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Nelly Furtado Biography

Whoa Nelly Furtado! This singer is a superstar!

Courtesy of Dreamworks Rec.

Singer Nelly Furtado is from Victoria, BC.

Courtesy of Dreamworks Rec.

Birthdate: December 2, 1978

Nelly Furtado's Early Years

Nelly Furtado (not to be confused with the male rapper Nelly) grew up in Victoria, Canada and is of Portuguese descent. Nelly Furtado got her first tape recorder when she was eight and used it to record herself singing. When she was 14 Nelly Furtado became interested in music produced with drum machines and samplers - an interest that can be heard in Nelly Furtado's first album.

Nelly Furtado's Unique Style

If Nelly Furtado was an object she would best be described as a sponge - having soaked up many diverse ethnic styles of music like hip-hop, funk, world and jazz. Now take that sponge and throw it in a blender with say, Lauryn Hill, Ivana Santilli, Eraka Badu and Portishead and you've got Nelly Furtado's unique style. Nelly Furtado sings in English, Portuguese and Hindi and can play the guitar, the ukulele and the trombone while standing on her head and rubbing her stomach counter-clockwise. Well that last bit is an exaggeration but still not bad for a 22 year old!

Nelly Furtado's Big Break

Nelly Furtado's break came when she caught the attention of Chris Smith (manager of the Philosopher Kings) at a talent show in Toronto. With his help she produced a demo that eventually led to a record deal with DreamWorks Records. She also toured with Sarah McLachlan and the gang on the popular Lilith Fair in 1999. Nelly Furtado's debut album Whoa! Nelly was released in September of 2000 and the first single Like A Bird steadily flew up the charts. Nelly Furtado's latest album, Folklore, hit stores in November 2003.