Nelly Furtado
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MTV, Getty Images
Nelly's Evolution
Stadium shows. MTV videos. Star collabrations. Even a day in her honor: Meet Nelly Furtado, circa right now. But it wasn't too long ago that Furtado was just a talented teenager in Canada, with dreams of going to college and being a writer (good thing not all dreams come true!). Here's a look back at how she got 'loose' on the music scene -- and, of course, of why she turned down half a mil.
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Dave Hogan, Getty Images
Small-Town Girl
Nelly grew up in a small town in Canada with parents who had immigrated from Portugal. Growing up, she played every instrument she could get her hands on. In her teens, Nelly was writing music and performing at open mics. It was at one of these events that two producers saw her, convinced her to forget her whole college hangup and record with them in Toronto. After lots of convincing, she finally went.
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Dreamworks
Debut Darling
It's a good thing those producers persuaded her, because it was the recording she made with them that led her to her first record deal. Nelly Furtado's first album, 'Whoa, Nelly!', was released in 2000, and included the hit songs 'Turn Off the Light' and 'I'm Like a Bird.' Suddenly, with her unique mix of pop, hip-hop and folk, Nelly was on the musical map.
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Jeffrey Mayer, WireImage.com
Success Is Like a Bird
In 2002, 'Whoa, Nelly!' got four Grammy nominations, and her debut single won for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She had arrived, big-time. Like the beautiful, elusive girl next door, she appealed to people across stylistic boundaries, and was growing her audience through tours and radio airtime.
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Gabe Palacio / ImageDirect, Getty Images
Mama Nelly
As Nelly Furtado was enjoying international success, she had an addition to her life: a baby boy, who she named Nevis. As if Little Nevis couldn't have more musical talent already bred into him, his dad is DJ Jasper Gahunia, who had been a friend of Nelly's for years. The two of them were together until 2005.
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Geffen
'Folklore'
Soon after she became a mumsy, Furtado released 'Folklore' in 2003. The album was a little less pop, a little more folk (in case you couldn't guess), but didn't have the as much commercial success as her debut. One song on the album, though -- 'Forca,' which means 'strength' in Portuguese -- became the official anthem of the '04 European Football (Soccer) Championship. She performed the song at the finals in Lisbon.
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Andrew Einhorn for AOL Music
Not a 'One-Trick Pony'
Even as 'Folklore' didn't perform as well as 'Whoa Nelly' in sales, Nelly Furtado continued to be a force in the music scene, performing sets like this one for AOL Sessions. In the meantime, she also started to explore other creative avenues. Over the years, she had cameos in several TV shows, including 'One life to Live,' 'CSI:NY,' plus numerous appearances on the Portuguese soap opera 'Floribella.'
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Geffen
Getting 'Promiscuous?'
During this time, Furtado was hard at work on her next album, which wouldn't be released for more than three years since 'Folklore.' As she developed the new work, though, she was also developing a new style along with her sound. Shedding that girl-next-door look, the new Nelly was emerging as a sultry young woman. So sultry, in fact, that Playboy Magazine offered her $500k to pose nude. Ultimately, though, the down-to-earth giril won out -- and turned it down.
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Geffen
Nelly Loosens Up
In June 2006, Nelly Furtado dropped her latest album, 'Loose' -- and it was clear her transformation was complete. In a major departure from her older style, the album was a mix of pop, punk, hip-hop, R&B and dance music. One of the singles off that album -- 'Promiscuous' with Timbaland -- won Billboard's award for best pop single of the year.
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Evan Agostini, Getty Images
Nelly & Timbaland
Nelly's increasingly frequent collaborations with and production from Timbaland not only lent her songs a new hip-hoppy flavor, but it lent her new types of media exposure. A few months after the release of 'Loose,' the two of them performed together at a concert in New York that kicked off the city's annual Fashion Week.
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Ralph Orlowski, Getty Images
Nelly Day?
As she rolled into 2007, Nelly Furtado kicked off a tour, which included a performance on a German TV show. Back in Canada, though, she was greeted with accolades when she performed in her hometown. In honor of the visit, local leaders there proclaimed the first day of spring Nelly Furtado Day. We're still wondering what we would do on that holiday -- maybe start pursuing international fame?
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Jim Ross, Getty Images
Awardeater
Furtado's success in Canada didn't stop on her own holiday, though. A few weeks later, she was a performer at and host of the 2007 Juno Awards -- kind of like the Canadian Grammys. She won all five awards for which she was nominated, including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year. Wow. Maybe her tow should skip the measly one-day holiday and declare '07 'Nelly Furtado Year.'
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Scott Wintrow, Getty Images
Summer Stage
This summer, Nelly Furtado's on tour across the U.S. with her new look, sound and style. Already, she took NYC by storm, and is making her way across the nation. With so much success and such a huge following, we're waiting to see what she has for us next -- but still kind of tapping our feet to 'Promiscuous' while we wait.
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