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Nelly Furtado Profile |
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Birth Date: December 2, 1978
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Birth Place: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
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Birth Name: Nelly Kim Furtado
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Height: 5'1"
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Biography |
Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, to parents of
Portuguese descent, Nelly Furtado has always been surrounded
by music. Her mother is a former church choir singer, while
her father -- a fan of Portuguese music styles, known as
"fado" -- sings as a pastime. Her grandfather played
instruments, and even her great-uncle was a renowned
Portuguese marching band score composer.
All of these family elements inspired Nelly's passion for
music and a broad spectrum of musical genres at that. By the
age of four, young Nelly was playing the ukulele and singing
in Portuguese and English, and was the trombone player of a
jazz band, concert band and marching band, from nine to
eighteen. Her vocal chords and dance skills were also useful
with her involvement in musical plays.
She knew early on in her childhood that she wanted to be a
performer, and her dreams were realized via several chance
opportunities and events throughout her life. Nelly received
a tape recorder and microphone when she was eight years old,
which served as a key part of her musical influences.
Exposed to the rush of new hip-hop acts spawning in the
early '90s, Nelly became fascinated by the sounds of TLC,
Bel Biv Devoe, Ice-T, Mariah Carey, and the new sampling
methods used at the time. With the help of her tape
recorder, Nelly would sample the sounds that impressed her,
similar to those used by popular '90s acts. She sang into
her microphone and recorded original sounds with the
"scratch effect" of her keyboard.
A self-proclaimed R&B and hip-hop lover, Nelly was later
exposed to the British rock sounds of the mid '90s, after a
trip to her ancestral Portugal. Teenage Nelly's eyes were
now open to groups such as U2, Radiohead, Oasis, while she
discovered Portishead thanks to a mix tape that a friend of
hers made. The tribal beats and bossa nova sounds evident in
her music come from the music she was exposed to later on,
such as a Brazilian compilation album that combined African
and Portuguese styles.
The album is the product of her participation in a Toronto
young performer's talent show at the age of 18. The manager
of the Philosopher Kings, a popular funk/pop group, who was
also present at the show, was impressed by Nelly's talent.
The only real recording experience she had up to this point
was singing back-up vocals for her friend's Toronto-based
hip-hop group. But that was enough to cut a demo tape with
the recording team of Gerald Eaton and Brian West (of the
Philosopher Kings). After much convincing on the part of
Eaton and West, Nelly returned to Toronto to record more
tracks.
The fruit of this work is what led to Nelly's
record-contract with DreamWorks Records. Her album, entitled
Whoa Nelly!, which has already spawned the hit singles "I'm
Like A Bird," "Turn Off The Light" and "...On The Radio,"
was released in the Fall of 2000.
No stranger to touring, Nelly was part of the Lilith Fair
tour, with a bill consisting of female performers such as
Beth Orton, Chrissie Hynde, and of course, Sarah McLachlan
(who is one of Nelly's idols). The singer-songwriter also
contributed a track to the soundtrack for the film,
Brokedown Palace.
And she has her share of fans. Elton John praised Nelly's
work and talent "on the record"; she was invited to pay
tribute to Aretha Franklin at a tribute concert for the
queen of soul; she released a duet with rap producer and
singer Missy Elliot, "Get UR Freak On," appearing on the
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider soundtrack; and she was invited to
perform at the Area: One tour, and was named one of the most
talented and beautiful women in the world by the tour
organizer, Moby.
Her critically-acclaimmed debut album not only showcases the
mix of musical backgrounds -- African beats, hip-hop, folk,
urban style, bossa nova, and the Portuguese "fado" -- it
also highlights a new talent that will definitely soar like
a bird. |
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Other
Information |
Played eight dates on "the village stage" at Lilith Fair.
Formed (and an ex-member of) trip-hop group Nelstar.
Learned to play trombone and ukulele at age nine, keyboards
at age 11 and began composing at age 13.
Is Canadian of Portuguese decent.
Speaks Portuguese fluently.
Is fluent in Hindi.
Voted one of the "Fun and Fearless Females" by Cosmopolitan
Magazine (2002.)
One "Best Pop Vocal, Female" Grammy for her song "I'm Like A
Bird" (2002)
Daughter, Nevis, (named after the island on which she was
conceived) born on September 20, 2003 in Toronto to Nelly
&then and boyfriend Jasper Gahunia (aka DJ Lil' Jaz).
Second album "Folklore" released. [Nov 25th 2003]
Parents are Maria Manuela Furtado and Antonio Jose Furtado.
Has a sister, Lisa Anne Furtado, and a brother, Michael
Anthony Furtado.
Her new single, "Forca", (in which she speaks both English
and Portuguese) is the offical theme of the Euro Cup
(Soccer).
Ranked #58 in Stuff magazine's "102 Sexiest Women In The
World" (2002)
Perhaps as a nod to her diverse influences, Furtado was
invited to open for U2 and perform on Moby's Area: One Tour
alongside the techno-rocker.
She also scored some awards for her work, including Canadian
Juno Awards for best new solo artist and best songwriter in
2001 and a Grammy in 2002 for best female pop performance
("Like A Bird.")
Graduated from Mount Douglas Secondary School in Victoria,
B.C. |
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