B-soul, and a Brazilian samba on Whoa, Nelly!, often sounding like Macy Gray, Gwen Stefani, and TLC’s T-Boz rolled into one. But in person, Furtado displays the naivete of someone who has yet to experience the fickle nature of media hype. She will. Even Madonna’s spinmeister couldn’t prevent Furtado from being pegged as a sexy barely twentysomething with a visible belly button. She doesn’t care. “Hopefully,” she says with a hyena laugh, “I will.”

By Heidi Sherman, Spin