From Quirky singer to Sexy Siren

[Azul_56]

From quirky singer to sexy siren

Nelly Furtado has remade herself into an international success

Nelly Furtado is aiming to re-create the vibe of her album "Loose" on the road in a splashy show inspired by Miami. (david stobbe/reuters)
By Joan Anderman, Globe Staff | May 20, 2007
Nelly Furtado pulled off one of the more surprising, and commercially viable, makeovers last year when she morphed from a world-pop ingenue to a glammed-up club queen. She had a little help from her friend Timbaland, a producer whose ingenious beats have been known to anoint a hit single or two. The pair's collaboration resulted in "Loose," an eclectic collection of dance tracks and chill-out tunes that's gone gold or platinum in 28 countries. As the record industry crashes and burns around her, Furtado -- whose "Get Loose" tour stops at Agganis Arena 5th June -- has become one of pop music's increasingly rare international success stories.


"It feels a little like 'The Last of the Mohicans,' " says Furtado, on the phone from the green room at an LA TV studio. She's been up since 4 a.m. making the rounds at radio and television stations, but the 28-year-old artist is preternaturally chipper plumbing the mysteries of her massive crossover. "I do know that Timbaland and I have chemistry and our songs have a simplicity to them, an innocence, and humans relate. I think we all like to dance in front of the mirror in our underwear."
Furtado wasn't in much of a dancing mood when she released "Folklore" in 2004. It was a sombre singer-songwriter affair, and in many ways a disappointing follow-up to her precocious 2000 debut, "Whoa, Nelly!" Furtado concedes that the tepid reception of her second album freed her to take chances with her sound and her image on "Loose."
"When you've had success, and then a different experience, you go, 'I've seen and done it all, so now I can just have fun. Let's party.' "
Furtado insists that her transformation from quirky songstress to sexy siren wasn't as calculated as it might have seemed. She and Timbaland started recording the album a month after she weaned her daughter, Nevis, now 3 and travelling with her mom. Changes -- both physical and psychological -- were bountiful.

"I had my body back and felt rejuvenated," Furtado says. "When we went into the studio I couldn't get the headphones on fast enough. Tim's beats are primal, bordering on spiritual, and it was an incredibly spontaneous experience. I did experience a reinvention of myself, and I feel lucky. It was a joyful time."

Timbaland felt the joy, too. He says that he and Furtado "feed off each other. It's hard to describe, but it's just magic. Nelly has a real sense of adventure, so many ideas, and a special talent for hearing melodies."
Furtado is aiming to re-create the "Loose" vibe on the road in a splashy show inspired by the city of Miami, where the album was recorded: white palm trees, back-up dancers, costume changes, the works. She's revamped the early hits "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light" ("I love singing them again," Furtado says) and is backed by a six-piece band that includes Toronto rapper/percussionist Saukrates, who covers Timbaland's parts and doubles as opening act.

"It's whimsical," she says, "and sophisticated."
Furtado, a Canadian of Portuguese descent, has an expansive musical appetite and refuses to be put in a box. In addition to her own genre-spanning repertoire, she's recently recorded duets with such diverse artists as Colombian pop star Juanes and crooner Michael Buble. Next up? Furtado is toying with the idea of recording an album in Spanish and Portuguese. She's also dabbling in acting; she's played herself on an episode of "One Life to Live" and a shoplifter on "CSI: NY." And she's thinking about forming a rock band -- with Timbaland.

"I would love to do it," says Timbaland.

"We've actually been talking about it for two years," Furtado says. "We felt such intense creativity, we thought, 'Why don't we do this all the time?"'
Nelly Furtado performs 5th June at Agganis Arena. The show is at 7:30; tickets $35 and $45 at ticket master.com or 617-931-2000.

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This only shows that, because of her success with the album, lots of sells, she´s not changing soon!

"We've actually been talking about it for two years," Furtado says. "We felt such intense creativity, we thought, 'Why don't we do this all the time?"'

Now that´s really worrying! She´s gonna still doing that kind of music forever! So bad!

I just wanted you to read this! It´s a new interview, and it got my attention the way they talk about the old nelly era!

[just_me]

i'd love if she'd still keeps on doing fresh new sounding stuff.
the b-sides like runaway kinda disappointed me even if they are kinda like her old stuff there is definately something missing...
if we had an album full of that, it would be disappointing.

but i think she can't go wrong with anything.

[Azul_56]

An album full of songs like Undercover, Somebody to Love and What I wanted would be a masterpiece for me!


I don´t like at all the idea of a band! Specially with Timbaland! I´d accept it with Caetano Veloso, Jarvis Church, even Juanes, but Timbaland! Hell no!

[syrialovesnelly]

hahaha sexy siren!! i really like the idea of a rock band, thanks for it

[tim-furtado]

no!!, she's a swordfish

[Paper Tiger]

Makes me want to go up to Nelly and go "Who are you and what did you do with the quirky singer?!"

[NellyWood]

Nelly is better like what she is now...If she felt good in her body...it's great!

[taylor]

i really dont think she will stay in this Loose era forever, even if she did a rock band with Tim i think they would do something different from Loose. Nelly is too into change and innovation and she is always trying out new genres etc. I think it is great that nelly is in such a happy place right now!
great article, thanks for it

[Wo-Maneater]

Nice Article,thanks! I really don't like the idea with a rock band with timbaland...i want nelly as a solo artist and not in a band!! And the rock thing wouldn't work...if she talks about rock she probally do something like avril which isn't really "Rock"... it would be cool if she changes again..style and producer!!

[Do-Rithm]

Thanks for posting..