Loose is the third studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado. It was released in North America on June 20, 2006 by Geffen Records. Timbaland and his then-protégé Danja produced the bulk of the album, which incorporates influences of dance, R&B and hip hop. The album explores the theme of female sexuality and has been described as introspective or even sad in parts.

The album received criticism because of the sexual image Furtado adopted for the recording, but some critics felt it was a ploy to sell more records. Further controversy rose over accusations of plagiarism on Timbaland's part when recordings were leaked onto YouTube. The record was seen generally as critically and commercially successful. It reached high positions on charts across the world, and according to a August 2009 press release, it had sold more than 10 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of 2006-2007 and the twenty-second best-selling album of the 2000s.

The album was heavily promoted, released in several editions and supported by the Get Loose Tour, which is the subject of the concert DVD Loose: The Concert. Eight singles were released from the album, including the U.S. number-one singles "Promiscuous" and "Say It Right", which received Grammy Award nominations for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, respectively.. Rock on the Net. Retrieved December 17, 2007.. Rock on the Net. Accessed December 17, 2007. Other standout singles include the UK number-one single "Maneater" and the successful song "All Good Things (Come to an End)".

Production

Furtado began work on Loose by holding with emcee Jellystone what she referred to as a "hip-hop workshop", in which they would "write rhymes, dissect them, and try different flows over beats." The first producers she worked with were Track & Field—who co-produced her first two albums, Whoa, Nelly! (2000) and Folklore (2003)—and by May 2005, she had collaborated with Swollen Members and K'naan.McNeil, Jason (May 4, 2005). . Billboard. Retrieved on May 7, 2008 She worked with Nellee Hooper in London on reggae-oriented material and with Lester Mendez in Los Angeles on acoustic songs. One of the tracks Mendez helped to create is "Te Busqué", which is co-written by and features Juanes, who collaborated with Furtado on his 2002 song "Fotografía".Furtado, Nelly. Loose booklet.Juanes. Un Día Normal booklet. During her time in Los Angeles, she worked with Rick Nowels, who co-wrote and produced "In God's Hands" and "Somebody to Love". In Miami, Florida, Furtado collaborated with Pharrell (who introduced her to reggaeton and who gave her a "shout-out" in his 2005 single "Can I Have It like That") and Scott Storch (with whom she recorded a "straight-up rap song") before entering the studio with Timbaland.Vineyard, Jennifer (June 20, 2006). . MTV News. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. He and his protégé at the time, Danja, co-produced eight of the tracks, with another produced solely by Danja. For some of the beats on the songs, Timbaland finished work on ones already present in the studio that were half-developed or just "nucleuses"; the rest were completely reworked. Furtado recorded around forty tracks for Loose, deciding which she would include based on the sonics of the album—she called Timbaland "a sonic extraterrestrial" who came up with a sequence of songs that flowed, and said that the one she had devised was supposedly unsatisfactory. She recorded an unreleased collaboration with Justin Timberlake, "Crowd Control", which she described as "kind of sexy" and "a cute, clubby, upbeat, fun track".Vineyard, Jennifer (April 28, 2006). . MTV News. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. Other songs considered for inclusion on the album include "Chill Boy", "Friend of Mine", "Go", "Hands in the Air", "Pretty Boy", "Vice" and "Weak". Furtado said in her diary on her official website that she recorded a remix of "Maneater" with rapper Lil Wayne; it was only released as part of a compilation album, Timbaland's Remix & Soundtrack Collection, she also used the instrumental of the song during many television performances of "Maneater". A version of "All Good Things (Come to an End)" featuring vocals by Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, who co-wrote the song, was not released after a request from Martin's label, EMI. The song was released on the album, but only Furtado's vocals are featured. Furtado explained that "Loose was 90 percent written with a beat first, and then I’d write my melodies and songs to the beat."(Posted: Sept. 17, 2009) Jordan Levin, popmatters.com. PopMatters Media, Inc. Retrieved 11-14-2010.

Style and themes

Furtado said that with the release of her albums before Loose, she had wanted to prove herself as a musician and earn respect from listeners through using many different instruments on an album, which most hip hop musicians did not do. After she believed she had accomplished that, she felt she had freedom to make the type of music she "really love". Furtado said her previous problem with hip hop was that she did not think it was good enough to base one of her albums on, but that she then asked herself why she was being "pretentious". The album represents her separating from such notions and, in her words, "jumping in the deep end of the pool—'Ahh, screw it, this is fun!'". Furtado said she considers herself "all over the map" and promiscuous musically because she is not faithful to one style. For the first time, Furtado worked with a variety of record producers and followed a more collaborative approach in creating the album. Produced primarily by Timbaland and Danja, Loose showcases Furtado experimenting with a more R&B–hip hop sound and, as she put it, the "surreal, theatrical elements of '80s music".. Universal Music Canada. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. She has categorized the album's sound as punk-hop, which she describes as Eurythmics-influenced "modern, poppy, spooky music" and stated that "there's a mysterious, after-midnight vibe to that's extremely visceral". Furtado has described the album as "more urban, more American, more hip-hop, more simplified" than her earlier work, which she said was more layered and textured because she "tend to overthink things". In contrast, during her studio time with Timbaland, she said she was "in the VIP boys club of just letting go" and being more impulsive. During the recording of Loose, Furtado listened to several electro and rock musicians, including Bloc Party, System of a Down, M.I.A., Feist, Queens of the Stone Age, Metric and Death from Above 1979, some of whom influenced the "rock sound" present on the album and the "coughing, laughing, distorted bass lines" that were kept in the songs deliberately. According to her, music by such bands is "very loud and has a garage theme" to it, some of which she felt she captured on the album. Furtado has said rock music is "rhythmic again" and hip hop-influenced after it had become "so churning and boring."Anderson, Jason (June 20, 2006). . Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. Because the mixing engineers were aware of Timbaland and Furtado's rock influences, the songs were mixed on a mixing board in the studio instead of "the fancy mixer at the end". Furtado said she preferred the louder volume that process gave to the album because she wanted it to sound like her demo tapes, which she prefers to her finished albums. She said, "It didn't have that final wash over it; it didn't have the final pressing at the end, save for a couple sounds". The "off-the-cuff" conclusion to production was one of the reasons the album was titled Loose. According to Furtado, instead of "pristine stuff", the album features "really raw" elements such as distorted bass lines, laughter from studio outtakes and general "room for error"; it was named partly after the spontaneous decisions she made when creating the album.Lash, Jolie (February 16, 2006). . Rolling Stone. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. The album is also called Loose because it is "the opposite of calculated" and came naturally to Furtado and Timbaland; she called him her "distant musical cousin because he was always pushing boundaries and always carving out his own path", which she believed she was doing with Loose. "I think you have to keep surprising people as an artist, and I like that—I love doing that", she said.

Loose was also named partly for the R&B girl group TLC, who Furtado said she admires for "taking back their sexuality, showing they were complete women."Gardner, Elysa (July 14, 2006). . USA Today. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. She said she wanted the album to be "assertive and cool" and "sexy but fun", like TLC, MC Lyte, Queen Latifah and Janet Jackson, who inspired Furtado because, as she put it, she was "comfortable in her sexuality and womanhood" when her 1993 single "That's the Way Love Goes" was released. Furtado has said Loose is not as much about the lyrics, which are not included in the liner notes, as it is about "indulging in pleasures—whether it's dancing or lovemaking." According to her, she wasn't trying to be sexy with the album—"I think I just am sexy now", she said.. Associated Press (July 20, 2006). Retrieved on May 7, 2008. The opening track, "Afraid" (featuring rapper Attitude), is a description of Furtado's fear of what people think of her, and she has said the chorus reminds her of "walking down the hall in high school ... because you live from the outside in. Now that I'm an adult, I care about the inside of me ... Before I said I didn't care about what people thought about me, but I really did." She compared "Maneater" to how people become "hot on themselves" when dancing in their underwear in front of a mirror. "Promiscuous" (featuring Timbaland) was inspired by a flirting exchange Furtado had with Attitude, who co-wrote the song She has characterised the fifth track, "Showtime", as "a proper R&B slow jam".

The album also features more introspective songs, and The Sunday Times wrote that it "has a surprising sadness to it." The seventh track, "Te Busqué", which features Latin singer Juanes, is about Furtado's experiences with depression, which she said she has had periodically since she was around seventeen years old.Cairns, Dan (May 21, 2006). . The Sunday Times. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. Furtado said she was unsure what "Say It Right" is about, but that it encapsulates her feeling when she wrote it and "taps into this other sphere"; in an interview for The Sunday Times, it was mentioned that it is about her breakup with DJ Jasper Gahunia, the father of her daughter. "In God's Hands", another song on the album, was also inspired by the end of their relationship.

Critical reception

Loose received positive reviews from critics, receiving a 71/100 rating on the review scores aggregate website Metacritic. musicOMH and Allmusic cited the "revitalising" effect of Timbaland on Furtado's music, and The Guardian called it "slick, smart and surprising." Allmusic wrote in its review, "It's on this final stretch of the album that the Furtado and Timbaland pairing seems like a genuine collaboration, staying true to the Nelly of her first two albums, but given an adventurous production that helps open her songs up ... Timbaland has revitalized Nelly Furtado both creatively and commercially with Loose". She won her first BRIT Award—Best International Female—in 2007.

Rolling Stone gave it a mixed review. While "Promiscuous" was criticized as "garish", it was noted that "Maneater" "bumps hard enough to qualify as a sequel , and that's high praise indeed". Vibe stated, "she loses herself in Gwen Stefani–like posturing, as on “Glow,” and ethnic fusions like “No Hay Igual” or “Te Busque." In his consumer guide for The Village Voice, critic Robert Christgau gave the album a B rating and named it "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought. At the upper level it may merely be overrated, disappointing, or dull. Down below it may be contemptible". Christgau viewed that its dance-oriented tracks "might accomplish God's great plan on the dance-floor. But as songs they're not much".

Controversy

Considerable attention was generated by the more sexual image of Furtado presented in promotion and publicity for the album, and in particular the music videos for "Promiscuous" and "Maneater", in which she dances around with her midriff exposed. According to Maclean's magazine, some said that Furtado's progression was a natural transformation of a pop singer; others believed that she had "sold out" in an effort to garner record sales, particularly after her second album was a commercial failure in comparison to her first. Maclean's wrote that her makeover "seems a bit forced" and contrasted her with singers such as Madonna and Emily Haines of Metric: " seem to be completely in control, even somewhat intimidating in their sexuality: they've made a calculated decision for commercial and feminist reasons. In contrast, Furtado's new, overt sexuality comes off as unoriginal—overdone by thousands of pouty pop stars with a quarter of Furtado's natural talent ... the revamping feels as if it's been imposed rather than chosen by the unique, articulate singer we've seen in the past." Dose magazine wrote that Furtado's new "highly sexualized" image was manufactured, and noted the involvement in the album's development of Geffen's Jimmy Iovine, who helped to develop the Pussycat Dolls, a girl group known for their sexually suggestive dance routines. The writer also criticised Furtado's discussion of her buttocks and apparent rejection of feminism in a Blender magazine interview, writing "Girls, do you hear that churning? Those are the ideas of Gloria Steinem turning in their grave."Clarke, Christine (July 14, 2006). . Dose. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. A writer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation said that cynics could attribute Furtado's commercial success with Loose to her "amped-up sex appeal". The writer added that, the failure of Janet Jackson's album Damita Jo (2004) indicated such a move was not infallible. That Furtado was "still demure compared to many of her competitors"—she avoided sporting lingerie or performing "Christina Aguilera-style gyrations or calisthenics" in the "Promiscuous" and "Maneater" videos. "Despite its dramatic arrival ... Furtado's new image doesn’t feel calculated", he said. " seems to be thinking less and feeling more, to the benefit of her music."

In early 2007, a video hosted on YouTube led to reports that the song "Do It", and the Timbaland-produced ringtone "Block Party" that inspired it, used—without authorization—the melody from Finnish demoscene musician Janne "Tempest" Suni's song "Acidjazzed Evening", winner of the Assembly 2000 oldskool music competition.Rodriguez, Jayson (January 22, 2007). . MTV News. Retrieved on May 7, 2008 Timbaland used the record of C64 adaptation of the song written by Glenn Rune Gallefoss (GRG). Timbaland admitted sampling the song, but said that he had no time to research its intellectual owner. Hannu Sormunen, a Finnish representative of Universal which represents Nelly Furtado in Finland, commented the controversy as follows in the January 15, 2007 issue of Iltalehti; "In case that the artist decides to pursue the matter further, it's on him to go to America and confront them with the local use of law. It will require a considerable amount of faith and, of course, money." On February 9, 2007, Timbaland commented on the issue in an MTV interview: "It makes me laugh. The part I don't understand, the dude is

trying to act like I went to his house and took it from his computer. I

don't know him from a can of paint. I'm 15 years deep. That's how you

attack a king? You attack moi? Come on, man. You got to come correct. You

the laughing stock. People are like, 'You can't be serious."

On June 12, 2009, Mikko Välimäki, who is one of the legal counsels of Kernel Records, the owner of the sound recording rights, reported that the case had been filed in Florida.

In January 2008, Turkish newspapers reported that Kalan Müzik, the record label that released Turkish folk singer Muhlis Akarsu's album Ya Dost Ya Dost, pressed charges against Furtado for the Loose track "Wait for You", which label officials said features the bağlama instrumental part of Akarsu's song "Allah Allah Desem Gelsem".

Chart performance

Loose debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, selling more than 34,000 copies in its first week, at that time the year's strongest debut for a Canadian artist.. CTV (July 12, 2006). Retrieved on September 9, 2006.Williams, John (June 28, 2006). . JAM! Showbiz. Retrieved September 9, 2006. In late July, after Furtado embarked on a short tour of Canada and made a guest appearance on the television show Canadian Idol, the album returned to number one.Williams, John (July 26, 2006). . JAM! Showbiz. Retrieved on November 14, 2006. It subsequently stayed near the top of the album chart until late January 2007, when it reached number one again for two weeks.Williams, John. (January 24, 2007). . JAM! Showbiz. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. It was the third best-selling album of 2006 in Canada, and the highest selling by a female solo artist, with 291,700 copies sold. The Canadian Recording Industry Association (CRIA) certified Loose five times platinum in May 2007 for shipments of more than 500,000 copies. Canadian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on May 7, 2008.

It stayed in the top twenty for fifty-seven weeks. Canoe, Inc. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 with sales of 219,000;Hasty, Kate (June 28, 2006). . Billboard. Retrieved on September 9, 2006. it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and ranked sixty-fourth on the Billboard 2006 year-end chart. Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved on May 7, 2008.. Billboard (December 31, 2006). Retrieved on May 7, 2008. Loose exited the U.S. top ten in August 2006 but re-entered it in March 2007,Cohen, Jonathan. (March 7, 2007) . Billboard. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. and according to Nielsen SoundScan in October 2007, it had sold two million units.Jurgensen, John (October 13, 2007). . The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. The album ranked thirty-second on the Billboard 2007 year-end chart. Billboard. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. In the United Kingdom, Loose entered the albums chart at number five; in its forty-third week, it reached number four, and it was certified double platinum for shipments to retailers of more than 600,000 copies.. British Phonographic Industry (March 23, 2007). Retrieved on May 7, 2008. As of July 2007, it had sold roughly 827,000 copies in the UK.. Music Week (July 9, 2007). Retrieved on May 7, 2008. The record was certified two times platinum in Australia for more than 140,000 units shipped;. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. it reached number four there and was placed forty-fourth on the Australian Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) list of 2006 bestsellers.. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. The album entered the chart in Germany at number one, spent a record forty-nine weeks in the German top ten, ChartSurfer.de. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. and was certified five times platinum. Loose became the 11th best-selling album of the decade there. Loose reached number one on the European Top 100 Albums chart in early 2007,Sexton, Paul (January 19, 2007). . VNU eMedia. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. spending ten non-consecutive weeks at number one.Sexton, Paul (July 30, 2007). . Billboard. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. By March 2007, it had been certified gold or platinum in twenty-five countries.Devlin, Mike (March 15, 2007). . Times-Colonist via Canada.com. Retrieved on May 7, 2008. According to a Geffen Records press release, Loose had sold more than seven million copies by November 2007.. PR Newswire (November 21, 2007). Retrieved on August 26, 2008. And 10 million copies by August 2009..

Singles

In April 2006, a remix of "No Hay Igual" featuring Calle 13 was issued as a club single in the U.S. During the same period, "Promiscuous" (featuring Timbaland) was released for digital download in North America. It was Furtado's first single to top the U.S. Hot 100 and was released in Australia, where it reached the top five. The lead single in Europe and Latin America, "Maneater", was released in late May to early June 2006. It became Furtado's first single to top the UK Singles Chart and made the top ten in other countries; it reached the top five in Germany and the top twenty in France and Latin America.. MusicSquare. Retrieved on 2006-09-03.

The second single in Europe, "Promiscuous", was released in late August to early September 2006 but it did not performed as well as "Maneater". It peaked inside the top five in the UK and the top ten in other countries, including Germany, and it reached the top twenty in France. During the same period, "Maneater" began its run as the second single in North America; it was not as successful as "Promiscuous", reaching number twenty-two in Canada and the top twenty in the U.S., though it became a top five single on the ARIA Singles Chart.

Releases of the third North American single, "Say It Right", and the third Europe single, "All Good Things (Come to an End)", took place in November and December, and the third Latin American single, "Promiscuous", was released in January 2007. "Say It Right" went to number one in the U.S. and on the Nielsen BDS airplay chart in Canada (where it was not given a commercial release), and it reached the top five in Australia.. aCharts.us. Retrieved on May 6, 2007. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" reached number one on the pan-European singles chart and the top five in the UK, and it was the album's most successful single in Germany, where it topped the chart, and in France, where it became a top ten hit. After the release of "Say It Right" in Europe in March 2007, the single reached the top five in Germany and the top ten in the UK, where it was a download-only release. The video for "All Good Things (Come to an End)" was released in North America during this period. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" peaked in the top five in Canada and in the top twenty in Australia, though it only reached the lower half of the U.S. Hot 100.. aCharts.us. Retrieved on May 11, 2007.

The album's fifth UK single was "In God's Hands", and the fifth single in North America was "Do It". In May 2007, Furtado mentioned the possibility of a sixth or seventh single, mentioning the examples of Nickelback's All the Right Reasons and The Pussycat Dolls' PCD as albums that were being supported by seventh singles at the time. Furtado said she liked the possibility because she thought Loose was good and "want people to hear as much of it as possible" before she took time off.Graff, Gary (May 11, 2007). . Billboard. Retrieved on May 7, 2008.

Two other songs, "Te Busqué" and "No Hay Igual", were released as singles in other regions of the world. "Te Busqué" was the lead single in Spain because of the limited success hip-hop/R&B-influenced songs in the style of "Promiscuous" and "Maneater" achieved in the country.Iglesias, Gustavo (July 18, 2006). . Los 40 Principales. Retrieved on December 5, 2006. It was not released in the United States, but it was given airplay on Latin music radio stations and reached the top forty on Billboards Latin Pop Airplay chart.. Billboard and Allmusic. Retrieved on November 14, 2006. The "No Hay Igual" remix featuring Calle 13 was released in Latin America, and the music video debuted in September.. Geffen (September 6, 2006). Retrieved on October 6, 2006.

Promotion

Nelly Furtado Rock am Ring.jpg140pxthumbrightNelly performing at Rock am Ring 2006

During the promotion of Loose, Furtado performed at major music festivals and award shows. In Europe, she appeared at Rock am Ring and Rock-im-Park in Germany and the Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands in June 2006. She performed in Canada at the Calgary Stampede, the Ottawa Bluesfest in July, and at the Ovation Music Festival in September. Shortly after her August 2006 performance at the Summer Sonic in Japan, she sang at the Teen Choice Awards. In November, she contributed to the entertainment during the World Music Awards, the American Music Awards and the 94th Grey Cup halftime show. She performed at the 2007 NRJ Music Awards, held in January 2007. Geffen (January 1, 2006). Retrieved on May 7, 2008.. Geffen (January 1, 2007). Retrieved on May 7, 2008. Furtado embarked on a world concert tour, the Get Loose Tour, on February 16, 2007 in the UK, in support of the album; the tour included thirty-one dates in Europe and Canada, with additional shows in the U.S., Japan, Australia and Latin America. Furtado described the show as a "full sensory experience" with "a beginning, middle and end ... takes you on a journey", also stressing the importance of crowd involvement and "spontaneity and rawness, because those are my roots, you know? I started by doing club shows, and that's the energy I love, the raw club energy of just feeling like you're rocking out." Though Furtado said choreographed dance routines were to be included in the show, she described it as "music-based ... Everything else is just to keep it sophisticated and sensual and fun." Furtado said she hoped to have Chris Martin, Juanes, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland and Calle 13 to guest on the tour, and have a "revolving door" of opening acts with Latin musicians opening in the U.S.Vineyard, Jennifer (November 27, 2006). . MTV News. Retrieved on May 7, 2008.

Personnel

* Nelly Furtado: vocals

* Attitude: vocals

* Rusty Anderson: acoustic guitar

* David Campbell: conductor

* Robert Cani: violin

* Luis Conte: percussion

* Larry Corbett: cello

* Maria DeLeon: violin

* Joel Derouin: violin

* Danja: drums, keyboard, piano

* Hilario Duran: piano

* Amen Garabedian: violin

* Gerado Hilera: violin

* Sharon Jackson: violin

* Dean Jarvis: bass guitar

* Juanes: acoustic guitar, electric guitar

* Suzie Katayama: cello

* Peter Kent: violin

* Greg Kurstin: keyboard

* Jamie Muhoberac: keyboard

* Rick Nowels: guitar, keyboard, piano

* Blake O: guitar

* Luis Orbego: percussion

* Stever Richards: cello

* Kevin Rudolph: guitar

* David Schommer: percussion

* Ramón Stagnaro: acoustic guitar, electric guitar

* Nisan Stewart: drums

* Daniel Stone: percussion

* Taku Hirano: percussion

* Timbaland: bass guitar, drums, keyboard, percussion

* Josefina Vergara: violin

* Dan Warner: guitar

* Joey Waronker: drums

Production

* Executive producers: Thom Panunzio, Timbaland, Nelly Furtado

* Producer: Timbaland, Danja, Nisan Stewart, Lester Mendez, Rick Nowels, Nelly Furtado

* Vocal producer: Jim Beanz

* Vocal assistance: Jim Beanz, Timbaland, The Horace Mann Middle School Choirs

* Engineers: Demacio Castellon, Vadim Chrislov, Ben Jost, Joao R. Názario, James Roach, Kobia Tetey, Joe Wohlmuth

* Assistant engineers: Jason Donkersgoed, Steve Genwick, Kieron Menzies, Dean Reid

* Mixing: Marcella Araica, Demacio Castellón, Bard Haehnal, Dave Pensado, Neal H. Pogue

* Mastering: Chris Gerhinger

* A&R: Thom Panunzio, D.J. Mormille

* A&R coordination: Evan Peters

* A&R administration: Jeanne Venton

* Art direction: JP Robinson, Gravillis Inc., Nevis

* Photography: Anthony Mandler

* Production manager: Cliff Feimann

Charts and certifications

Charts

Certifications

End of year charts

End of decade charts

Chart procession and succession

Release history

Artist/Band Information

Nelly Kim Furtado (born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer and actress. She has sold 20 million albums worldwide and 18 million Singles, bringing her total sales to nearly 40 million records. Furtado grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, and its single "I'm like a Bird", which won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It produced two more international singles: the more successful "Turn off the Light", and "Shit on the Radio (Remember the Days)". After giving birth to her daughter Nevis, her second studio album, Folklore was released. It was less commercially successful in the US. It produced three international singles: "Powerless (Say What You Want)", "Try", and "Força" (the theme of the 2004 European Football Championship).

In summer 2006 she released her third studio album, Loose. It is her biggest success to date worldwide. It produced the number-one hits "Promiscuous", "Maneater", "Say It Right" and "All Good Things (Come to an End)". After a 3 year break, in September 2009 she released her first full-length Spanish album Mi Plan along with her first single "Manos al Aire" which topped the Billboard Hot Latin Songs. This made Nelly the first North American singer to top the Billboard Hot Latin Chart with an original Spanish song. Further singles released were "Más" and "Bajo Otra Luz". On October 26, she released a remix album Mi Plan Remixes featuring the first single "Fuerte". She released her first greatest hits The Best of Nelly Furtado a month later on November 12, 2010.

Early life

Furtado was born on December 2, 1978, in Victoria, British Columbia to Portuguese parents, Maria Manuela and António José Furtado, both immigrants from the Azores. at DailyMusicGuide.com She was named after Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Her parents were born on São Miguel Island and emigrated to Canada in the late 1960s. Her siblings are Michael Anthony and Lisa Anne. She was raised in a Roman Catholic home.

At age four she began performing and singing in Portuguese. Furtado's first public performance was when she sang a duet with her mother at a church on Portugal Day. She began playing musical instruments at the age of nine, learning the trombone, ukulele and — in later years — the guitar and keyboards. At the age of 12, she began writing songs, and as a teenager, she performed in a Portuguese marching band.

Furtado has acknowledged her family as the source of her strong work ethic; she spent eight summers working as a chambermaid with her mother, along with her brother and sister who was a housekeeper in Victoria. She has stated that coming from a working class background has shaped her identity in a positive way.

Music career

1996–2002: Beginnings and Whoa, Nelly!

During a visit with her sister Lisa Anne in Toronto, the summer after eleventh grade, Furtado met Tallis Newkirk, member of the hip hop group Plains of Fascination. She contributed vocals to their 1996 album, Join the Ranks, on the track "Waitin' 4 The Streets". After graduating from Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996, she moved to Toronto to reside with her sister Lisa Anne. The following year, she formed Nelstar, a trip hop duo with Newkirk. Ultimately, Furtado felt the trip-hop style of the duo was "too segregated" and believed it did not represent her personality or allow her to showcase her vocal ability. She left the group and planned to move back home.

In 1997, she performed at the Honey Jam talent show. Her performance attracted the attention of The Philosopher Kings singer Gerald Eaton, who then approached her to write with him. He and fellow Kings member Brian West helped Furtado produce a demo. She left Toronto, but returned again to record more material with Eaton and West. The material recorded during these sessions led to her 1999 record deal with DreamWorks Records, where she was signed by A&R executive Beth Halper, partner of Garbage drummer and record producer Butch Vig. Furtado's first single, "Party's Just Begun (Again)", was released that year on the Brokedown Palace: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

Furtado continued the collaboration with Eaton and West, who co-produced her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, which was released in October 2000. Following the release of the album, Furtado headlined the "Burn in the Spotlight Tour" and also appeared on Moby's Area:One tour.

The album was an international success, supported by three international singles: "I'm like a Bird", "Turn off the Light", and "...On the Radio (Remember the Days)". It received four Grammy nominations in 2002, and her debut single won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Furtado's work was also critically acclaimed for her innovative mixture of various genres and sounds. Slant Magazine called the album "a delightful and refreshing antidote to the army of 'pop princesses' and rap-metal bands that had taken over popular music at the turn of the millennium".

The sound of the album was strongly influenced by musicians who had traversed cultures and "the challenge of making heartfelt, emotional music that's upbeat and hopeful". According to Maclean's magazine, Whoa, Nelly! had sold six million copies worldwide as of August 2006.Intini, John. . Maclean's. August 25, 2006. Retrieved September 18, 2006. Portions of the song "Scared of You" are in Portuguese, while "Onde Estás" is entirely in Portuguese, reflecting Furtado's Portuguese heritage. The International Release of "Whoa Nelly" featured fellow Canadian Esthero on the song titled "I Feel You".

In 2002, Furtado appeared on the song "Thin Line", on underground hip hop group Jurassic 5's album Power in Numbers. The same year, Furtado provided her vocals to the Paul Oakenfold's song "The Harder They Come" from the album Bunkka and also made the song "These words are my own". She also had a collaboration with Colombian artist Juanes, in the song "Fotografia" where she showed her diversity of yet another language. Furtado was also featured in "Breathe" from Swollen Members "Monsters in the Closet" release; the video for "Breathe," directed by Spawn creator Todd MacFarlane, won the 2003 Western Canadian Music Awards Outstanding Video and MuchVIBE Best Rap Video.

2003–05: Folklore

Furtado's second album, Folklore, was released in November 2003. The final track on the album, "Childhood Dreams", was dedicated to her daughter, Nevis. The album includes the single "Força" (meaning "strength"/ "power" or "you can do it!" in Portuguese), the official anthem of the 2004 European Football Championship. Furtado performed this song in Lisbon at the championship's final, in which the Portugal national team played.

The lead single is "Powerless (Say What You Want)" and the second single is the ballad "Try". The album was not as successful as her debut, partly due to the album's less "poppy" sound, as well as underpromotion from her label DreamWorks Records. DreamWorks had just been sold to Universal Music Group. In 2005, DreamWorks Records, along with many of its artists including Furtado, was absorbed into Geffen Records.

"Powerless (Say What You Want)" was later remixed, featuring Colombian rocker Juanes, who had previously worked with Furtado on his track "Fotografía" ("Photograph"). The two would collaborate again on "Te Busqué" ("I searched for you"), a single from Furtado's 2006 album Loose.

2006–08: Loose

Nelly Furtado Rock im Park 2006 Zoomin.jpgthumbleftNelly Furtado performing live in Nuremberg, in 2006.

Furtado's third album, named Loose, after the spontaneous, creative decisions she made while creating the album, was released in June 2006. In this album, primarily produced by Timbaland, Furtado experiments with sounds from R&B, hip hop, and 1980s music. Furtado herself describes the album's sound as punk-hop, described as "modern, poppy, spooky" and as having "a mysterious, after-midnight vibe... extremely visceral". She attributed the youthful sound of the album to the presence of her two-year-old daughter. The album received generally positive reviews from critics, with some citing the "revitalising" effect of Timbaland on Furtado's music, and others calling it "slick, smart and surprising". Some have labeled her a "sellout" for seemingly abandoning her folk and rock roots in favour of hip hop and R&B, while others have accused her of attempting to "sex up" her music and appearance to sell more records.

Loose has become the most successful album of Furtado's career so far, as it reached number one not only in Canada and the United States, but also several countries worldwide. The album produced her first number-one hit in the United States, "Promiscuous", as well as her first number-one hit in the United Kingdom, "Maneater". The single "Say It Right" eventually became Furtado's most successful song worldwide, due to its huge success in Europe and in the United States, where it became her second number-one hit. "All Good Things (Come to an End)" became her most successful song in Europe, topping single charts in numerous countries there.

On February 16, 2007, Furtado embarked on the "Get Loose Tour". She returned in March 2007 to her hometown of Victoria to perform a concert at the Save-On Foods Memorial Centre. In honour of her visit, local leaders officially proclaimed March 21, 2007, the first day of spring, as Nelly Furtado Day. After the tour, she released her first live DVD/CD named Loose the Concert. Amazon.de The DVD: Track listing On April 1, 2007, Furtado was a performer at and host of the 2007 Juno Awards in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She won all five awards for which she was nominated, including Album of the Year and Single of the Year. She also appeared on stage at the Concert for Diana at Wembley Stadium in London on July 1, 2007, where she performed "Say It Right", "Maneater", and "I'm like a Bird".

In 2007, Furtado and Justin Timberlake were featured on Timbaland's single "Give It to Me",

which became her third number-one single in the U.S. and second in the UK. In late 2008, Furtado collaborated with James Morrison on a song called "Broken Strings" for his album "Songs for You, Truths for Me". The single was released on December 8 Article in Turkish and peaked at #2 on the UK Singles Chart in early January.

In 2007, Furtado leaked plans to Flare regarding a song she was set to duet for Kylie Minogue's return. However, the song was not featured on her album X but Minogue says the aforementioned song "is still outstanding" and has plans to pursue it. She said "I am looking forward to getting in the studio and doing it because I know Nelly and I would have a great time together". The track has not appeared on Minogue's 2010 album Aphrodite as well. In 2008, she sang with the Italian group "Zero Assoluto" the ballad Win or Lose - Appena prima di partire, released in Italy, France and Germany and whose video was shot in Barcelona. On December 31, 2008, El Diario La Prensa posted an article that Furtado is planning on recording songs in English and Spanish for her upcoming album and that it is "expected to launch on September 15, 2009".

2009–present: Mi Plan and The Best of Nelly Furtado

Furtado made a guest appearance on Flo Rida's new album, R.O.O.T.S., which was released on March 31, 2009. The track is titled "Jump". Furtado has also made a guest appearance on Divine Brown's Love Chronicles, co-writing and singing on the background of the song "Sunglasses".

In early March, a song called "Gotta Know" leaked onto the Internet and was said to be Nelly's. As response, on March 4, 2009, Furtado stated on her MySpace blog that the song is not hers and that she is recording two new albums: one in Spanish, and the other in Portuguese. Nelly Furtado announced via the Perez Hilton blog, that the Spanish album would be titled Mi Plan and the first single titled "Manos Al Aire" (in English, meaning "Hands in the Air").

The album will have twelve new songs, all in Spanish, as stated by Nelly in a message left in her official website

The second single "Más" was released on July 21, as it was announced on Nelly's official myspace. The third single "Mi Plan" (ft. Alex Cuba) was released on iTunes on August 11, 2009 and "Bajo Otra Luz" (ft. Julieta Venegas and La Mala Rodriguez) is the fourth and final countdown single and it was released on September 1, 2009. She also invited the Mexican star Alejandro Fernández to sing a duet song named "Sueños" ("Dreams"). The video for "Manos al Aire" premiered on July 29 on It's On with Alexa Chung. On November 11, 2010 Furtado won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album for Mi Plan. She is the first Canadian to win a Latin Grammy award.

Furtado made a guest appearance on Canadian singer k-os's new album Yes!, collaborating alongside Saukrates on the song "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman," released in early July 2009. Nelly Furtado will make a guest appearance on Tiësto's single "Who Wants to Be Alone" on his new album Kaleidoscope which was released on October 6, 2009. Furtado also recorded "Manos al Aire" in Simlish for the new Sims 3 expansion, World Adventures

Nelly Furtado performing on February 14th in Vancouver.JPGthumbNelly Performing at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Victory Ceremony.

On February 12, 2010, Nelly Furtado sang in a duet with Bryan Adams at the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympic Games. The Song was called "Bang The Drum" released on EMI album Sounds Of Vancouver 2010 (a commemorative album). On February 14, 2010, she appeared again at the Winter Olympic Victory Ceremony after the awarding of the medals for the athletes. On April 13, 2010, Nelly announced on her Twitter account that Lifestyle, her fourth English studio album, would not be released during the summer of 2010 and that she will go on a second leg of her Mi Plan Tour where she will get more inspiration for her upcoming album Lifestyle. Nelly Furtado is featured in a new song by N.E.R.D. called Hot N Fun. She also participated in the Young Artists for Haiti song, in which many Canadian artists came together and sang K'naan's inspirational song Wavin' Flag to raise money for the victims of the Haiti Earthquake.

To promote the tour in Brazil, on March 24, 2010, Furtado made a "VIP Pocket Show" in reality show program Big Brother Brasil 10 from Rede Globo, the country's leading channel. She performed 5 songs from the tour in acoustic versions ("Maneater", "I'm Like A Bird", "Try", "Say It Right" and "Turn Off The Light"). Nelly Furtado participated in the live DVD recording of the Brazilian singer Ivete Sangalo in Madison Square Garden on September 4, 2010. Nelly Furtado sang two new songs: "Girlfriend" and "Night is Young" on her concert in Warsaw, Poland.

Furtado was honoured with a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in October 2010. On October 26, 2010, Furtado released Mi Plan Remixes featuring 12 tracks of remixed hits from "Mi Plan." This album included the Original Spanglish Version of "Fuerte," her final single from Mi Plan.

Furtado released her first greatest hits album entitled The Best of Nelly Furtado on November 16, 2010. The album's first single, "Night is Young" premiered on BBC Radio 1 on October 3, 2010. nellyfurtado.com Retrieved 2010-10-07 The song was first released for digital download on October 12, 2010 in Australia. Three new songs will be on the greatest hits album, including "Night Is Young," another collaboration Salaam Remi entitled "Girlfriend in the City," and the Lester Mendez produced track, left over from the Loose sessions, "Stars."

Other work

Record label

She has formed her own record label, Nelstar, in conjunction with Canadian independent label group Last Gang Labels. The first act signed to Nelstar is Fritz Helder & the Phantoms. Yahoo News, March 14, 2009 Furtado released her first Spanish single "Manos al Aire" on the new label.

Philanthropy

For World AIDS Day in 2006, Furtado took part in an AIDS awareness concert in South Africa hosted by MTV, BET, and Nike; fellow performers included Enrique Iglesias, Kanye West, Kelly Rowland, Snoop Dogg and Kelly Clarkson MTV UK"> Furtado also hosted a program about AIDS on MTV, which also featured guests Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake. MTV UK"/>

Music influences

During her pre-teenage to teenage years, Furtado embraced many musical genres, listening heavily to mainstream R&B, hip hop, alternative hip hop, drum and bass, trip hop, world music (including Portuguese fado, Brazilian bossa nova and Indian music), and a variety of others. She cites diverse influences, which include soul-trip/hip hop artists such as De La Soul, TLC, world music artists Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Amalia Rodrigues, as well as Caetano Veloso, Juanes, Jeff Buckley, Esthero, Björk, Cornershop, Oasis, Radiohead, The Smashing Pumpkins and Beck.

Furtado's music has also been influenced by her current residence, Toronto, which she calls "the most multicultural city in the entire world" and a place where she "can be any culture". Regarding Toronto's cultural diversity, she has said that she did not have to wait for the Internet revolution to learn about world music; she began listening to it at the age of five and continues to discover new genres.

Personal life

On September 20, 2003, in Toronto, Furtado gave birth to a daughter, Nevis, whose father is Jasper Gahunia . Furtado and Gahunia, who had been good friends for several years, remained together for four years until their breakup in 2005. Furtado told Blender magazine that they continue to be good friends and jointly share responsibility of raising Nevis.

In June 2006, in an interview with Genre magazine, when asked if she had "ever felt an attraction to women", Furtado replied "Absolutely. Women are beautiful and sexy". Some considered this an announcement of bisexuality, but in August 2006, she stated that she was "straight, but very open-minded". In November 2006, Furtado revealed that she once turned down US$ 500,000 to pose fully clothed in Playboy.

Furtado married Cuban sound engineer Demacio "Demo" Castellón, with whom she had worked on the Loose album, on July 19, 2008.

Furtado is one of several celebrities who have come under fire recently after 2011 reports from the New York Times and a WikiLeaks document revealed several entertainers had received extravagant sums to perform for the family of Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi. She has promised to donate to charity the $1 Million she received for a 2007 concert.

Discography

* Whoa, Nelly! (2000)

* Folklore (2003)

* Loose (2006)

* Mi Plan (2009)

* Lifestyle (2012)

Filmography

See also

* List of awards and nominations received by Nelly Furtado

References