“I always know there's a new genre left to discover. For me, it's like a metaphor for life. I feel like if you can get down with any style of music, you can get down with any style of person. So it's fun for me—I get to expose my fans to different vibes and they, in turn, open their minds too. I'm always undergoing mind-opening. ”
That basically sums up Nelly Kim Furtado’s journey into the music world. She is best known for her innovative fusion of different genres ( folk, R&B, hip hop, alternative hip hop, trip hop drum and bass, urban style, world music Portuguese fado ( influence by her father) , bossa nova and Indian music ( she had a Hindi song entitled Kabhi Kabhie) and sounds. The result of the cultural diversity and musical influences that surrounds her life since she was a child. She even credited her current city, stating that because of the cultural hodgepodge of Toronto, “she did not have to wait for the Internet revolution to learn about world music”, as at an early of five years old, she was already listening, appreciating and discovering world music.
She was born in the City of Victoria on December 2, 1978. She was named after Nellie Kim (a Russian Gymnast) by her Portuguese parents Maria Manuela and Antonio Jose Furtado who came to Canada in the 60’s from Portugal. She has a sister (Lisa Anne Furtado) and a brother (Michael Anthony Furtado). Her early exposure to music from her own family would later brought her critically acclaimed album, Grammy’s ( 2002 Best Pop Vocal, Female for “ Like A Bird” ) and Juno’s ( 2001 Best New Solo Artist and Best Songwriter) Nominations and Awards. No wonder Nelly had sold more than 20 million copies of her albums Whoa, Nelly!( 2000), Folklore( 2003), Loose( 2006), Mi Plan ( 2009) and Lifestyle (2010) globally.