By Mike Davis, MTV
Jan, 2001

She loves Mary J. Blige and Tropicalia experimentalist Tom Ze. Her lyrics are influenced by gutter poet Jim Carroll, but also the singing of Mariah Carey. She plays ukulele and trombone and can shimmy across the stage like a guitar-strumming Britney. She’s Toronto’s Nelly Furtado and her debut, Whoa Nelly!, is the sound of the teen-pop revolution growing up.

Even before she’d finished recording her debut, Furtado was invited to join 1999’s Lilith Fair for four dates, playing alongside such heavies as Sheryl Crow and tour founder Sarah McLachlan. And while songs such as the acoustic pop-rocker “Hey, Man” and the Brazilian techno tune “Baby Girl” have the requisite radio-friendly hooks, Furtado has spiced the arrangements with flugelhorn, Portugal’s Fado style of music, turntable scratching and South American percussion. She’s definitely got some singer/songwriter chops.

From what she can tell, her mixed-up style has already begun to have an effect on her fans. “There’s certain kids that show up at my show and they’ll give me a mix tape, and it’ll have everything from DJ Shadow to Kid Koala to Elliott Smith to Ani DiFranco to Bebel Gilberto, and I’ll think, ‘Wow, they get it,’ ” the 21-year-old singer said in an interview with Mike Davis for MTVi News. “I just know that I’m addressing something that hasn’t been addressed yet in the pop world.”

MTVi News: How did you get your start in the music business?

Nelly Furtado: I’ve been doing it since I was a kid, performing-wise. The first time I performed I was four. [It was] a duet with my mother in Portuguese, so I was singing in Portuguese before English. I started writing songs when I was about 12. [I was] infatuated with urban music, I wrote books and books of R&B kind of songs. I had my room plastered with WordUp! and Rap Pages magazine. The first musicians I came into contact with were hip-hop musicians, MCs and DJs.

I met some kids that were from the States; they went to a boarding school in Victoria, [Canada]. One of them was in a hip-hop group, [he] knew a producer in Toronto. On my way out to Portugal one summer on holiday, I stopped there [and] did some tracks with them. My first recording experience was doing back-up vocals for a hip-hop group. I was 16 years old.

I did that for about a year, even filmed a video. But at 18, I wasn’t ready to pursue music professionally. I wasn’t writing songs on guitar yet, I wasn’t writing complete singer/songwriter-style songs and I felt like that was the last frontier. I moved back to Victoria for a year to go to college, studied writing, and I learned guitar and started writing songs. And I was doing more experimental stuff with DJ friends who lived in the city and just doing techno and ambient and house stuff, always having a solid footing in both pop writing and the technological, progression kind of thing.

MTVi News: Can you explain the sound? It’s very wide open.

Furtado: I think it’s a pop record, because I feel that even when I was writing, in that trip-hop, more street scene, the stuff I was writing was a bit more hooky than that scene. When I started playing guitar, I started writing these more traditional pop songs. What I set out to do with Whoa, Nelly! was make a record that was under the pop umbrella, but combined more elements of my Portuguese heritage. And used Brazilian percussion.

From the scenes that I come out of, you hear the hip-hop on the record, and you hear the world element [and] you hear the techno element. I think hip-hop energy really runs through the record, and I think the spirit of that is stream-of-consciousness writing, and spontaneity.

MTVi News: What was it like growing up in Victoria?

Furtado: My parents are from the Azores Islands in Portugal. It was cool growing up first-generation Canadian, ’cause we spoke English at home, but I went to night school to learn Portuguese. In my church we had different festivals and so you’d get the culture, the folk dancing. I got a great cultural education, because I could be at an East Indian Banghla-dance one weekend, next weekend I’d be at a Latin dance, dancing to the merengue, and the next weekend be celebrating Chinese New Year.

MTVi News: Some of your songs deal with relationships. How do you come up with the lyrics?

Furtado: I write in two different styles. One style is, again, very stream-of-consciousness. I’m very inspired by the Beat poets, like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg. When I was 14 I got a hold of a Jim Carroll novel [”The Basketball Diaries”] way too early. It was like, wow, street science and street energy and rawness. I think you hear that on tracks like “Party,” “I Will Make U Cry” and “Trynna Find a Way.”

MTVi News: Who would you say your main musical influences are?

Furtado: I’m very influenced by modern Brazilian artists, like Caetano Veloso and Tom Ze Brazilian music in general. The instrumentation is so diverse, and that’s what inspired the record a lot, because there are no rules, really. And Asian Dub Foundation and Cornershop, which I love as well. The lead singer combines his East Indian heritage under a pop umbrella, but there’s a slight political thread running through it. Which I like and you don’t really hear on my record; it’s not really a political record, but I love the energy of that. Jeff Buckley’s a huge influence. In the way that he used his voice as an instrument.

I listened to Mary J. Blige, religiously, [all] my life. Mariah Carey I listened to a lot when I was about 12, 13, because, technically, she’s a great singer, and not having lessons or anything, I’d flip the tape over and over again and memorise the licks.

Portishead was a huge influence, too. When I was 17 and I first moved to the city from the small town of Victoria, Portishead complemented those teen-angst depression years quite well [laughs].

MTVi News: How did you come to play so many different instruments?

Furtado: There was a great music programme at the school that I went to [and] at age nine, I started playing ukulele. I’d transpose Portuguese songs from a tape, and I’d sing them at folklore festivals. Then I started playing trombone at age 10 or 11. I played that for about nine years and it was a huge part of my life, because I was in jazz band, concert band and marching band. I write a lot of songs on guitar. I like to play some keyboards in the studio.

MTVi News: How do you think your sound will fit in alongside all the teen pop on the radio? Because it sounds nothing like that.

Furtado: I’m kind of excited, because I think what my record does is it hasn’t forgotten about the single. The beauty of it is, I think it addresses certain things you don’t hear on pop records. It has tons of counterculture references. I think kids that haven’t grown up in a world without hip-hop, they’re gonna understand the record, and so far it’s been that way with my fans. There’s certain kids that show up at my show and they’ll give me a mix tape, and it’ll have everything from DJ Shadow to Kid Koala to Elliott Smith to Ani DiFranco to Bebel Gilberto. And I’ll think, “Wow, they get it.” I just know that I’m addressing something that hasn’t been addressed yet in the pop world. That excites me a lot. The world influences on my record, and the fact that I’m Portuguese-Canadian, and coming from a different culture, I think that reflects the way the world is changing, and through the Internet and stuff, and people are learning about different cultures.

MTVi News: What is the message of the single, “I’m Like a Bird”?

Furtado: “I’m like a bird, I don’t know where my soul is, I don’t know where my home is.” That’s pretty cool, like does that mean you don’t know who you are still? On first look it seems like a love song. But then someone was saying the other day, “You should’ve had homeless people in your video.” And it would make sense, too, in a way. Just the idea of being a nomad and liking to wander a lot is a big part of who I am. I have a restlessness about me.

MTVi News: Do you have any funny stories about anything that’s happened to you since you got into the business?

Furtado: Somebody at the label told me that they got a phone call, and they were like, “OK, we wanna book Nelly with P.O.D. for a high-school tour.” And then she started explaining me to her, and then when the person on the other end of the line found out I was a female and a singer and stuff, she was like, “What are you talking about?” Because she thought I was the rapper Nelly. And wouldn’t it have been funny if they booked me with P.O.D.?

MTVi News: Tell us about some of the musicians on your album.

Furtado: Mike Elizondo plays bass on five of my songs, [and he] plays bass on every track on [Eminem’s] The Marshall Mathers LP. He also plays on a lot of the Dr. Dre records. The cool thing about him is he’s a classically trained musician, so he can play the nice samba stuff up on upright bass on “Legend,” but he can also play like the hip-hop dub-y stuff on “Baby Girl.” I also brought in a Portuguese guitar player named Nuno Cristo. And Little Jazz, who is a champion hip-hop turntablist from Toronto. He’s 21 years old and he scratches on “On the Radio (Remember the Days).” I think the record reflects the diversity of influences right down to the session musicians we used.

MTVi News: How is that diversity reflected in your album?

Furtado: The record is kind of like a hologram, like the kind of stickers you move one way and you see one thing, and you move it the other way and you see another thing. It’s kind of how beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If it’s a kid who listens to hip-hop, or they get the beats, they get the rhythms, they get the energy, they get the style. If it’s an older person who listens to more singer/songwriter stuff, they’re into the passion of the lyrics and the passion of the melodies in the songs and the energy. If you’re a jazz listener or a world-beat listener, you’re appreciating the Brazilian percussion, and the Latin phrasing and the dub-y rhythms.

Up-and-coming pop sensation Nelly Furtado gave us this short but sweet playlist during soundcheck for her performance on Saturday Night Live. With her forthcoming European tour, a single that is scaling American charts, and six Juno Award nominations (the Canadian Grammys) she’s a busy girl. Want to delve even deeper into the musical influences of this fledgling phenom? Read between the lines with the exclusive interview we added to Nelly’s list!Genre: Various
Theme: Journeys
Mood: Nostalgic
Length: 7 tracks

1. Ironic by Alanis Morissette

Uplister: Do you get many comparisons to Alanis Morissette because you are young and Canadian?

Nelly: It’s kind of a big shoe to fit into [being compared to] Alanis Morissette. Plus the whole musical element is different. But maybe because my record is a pop record people would think ‘Wow, another pop diva! All right!’ I can see the Alanis Morissette thing, since she was 21 when her record came out and I am 21, I got brown hair, she’s got brown hair, we both write songs… The music is different, obviously - maybe you could say I’m the Alanis Morissette for the next generation - for the hip-hop generation. I realise my music is more pop. I don’t fit into one subculture directly, but there is a movement in Toronto that I’m more a part of and I sort of represent the more international part of it.

2. B.O.B. (Bombs Over Baghdad) by Outkast

Uplister: What influences you most in your songwriting?

Nelly: A big influence for me is that I really like the beat writers: Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Jim Carroll, even when I was younger. I’m inspired by that spontaneous kind of poetry. And I’m inspired by the city a lot. I think a lot hip-hop emcees are similar. I think that I’m really into stream-of-consciousness writing, and that’s what I do when I write trip hop, or hook up with Dj friends.

3. California Love (RMX) - (featuring Dr Dre/Roger Troutman) by 2Pac

Uplister: What was your first musical obsession?

Nelly: My first obsession was hip-hop and R&B and I was 12 years old. I discovered this one radio station and they’d play the countdown every night. They played everything from PM Dawn to Ice T to LL Cool J. And I remember listening to LL Cool J and Ice T over and over and over again.

4. Hit ‘Em Wit Da Hee - (featuring Lil’ Kim) by Missy “Misdemeanor” Elliott

Uplister: When were you first exposed to hip-hop music? Is there a large hip-hop scene in Victoria?

Nelly: When I was in school, I hung out with kids from all over the world. For me, it was like “Wow, real American kids!” Kids who listened to hip hop - wow! One of them was in this rap group - Plains of Fascination. They were like Tribe Called Quest. Four elements; the positive hip-hop tip. That was the vibe back then. I love that culture…I think that’s where my spontaneous energy comes from.

5. Setting Sun by Chemical Brothers, The

Uplister: When you moved to Toronto, you said you were taken with the music scene there. What was it like?

Nelly: In Toronto, you can see any type of band on any given night - hip-hop, folk, Goth - all in the same street. There’s a real progressive technological aspect also because there’s a big dance culture here too.

6. Sunday Morning by No Doubt

Uplister: When writing lyrics, are you a story-teller or is it more personal?

Nelly: As for my lyrics, a lot is based on experience, but I’m not really good at being a confessional singer/songwriter because I’ve never seen myself that way. I remember being at Lilith Fair and kind of being around all the singer/songwriters and feeling so different from them.

7. Devils Haircut by Beck

Uplister: You have already gone gold in Canada, and you are getting a lot of airplay here in the U.S. What do you think of the prospect of becoming really huge at such a young age?

Nelly: I think the prospect of being famous has two sides: the cool thing is that when one CD taps into the collective subconscious - it becomes that world for the artist. You start referencing things from that CD in pop culture, etc. If the world could be a Nelly world through my CD, the ideas and the sounds and the positivity, then I’ll be really happy. On the other hand, I’m glad it’s only taken off in Canada so far. In America, I can walk around without getting recognized. In Canada, I can’t anymore. It’s a matter of getting used to it.

Nelly asks as we conclude our interview, her at a publicists office in Detroit and myself, well, here.

And right when she asks that, I realise it might be. And I realise that California is what we spent a large part of two hours talking about, despite the fact that Nelly was raised in Canada to parents of Portuguese descent.

We spoke of Los Angeles, specifically, which has a habit of luring budding superstars like her into its wake. This 21-year-old singer has already been featured in TIME, Rolling Stone, Spin and Seventeen Magazine, to name just a few.

Her single, “Like a Bird,” off her album “Whoa, Nelly!” is currently number 3 on the Canadian pop charts, and she is drawing widespread comparisons to such established pop luminaries as Macy Gray, Alanis Morrisette and Janet Jackson.

If that weren’t enough, young Nelly is the focal point for Dreamworks Records, brainchild of Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen. “Nelly is unlike anyone I’ve ever heard,” gushes A. & R. executive Beth Halper. “She’s a huge priority for the label.” And to think she almost chose creative writing over music.

So begins the voyage of Nelly Furtado.

The Interview

Nelly: I grew up in Victoria Island, on the West Coast of Canada. The area has such a rich cultural background, I mean I could be dancing at a Latin dance club one weekend and learning about Chinese culture the next.

Influx: That is some serious diversity.
That’s also when I was hanging out with the hip hop kids. I was into trip hop and experimentation, always into sound.

Can you be more specific?
I was raised on pop, not some extreme Indie pop. I was into LL Cool J, Ice T, Criss Cross, and The Jackson 5. I also love progressive Brazilian music. I’ve always had music in my head, you know what I mean? I can remember as a child driving and having soundtracks in my head to the scenery as it flew by.

Were you playing with anyone at that time?
I was writing with a d.j. friend of mine, more techno and ambient stuff along with open mics. I was in a west coast group called ‘Velvet,’ sort of a trip-hop funk kind of band.

Sounds like you just like jamming.
Oh yeah, I mean, I don’t know any cover songs at all (laughs). There is this thing called ‘Stir Fry’ in Victoria, you just kind of get up there and freestyle. Just jamming, making stuff up, like the beat poets. That’s what I like about hip hop - I think it’s really the spirit of “now”.

You’ve got a real connection to the whole underground scene.
My first experiments in music were very street, very underground. At that point, I really did it for my own personal joy.

That’s the way the album comes across. It’s upbeat and hopeful.
I wanted to make a groovy record, not a somber one. All the music I was making in that whole trip hop area was depressing and melancholy. I felt like I wasn’t expressing myself to my fullest.

You felt limited by the scene?
I just discovered that I could use my musical potential to be more positive and inspirational and more fun. I’m 21, I don’t want to go out on the road and be sad every night. So I wrote songs like “Hey Man” and “Turn off the Light.”

Now if you could only re-record the album in Portuguese…
That’s funny, because I really want to do a Portuguese language album in the next, maybe 5 years.

Half English, half Portuguese?
No, an entire album in Portuguese, but very experimental and progressive. I want to tap into the Portuguese culture, involving traditional church songs or secular music or really old folk songs and modernise them. I like the whole cross-cultural idea.

You recorded “Whoa, Nelly!” in L.A. Have you liked what you’ve seen of the city? Could you picture yourself living here?
Actually yeah, I live in Toronto now and I love it musically, but I miss the ocean and I’ve really been thinking about moving to California for a long time. I love the climate, and I’m always happy when I come here. Actually, that’s a lie.

Huh?
I mean when I was here I was making my album and I was real stressed out.

How so?
I was co-producing and writing it all and I couldn’t think of anything else. It was on my shoulders and no one else’s.

But that’s the way you wanted it.
For sure, there was no other way I’d do it. You know where we recorded it? Tarzana.

There’s a lot of local musical history there.
I knew it used to be the old Death Row headquarters. And we saw some interesting people around …

So you got out a bit?
I might have gone out twice while I was here. I would just come home from recording and watch MTV and do my laundry.

That’s it?
Well, some friends of mine came down from Vancouver and we went shopping on Melrose. I went to Mel’s Diner for greasy food and guilty pleasures. I like Chin Chin’s on Sunset, the Standard, Vita, and The Alley.

Anywhere you didn’t get to hit this time around?
I love Sharkey’s. They don’t have that in Canada or New York, and I love Jamba Juice. Guess who I saw at the Beverly Center - Fred Savage and the drummer from Rage Against the Machine. All within 5 minutes of each other.

At least they weren’t hanging out together.
Really!

Good star sightings, though.
That’s why I love L.A. I like seeing famous people walk around. You can be like “woo! woo!” Come to think of it, I think I love L.A.

You seem to have become more so enamoured throughout our conversation.
I bet you’re pretty impressed.

Hey, you’ve thrown out places I’ve never even heard of, and I was born here.
But here is my beef — There is nowhere to order food late at night in L.A. I’m a vegetarian so all we could get was cheese pizza, and even that stopped flowing around midnight.

Outside of California, how’s the tour been going?
We’ve already played over 30 dates here in North America over the last four months.

And how have the crowds been?
Good. We were on tour in August and it was really great.

How would you describe you show to someone seeing you for the first time?
My show is like a pop show combined with a hip hop show combined with a rock show in Rio Di Jinero. You’d enjoy it.

Sounds like you are well on the road to positivity.
(laughs) Hey, I’m all about spreading the love vibe.

Nelly On…

Musicians
Jack Johnson. He’s this independent surf musician who lives in Santa Barbara. He also makes surf movies with his friends.

Books
Someone gave me ‘The Diary of Frida Kahlo’ which is really good. I recommend that. I keep a journal and I love prose writing, especially the beat poets like Jack Kerouac and Jim Carroll.

Artists
Andy Warhol. I’m obsessed with artists. I think art is exciting for the artists, not necessarily the art sometimes. They live in the moment, kind of like fireworks, the ups and downs, turmoil, the highs and lows. I just find it all so passionate.

Film
I want to see Bamboozled, and the last movie I liked was American Beauty. My favourite film ever is Basquiat, but I also love ‘The English Patient.’

Relationships
I love my family more than anything. I see them two or three times a year and that’s not good. I’m 21 and I need the connection. Besides them, it’s hard to maintain a relationship, but maybe in the future I’ll be able to have something serious. But right now I’m just jazzed about the music, and, right now, its great to be free.

Style
I’m so connected to my style. I can’t walk into a room and hear someone tell me how to do my hair or what to wear. I think an artist has every right to dictate what they look like. It’s all about comfort, and it’s all about what feels right. The more people involved just makes things more complicated.

My Perfect Night
Get a bunch of friends, get some good microbrewery beer - Rainforest Pale Ale - and go down to the beach, have a bonfire and chill out under the stars. I would love to do that again - No, I am longing to do that again.

Bad Habits
I’m too stressed out. I need to enjoy the moment a little more - maybe a move to L.A. would help. And improve my posture. Maybe I should take yoga. Just work on me, you know what I mean? Work, work, work.

By Kevin Brent, Influx Magazine