Nelly Furtado had us dancing to the beats of her chart-toppers like Promiscuous and Say It Right alongside Timbaland throughout the 2000s. Nelly Furtado is making a triumphant return to the music scene this year with two new tracks: Eat Your Man, a collaboration with Dom Dolla, and Keep Going Up, a trio featuring Justin Timberlake and Timbaland. This comes as a treat for all the fans of the Canadian-Portuguese artist, who has been keeping a low profile over the past fifteen years. The now 44-year-old artist recently flew to Paris, where she attended the Rabanne Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show held at the iconic Palais de Tokyo. In an exclusive interview with Vogue France, Nelly Furtado fondly reminisces about her musical journey, her penchant for collaboration, and her personal relationship with the world of fashion.
Vogue sits down for a chat with Jorja Smith about the release of her second album, Falling or Flying.
An exclusive conversation with Nelly Furtado
Are you happy to be in Paris?
Nelly Furtado. "I’m so happy to be here. I haven't been here for 8 years, since I came here with my sister. We stayed in a beautiful, old sort of townhouse. We just went to galleries and markets, it was really fun. It’s one of my favorite cities.
Your single Eat Your Man was released this summer. You also unveiled a song in collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland.
Yeah, I’ve been working on an album for like a year. It’s exciting, I’ve been spending so much time focusing on the community part of music, which is what brings me the most joy, the studio brings me so much joy. I work really late nights and long hours with musicians, producers, and young new songwriters that I’ve met, and this spirit of collaboration has really been a theme in my music.
In which ways does music have the power to bring people together?
Several years ago, I conducted a kind of artistic experiment at the MoMA where I sat in a room, and about a hundred strangers in the evening would come and write songs with me. People who knew nothing about music or had never written a song, it was almost meant to be a course in songwriting, but really it was more of an experiment on how music can unlock the conscious mind and really bring people together. And remind us how we’re more similar than different. I still very much believe that music is a window to the dream world, I’m really into the subconscious that we can access in our everyday life, and we are so fortunate we have music to help us do that.
What inspired you to return to the music scene?
For me, getting back into music, a big part of that has been like seeing my music, get popular again through TikTok and through DJs, remixing old songs. Even songs people don’t know really well.
There was a DJ Rain Radio & DJ Craig Gorman, from the UK, who remixed a song from my album The Spirit Indestructible, which is one of my lesser known albums, but the song’s called Big Hoops and they made it into a new song called Talk About and now, that’s a version I play in my live show.
Have you always wanted to pursue a career in music?
Yes, since I was four years old. I used to sing with my mother at a church festival in Portugal at the time, and I walked on stage and sang a duet with my mom in Portuguese, I knew then immediately. It was something about the energy coming from me to the audience, about 300 people, and I had a vision. I thought, ‘One day I’m going to do this for thousands of people,’ and I just had this feeling of purpose and a feeling of identity there and I remember thinking, 'Wow it's a privilege to be able to perform.'
Being able to evoke such emotions in your audience through singing must be something truly unique.
Exactly! It’s like this joyful celebration. I think about how everybody is smiling, and happy. I am spreading love.
How have your musical preferences evolved over the years?
I’m more passionate about music now. I would compare it to my twenties before I had kids and responsibilities, I would spend 24 hours a day listening to music. I would be in my room, writing songs, going to record shops, collecting vinyls, and going out. I am the most like that, now, like at this time in my life, almost more than then. Now, I’m always making playlists. Nothing’s off-limits for me, there’s not a single genre that I don’t like. And, it makes it harder in a way, when you’re trying to make an album or a certain sound. That’s why I like the challenge of pop music. In pop music, you must bring together the perfect melody, or slightly imperfect melody which makes it even more interesting, and the perfect arrangement and sonically, the perfect vibration.
It's clear that music has evolved a lot over the years, with social media and even AI. From your perspective, what are the significant distinctions between the present day and two decades ago?
Yeah, there’s a lot out there, a lot of information and stimulation. I think it’s an opportunity,
for people to really go further into the niche of their audience, and find success that way. But speaking of AI, this is an interesting topic. Timbaland is very deep into the AI topic in music because he’s working on his own sounds, and in a way, the concept of AI is already present in music. For instance, my more popular songs like Give to Me, had more interpolated versions where the singer that was hired cut the record sounds to the point where I heard one and didn’t even know if it was me! But that’s not AI, that’s a human. So really, It's about taking that concept and applying it on a larger scale. If we can monetize it and find a way to sequence and code it so that each singer's voice is shaped in some way. But as far as humanity’s sake, I would never want to lose what I was doing at the MoMA that night. We didn’t even film it for that reason, it was recorded on a cassette and we read the lyrics on paper, and at the end, I would wrap the cassette in that sheet of paper with lyrics and give these unpublished songs to a stranger. There are about 50 songs floating around. The idea was that that moment existed just in that moment, which I think is proof that we do exist.
Are there any female musicians in the current music scene who inspire you?
I think, as far as you’re speaking creatively of music, I went to the MTV Awards a couple of weeks
ago, and it was such a good show! We had all the females, we had Doja Cat, Anitta, Shakira, Nicky Minaj, Megan Thee Stallion, Cardi B, Olivia Rodrigo, and Taylor Swift. I had my teenage daughter with me, she just turned 20 and she’s working in the music industry. I’m always really proud that there is this beautiful, female energy, empowering each other, and I feel as women we are owning our femininity in a new way and I love that. I’m leaning into this side of my womanhood.
What part of your career is the most exciting for you?
You know, it’s funny, because it’s weird. I was listening to records and then I was thinking it’s interesting how the vibration of a live show is completely different. My first shows were in small clubs, with lots of sweat and lots of excitement, everybody was standing, and I will never forget those shows. It’s actually because, I loved beat poetry as a teen, it was so romantic, like Jack Kerouac. When I think about those first club shows but to answer your question: life can be really fun, because of the accomplishments. It’s exciting to think that you have these 50-60 minutes, and if you don’t do the work before you get on the stage, you’re not going to feel good, it’s not even about whether the audience liked it or not, it’s about whether you think you tried your best.
In your opinion, what are the key qualities needed to succeed in the music industry in 2023?
That’s a good question, I meet new artists all the time. I met a new artist just the other night, and I could tell she was an artist without hearing her music because she had a certain type of confidence and self-assurance. I think to be good, you must know you’re good. You must know you have something to offer and believe in your personal story and have enough identity, to be able to express that with strength and confidence. But you also must be intelligent enough to listen to trusted people who have experience and knowledge in whatever music you’re trying to create and be open to constructive criticism. Also, to be open. This is the best quality because then you won’t miss opportunities. When an artist is open-minded, when a musician is open-minded to new avenues, new opportunities will always keep you potent. And probably flexibility. And I think, to be honest, you need a positive attitude. You need to play the same show for five people as you would for 5,000 because you never know who is in the audience. You have to be grateful, I know that now. There were times in my career when I didn’t enjoy this as much, maybe because I wasn’t as grateful as I am now. Now I’m very grateful. Now, I’m happy.
You attended the Rabanne Spring/Summer 2024 fashion show. What kind of relationship do you have with the world of fashion?
I’ve had one since I was little, I grew up in a fashion family, my aunt was a part-time master seamstress, she made clothes, and that was her passion. The whole basement was full of needles, thread, buttons, sewing machines, and fabric, and she would regularly have fashion shows in the basement, with the clothing that she had made. She would make clothing that looked like Chanel suits but were homemade, and they were beautiful. She had Burda magazines, an old-fashioned magazine with patterns for making your own clothes. My other aunt in Portugal is also a seamstress so she makes all the custom-made clothes for all the weddings in her parish and really perfected the art of doing that. We were always finding new clothes for church festivals, and prom, and as I got into my career, I think I was ready for that part because I grew up that way. My family grew up in a small town, where it really mattered what you wore in church, and we dressed differently in and outside of the house. My aunt wouldn't let me leave the house without ironing my pants to go to the bus, even if I was late. So I think clothing was a creative expression, even as a teenager.
Do you think it's a way for musicians to express themselves?
Yes! It can be a code! Especially as a new artist. In the beginning, I always had to wear my hoops, buns, baggy jeans, and sneakers, because I knew it was my way of sending a message to my fans. ‘Here I am, do you see me? This is me.’ And I would see the girls with the hoops, and it’s almost like it’s a language. This is who I am, this is what I love, this is my flavor.
What is the best advice you have been given in your career, that you would pass on?
I really think the best advice I was given was as a teenager. I was 18, living in a shared apartment with a bunch of exchange students, my landlady used to take me to karaoke places because she loved my voice, and she knew I made music, she sat me down and said: ‘You need to focus on your music, you have a talent, and you need to use it at its fullest because if you don’t follow your dreams, nobody is going to follow them for you. Only you can make this dream come true.’ It’s an attitude, it’s all about your attitude, just be sure to always look at things positively and with an open mind, but always remember your identity. It’s really important."
Translated by Nafiseh Soolari
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