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Nelly Furtado music biography continued...

past several years notably, "I'm like a Bird", "Turn off the Light", and most recently the hip hop inspired "Promiscuous". Born and raised in Victoria, British Columbia, Nelly is a first generation Portuguese Canadian who often credits her open natured personality to her multiculturalism.

Nelly began singing at the young age of four and later developed an interest in musical instruments at nine learning to play the trombone and ukulele. She eventually picked up the guitar and keyboard. Her diverse background allowed her to discover various music styles such as R&B, alternative rock, and world music particularly Portuguese fado, Brazilian bossa nova, and Indian music. After graduating from Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996, she moved to Toronto and formed the trip hop duo Nelstar with her friend Tallis Newkirk. She eventually decided to return to Victoria as she no longer identified with the style of the duo, however before returning she performed at a club and caught the attention of The Philosopher Kings lead singer Gerald Eaton who approached her to record a demo. She later returned to Toronto where she began recording and eventually landed a contract with DreamWorks Records in 1999.

Whoa, Nelly! was released in October 2000 and became an instant hit with the support of its lead single "I'm like a Bird" which earned a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 2002. The hits continued with the subsequent singles "Turn off the Light" and "S*** On the Radio (Remember the Days)". Folklore, Nelly's sophomore album appeared in 2003 and included the singles "Powerless (Say What You Want)", "Try", and "Força" the official anthem for the 2004 European Football Championship. The mellow mood of the album is largely attributed to the fact that Furtado was pregnant during the entire recording, giving birth to her first child, Nevis, a few months prior to the release. Although considered a great original effort by critics, the album failed to surpass its expectations due to the lack of promotion by the DreamWorks label which was undergoing a closure during the release of the record. Most DreamWorks artists, including Furtado were immersed into Geffen Records.