The half Canadian, half Portuguese singer has just been nominated for five Grammy Awards including Best Pop Vocal, Best New Artist and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

She is set to challenge the likes of Elton John, Alicia Keys, Linkin Park and David Gray at the music Oscars in the US next month.

Her new single On The Radio (Remember The Days) is out now and fresh from her promotion, Nelly exclusively chatted to The Sun Online about her success, her Portuguese roots and why she isn’t a fan of the magazine FHM.

What was it like to support U2, the biggest live act in the world? -Marcus Priestley

Nelly - When I look back at 2001 I’d pick 1st September as my best day of the year. In fact it’s the best memory of my music career so far.

I played with them at Slane Castle in Dublin. It was just thrilling. There was 100,000 people there, I played a 45 minute set and got everyone’s hands in the air. It was just great to be there.

I admire U2 a lot. I met them when I played my first gigs for them and they’re amazing. They’re totally nice and gracious.

Have you been musically trained as I think you have a great voice? - Chris McGrath

Nelly - I’ve been studying music since I was four. My first lessons were piano lessons. I was always in the choir and I always took music lessons in school. My first actual instrument was the ukelele which I took up when I was nine. I also sang and danced. I started studying the trombone at ten and I played in the concert band, jazz band and marching band.

I was at music lessons five days a week, it was very different to making pop music but it gave me a musical background. When I was 12 I started writing my own songs. I was into urban and hip-hop and then I started writing rhymes and hanging out with hip-hop kids.

I have differerent musical tastes but I am the first to say I am pop more than anything else as I think if any music taps into your consciousness is pop. If it’s connecting with people then it’s popular.

Nelly is cool - cool music, cool clothes, cool looking. I just wondered how long she has been cool for and did she have cool lessons for her music career? - Paul Chappell, Bristol

Nelly - What a funny question! For me cool is about individuality and being confident, just be yourself. This question is a compliment.

In school I wasn’t that cool - I’ve just become more confident and comfortable with myself. As a child I was an over achiever a little bit and really wanted to get the best grades and the best everything. I was a little bit more awkward I think you’d say, now I’m more at ease in my own skin. No cool lessons just life lessons. I do have some nerdy school photos, yes with coke-bottle glasses and a bit chubby. I had a bit of a pot belly when I was 8 or 9.

How do you find your English fans? - Laura, Weston Super Mare

Nelly - Since Turn Off The Light was a big hit over here I feel like things are pretty solid. My album is double platinum and after this second single came out, people started to take me more seriously.

I expected to be in the music business since I was four as I love connecting with audiences. I knew I’d be a performer but I didn’t know how it would come about.

With my CD Whoa Nelly! we just worked our hardest in the studio and gave it our best. Sometimes your gut tells you something is going to go a certain way but you never know.

It’s been a year since my album came out in England and it’s been a good year. Even the summer time was amazing - doing all the festivals was my dream come true.

In the States it took a while but I’ve just been nominated for five Grammy Awards, which will start another roll of press interest. Having a platinum album and being nominated for a Grammy are both equal. They’re both a reflection of hard work and are rewarding. The people who vote are musicians, producers and engineers so it’s all very kosher and real and I am proud of that. Award shows are fun and I go to them all. The Grammy Awards are like the Oscars of music.

Are there any musical styles you like that are not on your album? - Stephanie A

Nelly - I don’t know. A lot of things I like are on there but I didn’t delve into my Indian influences at all. I really like traditional and modern Hindi and Punjabi music and, when I can, I buy CD’s of that nature. You can hear a little bit of it in my vocals in Party on my album, but not a lot. That’s something that I know I’m going to be doing in the future.

Describe your ideal man, both in looks and personality? - Tom Stokely

Nelly - My ideal man would be outgoing and have a great spirit. I like the three British actors Ralph Fiennes, Joseph Fienes and Jude Law. They’re my favourite actors and good looking.

Are you going to make a DVD with performances from your Burn in the Spotlight Tour? - Tom

Nelly - Hey Tom. You’re right I should include all my music videos as I’ve got some that people haven’t seen, b-side videos.

It’s funny you should say that as we are planning to release a DVD, we’re in the midst of planning one out. It probably wouldn’t come out until after the tour as I’m going to get a videographer to document it. Maybe next Christmas there will be a DVD out.

How did you learn to speak Hindi? - Ian, London

Nelly - Actually that’s a myth. I don’t speak Hindi, it’s often misquoted, I just know a few words. It would be nice to learn it but I’d like to perfect my Portuguese first.

Do you have any interests in playing sport, either individual or team as you seem very fit with your dancing? - Jess Ann Rodrigues

Nelly - Dancing? Well I suppose I do a bit in my new video. I’ve tried choreography but it was just for fun, it was kind of tongue in cheek.

I’ve always done dancing, I used to do Portuguese dancing when I was a little kid and I was in the urban dance squad in school. Sports wise it was Track and Field. I did the 400 metres so I like running and I like hiking - outdoor sports. When I get a chance I do like to exercise, outdoors preferably. I do mountain biking, horseback riding or swimming.

I read somewhere that you wanted to make it so that you could give Portuguese people a name in the business? Do you still feel like this? - (I once gave you a Portuguese beenie hat outside the Jay Leno show) - Sandy

Nelly - Thanks for the beenie! Yes that’s a big dream for me, going to Portugal and being really embraced by the Portugese public. Everywhere I go I see Portuguese flags and it’s really rewarding.

Musically I do want to record an album in Portuguese at some point in my career. Again I do want to maybe learn some other musical styles from other cultures.

Your musical style certainly has more depth and creativity than the output of your current peers. With this in mind what would you say was your biggest musical influence? - James ‘Rough Rough Rough’ Law, Hackney

Nelly - One of my biggest musical influences is a Portugese singer named Amalia Rodrigues. Then there’s Jeff Buckley, Oasis, Ani Di Franco.

When I was younger I had posters of Kriss Kross on my wall I had a crush on one of them - my first celebrity crush. I had a lot of other urban stars on my walls from Salt n Pepa, Mary J Blige, Bell Biv Devoe - I loved Urban and R & B. I then got into Portishead, Tricky, Finley Quaye, Beck and Cornershop. Those were influential to me more recently. Now I’m constantly looking for things to inspire me. I like collecting demo tapes.

When you write your music, do you try and include real-life experiences in the lyrics or do you just write them from scratch? - Chris Pattison

Nelly - When I write songs they usually just come to me automatically. For Turn Off The Light I had just let my head hit the pillow when I came up with the chorus, so I got up and wrote it down on paper and finished the song. For my new song On The Radio, I wrote it one morning, all in one go. They all draw from real life experiences. On The Radio talks about how you have to follow your own heart and follow your own dreams regardless of what other people around you are saying.

I always carry a book with me in case something comes to me straight away. I carry a small writing guitar with me all the time wherever I go as you never know when a song can come to you. I definitely draw from real life experiences, I tend to embellish- exaggerate. When something is going off, some emotional experience, I usually will take that and exaggerate it without knowing it.

How do you feel about someone doing you on Stars In Their Eyes as I am going to sing Turn Off The Light? - Sally Warren

Nelly - When are you doing it Sally? Oh my god! When is it airing I will have to make a note? Actually it’s ironic you said that as I was watching the show just this week. I was thinking “I wonder if anyone is going to do me?”

I think that’s lovely and I hope you get all the costumes. I don’t know how you are going to find the Portuguese outfit but if you are re-creating my video on the show, just make the most of those shirtless men in the mud.

Is it true that your song On The Radio is related to an experience you had with an old boyfriend that dumped you when you became famous? - Panachero

Nelly - No it’s not about a boyfriend. None of my songs are about boyfriends really, they’re more about my own thoughts on a situation as a whole. It’s like those moments where you are speaking to the wall as you’re so frustrated and for me that song’s about coming into my own, growing older and realising I have to follow my own heart and not listen to what other people say.

On The Radio is just about breaking free from any moulds and doing your own thing. With this album I actually had to stick my neck out a little as it doesn’t fit any category. People are afraid of success and this song is about realising your dreams and conquering your fears.

You appear on the cover of this months FHM magazine wearing not a lot. Do you see yourself as a sex symbol? - Simone, Lancaster

Nelly - I’m really not happy with FHM. In the magazine they say they had a photo shoot with me but I didn’t do a shoot with them. They’ve also airbrushed my body and changed my body shape and I didn’t give permission for anything like that.

By Jacqui Swift, The Sun (UK)