Nelly Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada to parents of Portuguese descent. Throughout her childhood, her parents taught her the importance of a strict work ethic. Furtado spent eight summers working with her mother as a chambermaid at a local hotel. Growing up, the singer learned the guitar and began to write her own music at age twelve. She loved Mariah Carey, TLC, Jodeci, Salt N Pepa, Bell Biv DeVoe, Radiohead, Pulp, Oasis, Portishead, The Verve, U2, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, and Amalia Rodrigues. Thus, Furtado’s influences range from R&B, Brit-Pop, and Brazilian music.
After her high school graduation, Furtado moved to Toronto, Canada in hopes of pursuing her music career. By day she worked at an alarm company. AT night, she focused her attention on the music scene. She even created a Hip-Hop duo with her friend, named Nelstar. One night while at a club, Furtado met two members of the Canadian group, Philosopher Kings. She met Gerald Eaton and Brian Wess. The boys were highly impressed with her and asked for a demo. She was then soon signed to DreamWorks.
At the young age of 21, Furtado released her debut album in the fall of 2000. the album, Whoa Nelly!, received a lot of acclaim. The songs, “I’m like a Bird” and “Turn off the Radio” did extremely well. In the spring of 2001, the young star began her first US headlining tour. Later that year, she received four Grammy nominations including Song of the Year for “I’m like a Bird.” She took home a Grammy for Best Female Pop performance for “I’m Like a Bird.” Furtado then went on to tour with U2. Later, she performed on Moby’s Tour entitled, Moby’s Area: One Tour. She also received a Canadian Juno Award for Best new Solo Artist and Best Songwriter for 2000.
In the early part of 2003, Furtado became a first-time mother. In November 2003, she released her much anticipated sophomore album entitled Folklore. The album is a mix of country, pop, electronica, trip-hop, R&B, and funk. Two noted tracks are “One Trick Pony” and “Powerless (Say What You Want).” The album was hailed by critics as a slight disappointment compared to Whoa Nelly!.
Bio written by: bandhunt |
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