Nelly Furtado

Singer/songwriter Nelly Furtado heavily credits her ethnic background and creative childhood for spawning her career, which took flight after the success of 2001's "I'm Like a Bird." Born and raised in the Canadian city of Victoria, Furtado received a strong work ethic from her working-class parents, both of whom were of Portuguese descent. Although she learned multiple instruments as a young child, Furtado also spent eight summers working as a chambermaid alongside her housekeeping mother, quickly realizing what it meant to work for a living.



Furtado first turned to music for enjoyment, learning to play the trombone and ukulele while also taking part in various choir performances. Mainstream R&B acts like Mariah Carey, Tlc, Jodeci, Salt-n-pepa, and Bell Biv Devoe formed the bedrock of her musical tastes. Later, she delved into her older brother's collection and discovered Radiohead, Pulp, Oasis, Portishead, The Verve, and U2. The contrast pushed Furtado to fully embrace a number of different musical genres, specifically Brazilian music, hip-hop, and material by Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Amalia Rodrigues. Following high school, she left Victoria and relocated to Toronto, where she worked at an alarm company during the day and explored the local music scene at night.

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