Nelly Furtado - A Brief Bio

Nelly Furtado is one of the most dynamic stars in pop music today. Since the release of her first album "Whoa, Nelly!" in 2000, she's consistently pushed the boundaries of music genres by incorporating influences from music around the world. Nelly Furtado songs have won a Grammy, six Juno awards and one MTV Europe Music Award.

Born in Canada in 1978, Furtado was inspired to sing and perform at an early age. She started singing at 4 and began writing her own lyrics at 12. Shortly before she graduated from secondary school, she began making contacts within the rap and hip hop community in Toronto. A solo performance at the 1997 Honey Jam in Toronto caught the attention of Gerald Eaton and Brian West, two members of the group The Philosopher Kings. The duo helped Furtado create a demo which led to a deal with DreamWorks records. Her first single appeared on the soundtrack album for the film Brokedown Palace.

Eaton and West helped Furtado produce her debut album "Whoa Nelly!" The album was released in October of 2000 to rave reviews. The hit single "I'm Like a Bird" eventually won Furtado her first Grammy award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Additional hits from the album were "Turn Off the Light" and "On the Radio (Remember the Days). The Nelly Furtado video for the former showcased her multicultural background.

The album was critically acclaimed for her unique musical style and fresh approach to pop music. Her cultural background gave the album a unique mix of genres and sounds. Furtado is of Portuguese descent and speaks Spanish, Portuguese and Hindi.

Her second album, "Folklore", was released in November of 2003 shortly after the birth of her daughter, Nevis. Due to poor promotion by the label, the album was less successful than her first album. The singles from the album were "Powerless (Say What You Want)" and "Try". The song "Forca" from the album was used as the official anthem of the 2004 European Football Championship. The song "Childhood Dreams" was dedicated to her daughter.

In 2006, Furtado's third and most successful album to date was released. "Loose" was primarily produced by the hip hop producer Timbaland which is evident in the album's hip hop and R&B sound. Although many of her old fans rejected Furtado's new direction, the album produced number one hits across the globe. The singles "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)" topped charts in many different countries due to Nelly Furtado videos and radio play.

In addition to singing, Furtado has recently added acting to her list of skills. She made her debut in the 2006 movie "Nobody's Hero" and had a role in 2008's "Max Payne" movie. She has also appeared on television in the shows CSI: New York and Roswell.

Even though many of the lyrics on her album "Loose" are sexually suggestive, Furtado has repeatedly rejected attempts by outside influences to oversexualize her image. She turned down $500,000 that was offered to her by Playboy to use Nelly Furtado pictures. She refuses to pose in sexy outfits for magazines, and was very upset when a men's magazine digitally removed portions of her outfit so it appeared more revealing.

Furtado plans to release her fourth album between May and August of 2009. She will be recording songs in English and Spanish for the new record. She will also be recording an entire album in Spanish and an additional album in Portuguese.