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Nelly Furtado has an über-cool life. She racks up music
awards as easily as frequent flyer miles. This year alone she has bagged both
Platinum and Gold in 28 countries; won five Juno Awards (the Canada Grammys); and earned top
honors as Best International Female Artist at the prestigious Brit Awards in the
U.K.
Throngs of fans—from Taiwan to Toronto—routinely scream her
name and mouth lyrics to songs she not only performs, but also wrote and
produced.
Editor-at-Large Kathleen Mascareñas listened intently
during a recent interview as the Promiscuous Girl got loose. She learned this
red hot pop star—despite living a life few of us will ever experience—actually
has a lot in common with regular folks.
Consider these facts: Nelly is the daughter of immigrants,
whose abuelita had ten children. (Sound familiar?) Her mom once worked
six days a week as a hotel housekeeper. (Hit close yet?) Nelly’s dad endured
many back-breaking days as a stone mason and landscaper. (Ding, ding, ding.)
She’s a single, working mom whose proudest achievement thus far is giving life
to her 3-year-old daughter Nevis. (Eso es!)
Latino Future: You’re fresh off your
international Get Loose tour. How have you evolved as a performer since first
landing on the international stage in 2000?
Nelly Furtado: My performance style has changed a
lot because I’m a lot more comfortable. In the last 2 or 3 years, I’ve studied
acting and dance, and just gotten more confident.
I hope my biggest gift
to the
world is…
“fostering a little understanding and openmindedness
among people exposed to my music. I’ve really tried to infuse my music
with some type of eclecticism and multiculturalism.
I try to spread
awareness about how similar—rather than different—we are
as people.” |
Does it feel good to feel so confident, given the
pressure of success?
There is a lot of pressure because there’s a lot of
competition. Once you get to this level, you have to maintain and stay on point.
You can never let yourself slip.
2007 seems to be your year. How do you keep all the
success from going to your head?
I come from a real humble [working class] family. I worked
every Saturday with my mom at a hotel cleaning rooms. I was taught a really
strong work ethic. I treat [my career] like a job, [but] it’s a very
self-indulgent business. You can become quite egotistical if you don’t check
yourself every now and then.
How do you check yourself?
Anytime I have too much attitude—when I feel too cocky—I
always trip, like on a shoe or something (laughs). I think it’s God putting me
in my place (laughs intensely). But seriously, I’ve got an aunt and family who
live in Portugal. Anytime I go back to the island where my parents are from, I
go to my aunt’s backyard and we hang the laundry on the clothesline. It’s hard
to feel pretentious doing regular things.
Your parents migrated to Canada and didn’t speak a word
of English. Talk about that journey and why they chose Canada.
At one point, the Canadian government was drafting people
from Portugal to work on the highways and in construction. My father got a job
as a construction worker and then started his own landscaping business.
Honestly, I kind of got into the [music] business because I
really didn’t want my parents to hustle so much. I thought, “Well, I’ve got
talent and I can sing, so I better get out there and make a living so I can take
care of my family.”
The proudest moment
of my life was...
“the day my daughter was born.
I was just so
impressed with her. Impressed with the whole cycle
you go through
as a woman.
It really was a magical
day.” |
Does your success blow your parent’s mind?
I think it’s a little overwhelming for them sometimes
because people will call the house asking for interviews with them. They are
just super, super grounded. My parents are the most gentle, simple, sweetest
folks in the world.
It’s kind of funny because they had Nelly Furtado Day in
[my hometown] Victoria, Canada. They had this big welcome for me with an award.
I had just gotten back to town with my daughter and my parents hadn’t seen my
daughter for a while. They didn’t even come to the event because they were at
home playing with their granddaughter (laughs).
That’s just an example of how real my parents are. They did
that because they want to show me it doesn’t matter. They know the separation
between my career and my real life.
What do you do to unwind?
I like to take my daughter to the park and just run around
and kick a ball. My daughter and I like to paint and do crafts. I like to cook
at home when I have time. I hang out in Miami a lot. I go back and forth from
Miami to Toronto. I like to be in nature, too. I like to read and listen to
music. I don’t have cable TV at home (laughs).
Why don’t you have cable TV? Are you against it?
I haven’t had cable since I’ve lived on my own. I travel a
lot, so if I really feel like watching TV, I can turn the hotel TV on—but I never have
time. If you don’t watch television, you lose interest in it.
Has your daughter seen your videos?
She’s seen my videos a couple of times. She knows my music
because she travels with me [and] comes to all the concerts. She sits there and
stares at the dancers. I wonder what she’s doing and then, two days later,
she’ll show me the dance moves (laughs). She’s really musical.
Do you want her to follow in your footsteps?
I want her to do what she wants to do. I just want her to
be happy and grounded.
What’s it like being a single mom with an intensely
demanding career?
I’ve managed to find this happy place so when we are
traveling we can create consistency for [my daughter]. I travel with family. My
mom comes on the road; my sister comes sometimes; and my nanny is actually my
first cousin. [My daughter’s] father [is] a great father. We are both equally
involved in her upbringing. (Editor’s Note: The father of Nelly’s daughter is
widely reported to be Nelly’s former boyfriend, DJ Lil Jaz, aka Jasper Gahunia.)
I heard you are planning to record a Latin CD. Will it
be all original songs?
Ever since I did the duet with Juanes, people embrace me
signing in Spanish, including Juanes. When I do produce a full-length Latin
album, it will be a combination of Spanish, Portuguese and maybe one Italian
song thrown in for good measure. I access a different part of my soul when I
sing in a Latin language.
When can your fans expect this new CD?
I don’t have a release date. I tried to do some songs and
felt like I was rushing it. I want it to be a real project. I want to take some
time to do it.
Your life seems to have many contradictions. You started
singing in a church and now you are criticized for being too sexual. You openly
talk about sexual experiences, yet you turned down an offer to pose for Playboy.
Do you have an internal struggle at times?
True female empowerment is choice. It’s deciding what you
want to do and when—and not letting anybody label you. If you let other people
handicap you with their judgments, you will never move forward.
I have always made decisions that come from my heart. I’m
still growing. I’m still learning who I am. It’s okay to make mistakes. It’s
okay to question yourself and the world around you. That’s what life is. If you
are not learning, then what’s the point?
WEB EXTRAS
JUST THE FACTS
BORN: December 2, 1978
RESIDES: Toronto
LA FAMILIA: one brother and one sister
CHILDREN: One daughter, Nevis,
who is 50% Portuguese, 25% Filipino and
25% Asian Indian, and was named after the
island on which she was conceived
SEXUALITY: Straight, but very open-minded
HEIGHT: 5 ft., 1 in.
ONLINE: nellyfurtado.com
www.myspace.com/nellyfurtado
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DISCOGRAPHY
CDs
Loose (2006)
Folklore (2003)
Whoa, Nelly! (2000)
SOUNDTRACKS
Tomb Raider
"Get Ur Freak On" by Missy Elliott (accompanied by Nelly Furtado)
Brokedown Palace:
Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Various Artists
"Party's Just Begun" by Nelly Furtado
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