Nelly Furtado

She was in a relationship with Jasper Gahunia with whom she has a daughter, Nevis. However, the couple broke up in 2005.

She is currently married to sound engineer Demacio Castellon whom she wed in 2008.

She once hosted a program about AIDS on MTV along with musicians Alicia Keys and Justin Timberlake.

She was born to Portuguese parents Maria Manuela and Antonio Jose Furtado who were emigrants to Canada. She has two siblings.

Her family was musically inclined and her mother was a church choir singer. Young Nelly joined her mother in singing duets at the church.

By the time she was nine, she had learned to play the musical instruments trombone and ukulele. She also began playing the guitar and keyboards later on.

She began performing with a jazz band, concert band and a marching band as a teenager.

She graduated from the Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996.

She became acquainted with Tallis Newkirk, member of the hip hop group Plains of Fascination, and sang some vocals for their album ‘Join the Ranks’ in 1996. She formed a trip hop duo called Nelstar with Newkirk the following year, but soon left the group.

In 1997, she participated in a talent show for urban females, namely, The Honey Jam talent show. There she caught the eye of Gerald Eaton, singer for the band The Philosopher Kings, and his band mate Brain West.

Eaton and West collaborated with the young singer and co-produced her debut album ‘Whoa, Nelly!’ in 2000. The album featured three international singles including ‘I’m like a Bird’ and received four Grammy Nominations.

In 2001, she embarked on the ‘Burn in the Spotlight Tour’ to promote her album. She traveled all over the U.S., Canada and Europe and performed at different venues.

Her second album ‘Folklore’ was out in 2003. The album featured a sound more mellow and diverse than its predecessor and had a rock-oriented, acoustic approach. It included the single ‘Forca’ which was the official anthem of the 2004 European Football Championship.

Her debut album ‘Whoa, Nelly!’ launched her career and has sold more than eight million copies till date. It was accredited platinum in several countries including U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

‘Loose’ is her most successful album ever and it debuted at No.1 on the Canadian Albums Chart and on the U.S. Billboard 200. The album featured the super hit singles ‘Promiscuous’ and ‘Maneater’ and received several awards and nominations.