Nelly Furtado

Canadian singer Nelly Furtado was born in British Columbia on December 2, 1978. She began showing interest in music and in singing at an early age, having performed with her mother in church. After performing in a talent show, Nelly Furtado caught the eye of singer Gerald Eaton, who eventually got her signed to A&R, through which she released her first single “Party’s Just Begun (Again)” in 1999. She followed this initial release with her debut album Whoa, Nelly!, featuring the very popular hits “I’m Like a Bird” and “Turn off the Light”. Her debut single earned her a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2002, and she was nominated four times during that year’s ceremony.

Nelly Furtado would go on to release a series of songs and albums featuring tracks in both English and Portuguese to highlight her heritage. She released the album Folklore in 2003, followed by Loose in 2006, the latter reaching #1 in the US and in Canada. It featured the songs “Promiscuous” as well as “Maneater”, and is Furtado’s most successful album to date. She went on to release her first Spanish-language album titled Mi Plan in 2009, followed by The Spirit Indestructible in 2012.