It's been seven years since Nelly Furtado released a new album, and she's marking her comeback with '7.' The renowned singer, known for delivering hit after hit, opens up about her experiences recording ‘7,’ including having her daughter watch the process. She also discusses the resurgence of her classic hits on TikTok, Kamala Harris using "Maneater," seeing Taylor Swift at The Eras Tour, her upcoming tour, and more!
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00:00I'm really grateful, you know, like I never thought I would be making new generations of
00:04fans at this point in my career. It's definitely like regular sort of like pinch myself moments.
00:11Hi, I'm Nelly Furtado and this is Billboard News.
00:17Hey, what's up? I'm Lindsay Havens for Billboard News and we are here with the icon,
00:21the legend, Nelly Furtado. Thank you so much for coming in.
00:24Hi, thanks. Thanks for having me.
00:26We are such big fans of yours and congratulations. You have an incredible new album,
00:30Seven. It has been a minute since your last album. I believe it was 2017. So tell me about
00:36how you knew that this was the time to come back and why you wanted to release an album now.
00:40It just felt like the right time. I had taken some time to just live and go through a lot of
00:45personal things and so I had a lot to write about, A, and then B, I felt really called back to the
00:50industry. I started hearing a lot of my music on social media, especially TikTok. A lot of
00:57different DJs started remixing a lot of my old materials. I did really feel authentically that
01:03it was time to make some new music and some new vocals for everyone to remix. The music on this
01:09album is really informed by like me going out, playing shows, reconnecting with audiences,
01:15brand new audiences as well. Kind of really reflecting that in the sound of the album,
01:19just kind of, I feel like I gained like a solid understanding of why people like my music and
01:25particular music that they love and why. And I kind of really did keep that top of mind when I
01:30was recording this new album. It makes sense that you said you're kind of going out and having fun
01:34and living life because I get that in the production and the beats of this music, but then
01:38the songwriting goes so deep into everything else that you were experiencing. Oh yeah, yeah. How do
01:43you so perfectly strike that balance and what was the songwriting process like this time around?
01:47I think I'll always be an emotional writer because I really think it's my roots. Like,
01:52I'm Portuguese. I was born in Canada, but my parents are from the Azores Islands and there's
01:57a style of music called Canções de Zofio, which is a style of fado and fado is like the most
02:02melancholic. I'll call it sad. It's not quite, it's like, it perfectly captures a sense of longing.
02:09It's a word called saudade in Portuguese. Saudade is alive and well in my soul, so I think no matter
02:15if I'm making a dance record or a pop record, there's always going to be like this little
02:20heartstring emotion to it when I write. I think it's in my voice, you know? It's in my melodies
02:25that I choose. It's like melancholy, right? But then because I love hip-hop so much and I love
02:30dance music so much and I grew up on it and I grew up obsessed like figuring out like what's
02:34a sample and like what's this and like making trip-hop and different types of music, I think
02:39it's always going to be about that fusion for me.
02:48Do you feel like we've seen you through so many evolutions of your career? That's one of the
02:51things you do best. What side of Nelly Furtado are we getting with this album?
02:56You're getting every side, to be completely honest. I know it sounds like a cliche, but you
03:00are getting every side of me on this album. I can actually say that with like a clean heart because
03:05I did clean out my heart on this album. It's like I went to the studio and got out of like a lot of
03:10garbage and like a lot of layers of like emotional garbage, but then I had to sift through it like
03:15kind of like, you know, you have to sift the flour before you use it or like whatever you're doing,
03:19you know? I was just in there just working through my emotions. I cried a lot in the studio.
03:24I cried a lot. The first day in the studio, I hadn't even set foot in a studio in like three
03:29years and I thought I was gonna die. I thought I was gonna have a heart attack. So yeah, so the
03:33album has like a lot of deep emotion, but it's never like, it's not that, it's not sad, I don't
03:40think, is it? No, I had a good time listening to this album, which in a way I'm like, is that bad?
03:45No, it's good, it's good. Because you are going there, you know? I understand the emotion behind
03:50it, but I'm also like, why am I enjoying this? Okay, good, good. Okay, that's good. Again,
03:55you have to squeeze it out. It's the whole lemonade, lemons. Crying in the club vibes,
04:00you know? It's crying in the club, it's making lemonade out of lemons. It's like,
04:04yeah, I went through some serious heartbreak right before I wrote this album. So I think
04:08nothing will humble you and set you back to square one like heartbreak. So I think I just
04:15came in like so, like I was like almost broken that I quickly made the studio my party. I was
04:20like, oh, okay, I'm spending every Friday night here as like this sort of cathartic exercise.
04:26And then I started inviting friends, and then it started getting later and later,
04:30and then that became like really like my social life, like at the studio. That's great. And I
04:36was wondering when anybody would notice that I was actually just kind of, that was my weekend.
04:42If you can balance work and fun in one, that's it. Yeah. Your oldest daughter was also involved
04:46in this process. Yes. What was that experience like, given especially how, you know, vulnerable
04:50and emotional parts of this was? Oh, that is such a good question. I was like, oh, but I just went
04:56with it. I knew it was like coming from a good place with good intentions. I always felt like it
05:00was like a healthy thing because she was learning about music. Yeah. So she was in there just kind
05:04of really having fun too and discovering her passion music. And now she's gone off to work
05:09in the music business. And that's awesome. The whole thing. It was really cool because it was
05:13like me rediscovering my passion and her discovering her passion for being in the
05:17studio. And then we started to have so much fun in there. That was the other draw. I was like,
05:20oh, I get to spend quality time with my teenager. And then we started traveling and doing it,
05:24meeting all these writers. And she started her own artistic relationships with other people.
05:28It just was flowing. And I just felt like the luckiest mom in the world. And then also,
05:33yeah, being vulnerable was actually ended up being a good thing because I think I can be a little bit
05:38like the show musculine and life is perfect. And I don't like divulge a lot all the time.
05:43My boundaries are really strong, I think as a parent, but the studio was like a safe space
05:48to kind of let a little, like a little bit of reality in. Yeah. What I mean? And just kind of
05:53like life is also hard. You know, it's not always perfect. Yeah. I think as a kid, that's so
05:58important to see. I think so, too. And I think it was healthy for her to watch that process of like,
06:02wow. And then for her to watch me all of a sudden be on stage again, like this whole process to just
06:06be like, whoa, that's my kick ass right on, mom. You're doing a good job. And then and then you
06:11want to you want to set a good example for your kids. So there were nights where I was tired and
06:15I wanted to go home, but the song wasn't done. But I saw her watching me in the corner and I was like,
06:20OK, I'm going to stick it out. I'm going to do this. Yeah.
06:30You just saw the Eras tour. One more song.
06:46What was the best part of that concert?
06:48It was really special watching Taylor at Eras in our like lovely area that, you know,
06:55we got to watch the show from and just meeting fans. And I got a bunch of bracelets from people.
07:03I just admire her so much, you know, and I'm really grateful. I'm really grateful for what
07:09she's done for the music industry. Did you notice being at a show like that,
07:14the younger generation of fans coming up to you being like this song from however long
07:18ago is my favorite ever? Yeah. And one of them was like, oh, I can't wait for Seven to come out,
07:24you know? And I was like, wow, really? That's crazy. It just was touching. I think I almost
07:28cried. I was like, I'm very sentimental these days. I just like I'm really grateful, you know,
07:35like I never thought I would be making new generations of fans at this point in my career.
07:40It's definitely like regular sort of like pinch myself moments. The kids at my shows that weren't
07:46alive when the albums came out, literally. Right. So I'm kind of doing the math like,
07:52wow, you're here. This is amazing, but also very surreal. And then you obviously still touch the
07:57fans that were there from the beginning, like expanding so many generations right now. Yeah.
08:02I think your oldest daughter is also the one to kind of point out that a lot of your songs
08:05are retaking off on TikTok. What was that conversation like when she did you sit down
08:10and actually go through them? Yeah. So I think that was like four years ago. So about four
08:15years ago, like right before I started making this album, my daughter was like not even like
08:19maybe 17 or 16 at the time. And she was like, oh, mom, your songs are trending on TikTok.
08:24And at the time, I was really unfamiliar with TikTok. I didn't even have the app. I'd never
08:27been on it. And she kind of showed me how it worked. And then I think I did like a joke TikTok
08:34like with her. Right. Like an intro. To the trending sound. I think it was like promiscuous
08:40or something. Then I tried it one day and I was like, this is fun. And I kind of got hooked,
08:48to be honest. It's a good outlet for me. It really works with like my personality style
08:52and like the way I think and my creativity. It works really well. Yeah. Just like these short
08:56form ideas constantly flowing. Yeah. There's no rules. Yeah. You can be really creative on there.
09:02Yeah. The sky's the limit on TikTok, I think. We were all talking about right now,
09:05Man Eater with Kamala Harris is all over TikTok. What the hell? I know.
09:15What's it like when you see a song soundtracking a huge moment in culture right now and in history?
09:20Honestly, it's really amazing. I just used that sound with Tube Girl like in London like a week
09:26ago. And she's like, here it is. She's explaining it, the whole, the tea. And I'm like, okay,
09:30so we did this TikTok in the tube in London, in Brixton. That was like a week ago. And then now
09:35in the car, it was like, wait, I was like, what? Oh my God. She used it as well. Kamala used it.
09:40And then I looked at it and I was like, whoa, this is crazy. Yeah. Honestly, it's that Man Eater
09:45energy. When I recorded Man Eater, it was so specific at the time. I just wanted to give it
09:53that female sort of swag and empowerment and kind of energy and kind of like try to express that.
10:07Hearing you mention Tube Girl and talking about the TikTok of it all, do you feel like the
10:11industry is in a more fun place? Like, are you having more fun than ever making music and being
10:16in this industry? I love the music business right now because you can make up your own narratives.
10:21And if you're bored of the narrative, you can change it tomorrow. I was just kidding. Today,
10:28I'm something else. I love the immediacy of it all. I think it's so fun because you're not like,
10:33you don't have to like be married to any one idea, you know what I mean? And you can just
10:37keep making music. You know, you can just keep going. Like the other day I threw up,
10:42I had this Tate McRae, these bars I did over the the greedy beat.
10:55And I'm like, I'm just gonna throw this up because like that's my vibe. It's like I don't
10:59like hang on to stuff. I just kind of like share it. That's important to express because I just
11:04think it shows a bit more of like my personality. She said that you were such an inspiration for her
11:10on her second album. Yeah, Ryan Tedder was posting your music and she reached out being like, I've
11:15also been listening to a lot of Nelly right now. Have you two ever met or crossed paths? We have
11:19not. I have not met Tate in person yet. I have met Ryan in passing because he also was a close
11:25collaborator of Timbaland's. But like obviously that's like, would love to make music with either
11:29of them for sure. Yeah, totally. So talented and like we're so proud of Tate, of course, I'm
11:33Canadian. You've mentioned the shows that you've been doing and I'm curious if there will be a
11:37tour involved once this album comes out. Yeah, we have a lot of stuff planned. We have a lot of
11:43cool stuff planned. I'm back out on the road and I'll say I will continue to be on the road and I'm
11:48so excited and like really pumped to see some fans that I haven't seen for a long time. People,
11:54like I keep saying, of all ages will be showing up. It'll be a hot ticket. The show I put together
11:58for all the festivals over the last couple years has been definitely like almost like my mini Vegas
12:02review. Kind of like putting together a best of for fans new and old. People who, you know, I'm
12:08bringing in or want to bring in to the mix might be there. So for my show and that I'm going to
12:15put together for Seven is the same thread, you know, finding a way to kind of like really
12:22honor all the sides and all the pieces and all the different phases and seasons, I would say.
12:27At some point in the future, would a proper Vegas residency appeal to you?
12:31It's so funny because I've been chatting about that a little bit because I love when people do
12:37entire albums, so I think it'd be cool to do the entire Loose album. Maybe just like one and done.
12:43Maybe we just do it once, but like maybe it's online. I have no idea, but like I feel like
12:47Loose beginning to end would be a vibe. It would be. And bring some other special guests. It would
12:52be everybody's best night of their lives. That'd be cool. Yeah, I love it. Kind of giving like
12:56bachelorette or something. I don't know. It's giving everything. It could be everything.
13:00That album is for everyone in every mood. That's true, yeah. Yeah. What's your ideal
13:04celebration on release night for this album? Oh, uh, I honestly probably would just bring together
13:10a lot of collaborators and like my favorite DJs and friends and like if everybody could be in one
13:15place. The community is growing, you know, just like collaborators and friends and musicians and
13:20obviously fans. I'd love for fans to be a part of that. I'm hoping to do some really
13:25fun things with fans as well around the launch of the album. A lot of vinyl coming out. We have
13:29vinyl coming out and Woh Nelly's being reissued on vinyl, which is really, really exciting for me
13:35because that album was inspired by a lot of vinyl and me shopping in vinyl stores for old world
13:42music and Brazilian music. I'm excited about the full circle sort of moment, I think, of putting
13:47out another album. It is pretty amazing to be able to be promoting a brand new album and at the
13:52same time sort of experience all of your old music again anew. Like everything's kind of rising at
13:58the same time. I know. Isn't it weird? It's for fans. We love it. It's as good as it can get.
14:04Yeah, it's cool. It's very full circle. Yeah. A lot of like full circle moments lately. Yeah. I
14:09would say. Which have been really, really, um, just like humbling to be honest. It's super humbling
14:14and like, I'm just grateful.
14:21Now that you are back in the studio, you got back in, has it been hard to get out? Like,
14:25are you just kind of overflowing with ideas for even what comes after Seven? Yeah, I'm already
14:29making a lot of new music. So I've been making music this whole time. I have a lot of collaborations
14:35in the pipeline. Just kind of like, I don't know, I've been getting so many cool tracks from so many
14:41artists that want to work with me. A lot of them are like super young and super exciting. So it's
14:46like really cool. Like I'm just excited. It is hard to catch up and keep up with them all. I'm
14:53sure. But, um, but I'm going to do it slowly. Chip away. Chip away. Yeah. Yeah. One of my
14:59favorite songs. And if not, I'll put it on TikTok. Like the take me for a remix. Yeah,
15:03exactly. I'll just drop some bars on TikTok. You have so many outlets now. Like you said,
15:08you know, it's, it's fun. It's spontaneous. You can sort of choose your own path. Yeah. Um,
15:14one of my favorite songs on Seven is Better Than Ever. Oh my God. It's a gorgeous song.
15:19An idea. You want to tease to us? Oh no, I just think I need every single language
15:24subtitled on Better Than Ever. I want that on my YouTube channel. For my visualizer,
15:29it needs to have every language in the whole world in subtitles. So that's how many languages
15:35are we thinking? Ooh. Because I want everyone in the world to understand every single lyric.
15:41The song is that important. It really is. I think that's why it's one of my favorites.
15:46Thank you. But I'm so curious at this point in your life, in your career,
15:50what is making you feel better than ever? Oh, so I cried a lot making that song. Let me say.
15:55And at different points, even when it was finished. So what, what's making me feel better than ever?
16:00Oh my God. Just like loving myself. Yeah. Period. Period. That's what we're getting.
16:09Like you poured all that love. You purged and then you poured that love into this album and
16:13you're giving it to us. And then to end on a little more fun one. Um, given how much we've
16:19talked about women dominating right now and your entire track record in this industry,
16:22I think either your first or an early show of yours was at Lilith Fair. If you could recreate
16:28a lineup for that festival today, who would your headliners be?
16:32Okay. We'd warm it up with like Bambi DJ set, Wonder Girl DJ set. And then,
16:38oh, could we bring one boy? Dom Dollaz got the feminine energy.
16:42Could make an exception. He's allowed. Dom Dollaz, he can come.
16:45So just do a little quick, Hey, representing for the dudes. And then, and then we're going to have,
16:52oh, my Lilith. I need Tynomi Banks to open. We need some Brooklyn Heights. We need some
16:59Legally Venus. We need Venus. We need Queen Kong. Then we need, oh my God. Queen Kong's friends.
17:04Paris needs to choreograph the whole thing. And then we're going to do like Charlotte
17:08J. Wilson with some piano. We're going to bring B. Abba Doobie in there. Lido Pimiento with the
17:13Colombian heat. We're going to bring Bomba Estereo. We're going to bring Empress Of. We're
17:19going to bring, oh, Tate McRae. Come crush it with the pop genius. Then we're going to bring,
17:26uh, we need Shy Girl there. Agree. Nemesis. Oh my God. I need my friend Mustafa to come do
17:32some poetry. It's going to be lit. It's going to be too long. It's going to be 10 hours.
17:35And then you headline. It's perfect. Honestly, if you ever have spare time in your life,
17:42Concert Booker. That's a good lineup right there.
17:44Right? And I was just riffing.
17:46Seriously, I can't thank you enough for coming by. This album is stunning.
17:49We're so excited that it's coming out so soon. Honestly, congratulations on your career.
17:53You so deserve the moment that you're having right now.
17:56Thank you. I was like, thanks for coming to my concert when you were...
17:59Her first concert was my concert. Isn't that crazy?
18:0213 in the front row. And I have all the digital camera photos to prove it.
18:05On the Loose Tour? What city? Chicago?
18:07Chicago. Yeah.
18:08What? Was it good?
18:10Unbelievable. Like I went home with my dad being like, I can't see live music ever again.
18:15It was that good.
18:16Whoa.
18:16And I still remember it too, obviously.
18:18Do you like when I come out with the guitar at the end? Do you remember that part?
18:21I don't remember that part.
18:21It's a man eater.
18:22I remember all the outfit changes.
18:25I had a different brain back then.
18:27Yeah, I get it. I get it. I get it. That makes sense.
18:30Well, thank you again so much for coming by today.
18:33Thanks for having me.