Nelly Furtado FAULT Magazine Covershoot and Interview

Nelly Furtado X FAULT Magazine

Photographer / Creative Director / Producer: Raen Badua

Stylist: Luca Kingston | The Wall Group – @lucakingston @thewallgroup

Makeup: Mylah Morales using YSL Beauty | Six K Management –

Hair: Kelly Araujo

Digital & Lighting Tech: Miles Caliboso @mlmc.tmp

Style Assistant: Natalie Ceciliano

Makeup Assistant: Fran Gicaro

Studio: Go Inspire Studios

Studio Manager: Jonah Gozlan

Words: Miles Holder

It might be difficult to believe, but it has been over twenty years since Nelly Furtado first broke into the music scene. The reason this number may sound unbelievable is undoubtedly down to the fact that her early records still receive major radio play even after all these years. With new music on the horizon, we sat down with Nelly Furtado to discuss about her musical legacy, her upcoming music, and, of course, her FAULTs.

You’ve been in the industry for two decades. Do you often contemplate your musical legacy?

When it comes to my legacy, it has only started to connect in the last few years because of TikTok. One day, my daughter said, “Mom, your music is trending on TikTok.” I didn’t even have TikTok on my phone, and I didn’t know how to use it. We started making fun little videos on there. At the same time, I started going out and often hearing my music being played. I found out why the DJs were playing these old songs and discovered that people want to celebrate and have fun to my music. When I started in this business, people would say, “Oh, maybe I’m a one-hit wonder,” but 20 years have gone by and people still like my music.

And how do you stay inspired?

I’ve surrounded myself with so many creative people in the studio over the last year. I’ve taken a “the more, the merrier” approach and understood that you have to be open to staying excited and fresh. It’s all about staying creative, being out there, listening to music, and being in the mix. You can’t expect to just rest on your laurels and then one day saunter into the studio and make good music. I stay inspired by the company I keep with artists, songwriters, producers, and DJs I’ve met, and it has been amazing.

Do you think it has something to do with the fact that your songs have always been so empowering and uplifting?

I do believe in the collective unconscious, and I believe there’s something connecting all of us. Even when I did my indie album ‘The Ride’, I was hanging out with a lot of visual artists. I put together a sound art project with a photographer and friend at MOMA PS1 where I wrote songs with 300 strangers who don’t even write songs. People would come into the room with me, and I would just write stream of consciousness with all these people.

It felt like the music was coming through me, and I would get very overwhelmed with emotion. Even as a child, singing at my church with 300 people, I felt like I was helping people feel happy, come together, and have fun.

You have an upcoming collaboration with the DJ Dom Dolla. Could you speak about the background behind that collaboration?

I was in Portugal on vacation with my family when my manager reached out and said, “I know you’re busy recording an album, but would you want to do this New Year’s gig in Australia?” I went on iTunes and played some Dom Dolla stuff, and I immediately liked it. My A&R reached out to his team and asked if he had any beats for me.

When I got in the studio, producers usually send beats through Dropbox, but he sent a video, which nobody does. When I opened the folder, a video of Dom Dolla popped up, and he was like, “Hello legend” in his Australian accent (laughs). He said, “I hope you like these beats.” He had me at “legend”! I listened to the beats and I liked them, so we started communicating and trading song ideas.

After the show, we just started making music, and it’s been a process of reclaiming and re-understanding the roots of what I do. I started connecting the dots, asking myself why all these DJs were remixing “Give It to Me” and “Say It Right.” I realized and recognized that my voice just sounds so good over beats, and I shouldn’t run away from it.

Dom really taught me to go back to that truth of just feeling good and finding the soul in the music. In the EDM world, they’re not really concerned about creating a pop smash or anything like that. They’re just trying to capture a moment.

Will you be returning to any of your Spanish language songs or letting your Latin heritage influence your music going forward?

Always. I can’t help but write in Spanish and sometimes in Portuguese. I just love it so much. The second record you’ll hear is a Spanglish track because it just happened that way. I don’t really overthink it when I write in Spanish; it just naturally happens. I’ve been singing in Latin languages since I was a kid. I was singing on stage in Portuguese before I was singing in English. I even did a whole album in Spanish.

Will we hear further collaborations with other artists on the project?

One track is with Bomba Estéreo. I met Liliana from Bomba Estéreo on a trip to Colombia. We were sent to the jungle, meditated, went into the studio, and formed a friendship with another one of my artist friends. We’re all really good friends, all mothers, and I’ve relied quite heavily on those female friendships these last couple of years.

Our roles as mothers are important, but our roles as artists are important too. The chorus is like, “We lose control. That’s how we are. But it’s from the heart.”

I have so much music. I’ve recorded a hundred songs in the last 18 months, and I’m so excited to bring people new music.

Is it strange to have so many songs while the love for your older catalog continues to climb?

I literally just approved another remix today. People keep remixing and re-releasing my song “Give It to Me.” It’s like they keep renaming that song and putting it out again! But that’s rewarding too because I had a song come out a couple of years ago called “Big Hoops” by Rain Radio. It wasn’t big, but I always liked that song. It didn’t make a big splash when it came out, but then years later, amazing DJs remixed it, and it became a number one dance record in the UK and entered the top 40. That stuff is so rewarding when you make a song, and maybe not a lot of people notice it, but a decade later, it’s like, “Oh, we care about this.” It makes you realize that the sky’s the limit, you know?

What is your FAULT?

I just got diagnosed with ADHD in the last 18 months of my life. I believe I’ve had it my whole life, but playing instruments six days a week as a kid kept me in check. So now I’ve been using choreography and getting in the dance studio as a natural way of dealing with my ADHD. I find the discipline really helps my brain. The good news is I’m getting to know my brain really well. I love talking about it, so I’m hoping to share my experience with people and have conversations about it.

Do you feel any resentment with it being an adult diagnosis? Having to struggle all these years without realizing that it was ADHD, couldn’t have been easy?

I do have the inattentive type of ADHD, not the hyperactive kind. I’ve had it my whole life. I think it was probably a blessing that they didn’t know until now. Because I think I’m mature enough now to not be overly dramatic about it and just deal with it and find solutions rather than dwell on the emotional side of it.

_{Find casino without swedish licence}