Nelly talks about becoming a mum:now there's three

[Daniel]

Nelly Furtado talks about becoming a mother
And now there's three

by Mike Ross
Sun Media

"Everyone thought I was crazy," says Nelly Furtado of her determination to become a mother at the tender age (for these times) of 25 ? no less for doing it in the middle of a thriving career as an international pop star.



NELLY FURTADO

However, Furtado says she always goes with her instinct and her instinct was to have a baby ? six-month-old Nevis, who's been all over Japan, Europe and America. The baby girl's father is Furtado's boyfriend and DJ, little Jaz, a.k.a. Jasper Gahunia.

"I go with my heart and I go with my instinct, always," Furtado says. "That's what leads me down these paths ? like motherhood. I knew I wanted a family and was ready for this next step in life ... so now we have a family. I make similar decisions in my career. It's just all one thing to me. What your heart tells you should be your guiding force."

You can't argue with success.

A blithe spirit and cheery voice during a recent phone interview, Furtado has seemingly led a charmed life since surfacing in 2000 with the hit single I'm Like a Bird. She was the toast of the Junos the following year ? winning four ? and won another this year.

Nothing fazes this new mummy ? she's a paragon of the virtue of "going with the flow."

For example, when Furtado was denied entry to her own record label's post Juno party in 2001, she simply shrugged and said, "OK." She even made a joke: "The next day, the story was how I wasn't allowed into the party rather than that I'd won all those Junos."

Furtado was also in Madrid performing a showcase last month, just a week after the terrorist bombing. Far from being afraid for either herself or her infant, she says, "It was good to be there. I'm a fan of just being hopeful and having spirit and being brave and just going about your business. That's all we have in life. I'm a real believer in the moment. I think that's why I love hip-hop, why I love beat writers, jazz music, improv, I love anything that celebrates the moment."

Her new album is no exception. The Portuguese-Canadian singer has earned lavish praise for Folklore, almost entirely written while she was pregnant ? some songs in as little as 10 minutes, she says ? and featuring an eclectic mix of guest artists from banjo master Bela Fleck to the Kronos Quartet. The music is a more seamless hybrid of world music, pop and folk than what was heard on her debut, and lyrically more mature, too. No more bird songs.

"The older I get the more in tune I am with what really matters," she says. "I've already changed so much. It's amazing how strong the mothering instinct is. You just know what to do and you're suddenly aware of your own health and you're own mortality ? lots of things, like, 'Oh, I'd better put my seatbelt on because I've got to take care of somebody else.'

"It really runs in my own family, too. I come from a long line of women who had many, many children. My grandmother had 10 kids and she worked. My mum worked and raised my bother, sister and I. My aunt has eight kids. I've grown up around this strong female energy

[Blazing Star]

Great article! Thanks for posting.

[Rebecca]

Thanx for that Daniel. =-)

[FunkyFreshness]

Awwww what a sweet article. I always thought Nevis was an accident. That's cool that she wasn't

[NellyBird]

Nice article sweet, thanks for posting

[Silvy]

great article thanks!

[XCoRunnerBoy]

yeah, I had always thought that Nevis was an accident too, but this article makes it seem like she was planned...hmmm?
I think that Nelly would have wanted to get married before having a child though..maybe...

[neltado]

cool article. thnx Daniel!

[Daisy]

That was really neat to read thnx 4 that

[silly-willy]

thanks for the article really enjoyed it