In 2000, Nelly Furtado would release her debut album, 'Whoa, Nelly!' and become one of the most promising artists in the music industry, selling millions of records and spawning endless hits on the Billboard Hot 100 with I'm Like A Bird and Turn Off The Light. No wonder Dua Lipa considers this one of her favorite albums of all time. By 2006, Nelly's career had exploded when she teamed up with music producer Timbaland for one of the best-selling albums of the year, Loose, which, to date, has sold well over 12 million copies.
Clearly, things were looking tremendously well for Nelly, who amassed millions in album sales, she gained chart success across the globe, and her net worth was quickly rising. But as crazy as it sounds, Nelly was extremely unhappy with her life because she simply didn't have time to be anything but a pop star. The singer later opened up about her decision to take a break from music following the release of her Spanish album, Mi Plan, in 2009, stressing that all she wanted was to spend time with her family for a while.
She later returned with her fifth studio album, The Spirit Indestructible, before taking another five years before dropping her sixth record, The Ride, which sold less than 2,000 copies following its release in the United States. It has been three years and Ms. Furtado has kept a very low profile, with no social media updates and no music. So, what exactly went wrong with Nelly's career and what has she been up to since stepping away from the limelight?
12 She Rose To Fame Incredibly Fast
Unlike some artists who don’t see success in music until their second or third studio album, Nelly Furtado’s music career was in full swing following the release of her 2000 debut album, ‘Whoa, Nelly!’ The project was recorded in 12 months, sold a whopping 5-6 million copies, and spawned four singles, including her breakout song, ‘I’m Like A Bird.’
11 She Was One Of The Biggest Stars Of The ‘00s
Following the success of her debut album, Nelly went on to release her follow-up, ‘Folklore’ three years later. Furtado at this point had captured the attention of pop fans all over the world as she sold another 3 million copies with her sophomore, which included the single, ‘Powerless (Say What You Want).’
10 ‘Loose’ Was Her Most Successful Album
By 2006, Nelly had joined Interscope Records, where she would team up with friend and music producer Timbaland for the biggest album of her career, ‘Loose.’ The Canadian singer’s success went through the roof, having lifted EIGHT singles from the record, which sold an impressive 12 million copies, making it the fifth best selling female album of the ’00s.
9 She Released Her Last Album In 2017
By 2017, Nelly had released another two albums - ‘Mi Plan’ and 2012’s ‘The Spirit Indestructible - before dropping her sixth studio album, ‘The Ride.’ The five-year break appeared to have drastically affected her star power as the record was only able to sell a disappointing 1,800 copies in the US, placing it at No. 153 on the charts at the time.
8 She’s Decided To Spend More Time With Family
Being one of the biggest stars in the world, having a demanding schedule that includes traveling for months on end had Nelly question whether her day-to-day routine was worth the absence of not being able to spend more time with her daughter, Nevis Gahunia. When she did finally take a much-needed break, she realized that what she wanted all along was to simply focus her attention on motherhood.
7 She Became Exhausted From Touring
The constant touring made Nelly feel drained from the grueling working hours. In 2017, she told The Mail on Sunday that stepping away from being on the road and finding some stability in her life allowed her to reestablish the things that mattered the most.
"I had a nervous breakdown on stage. I was on the Loose tour and my daughter was with me - I was being a mum and a singer on the road. And I realized that being at home and having the whole family experience was what I was seeking."
6 She Tried Acting
Recent years have brought along a sudden interest for Nelly Furtado to give acting a try. In 2015, two years before the release of her last album, ‘The Ride,’ the mother-of-one starred as Nelia in the comedy-romance flick, ‘A Date with Miss Fortune.’ It was her first acting role since taking on the role of Claudette in 2010’s ‘Score: A Hockey Musical.’
5 She’s Still Friends With Timbaland
Ever since working together on Nelly’s ‘Loose’ album in 2006, Timbaland and Furtado have remained in close contact with one another. Given how well they collaborated in the studio, it isn’t all that shocking to know that Timbaland and Nelly are still pals to this day. In fact, in 2017 the famous producer surprised contestants on Lifetime’s ‘The Pop Game’ with a mentoring session from Nelly.
4 She Continues To Record Music At Home
While Nelly hasn’t released a full body of work in three years, that doesn’t mean she isn’t recording music anymore. It’s believed she has a studio at her home and is constantly penning new songs with producers, but given that she’s now an independent artist, she has the freedom of putting out songs when she’s ready. Perhaps she hasn’t felt inspired enough to drop another album just yet, but she’s definitely still making music.
3 She's Involved In Philanthropic Work
While Nelly Furtado has also had a helping hand in several charities throughout her career, one of her longest partnerships is with the Canadian non-profit organization Artists Against Racism. In 2011, she even donated $1 million to Free The Children programs supporting the need for help for girls in Kenya and the Middle East.
2 She Doesn’t See Herself Going Mainstream Again
For her last album, ‘The Ride,’ Nelly decided to go independent because she feels strongly about owning the master recordings of her songs. Therefore, Furtado would probably steer away from ever signing a major record deal again. She told Forbes: “Becoming independent and owning this new record has been very pivotal for me because I'm able to own everything that I sing.”
1 She’s Still Worth Millions
Given that Nelly Furtado holds songwriting and production credits on some of her biggest hits in her career, trust and believe that she isn’t going broke anytime soon. Her net worth remains at an impressive $35 million, and it’s fair to assume that a great chunk of that sum came from her platinum-selling albums.