She's been "Like a Bird," Folklore-ic and a "Promiscuous" girl to Timbaland's promiscuous beats. Yes, Nelly Furtado sure likes to keep us guessing. With album No. 4, she's upped the experimental ante, expanding her already-significant advances into the Latin world with the entirely Spanish-language Mi Plan, out today. The divine Ms. F is almost as famous for her diverse collaborations and influences as she is for her own musical promiscuity -- or, perhaps more accurately, the two are overlapping for this gregarious artist/music-lover. In other words, she has great taste. So we're super-excited that she put together a fabulous playlist of her current favorite songs, many of them by artists she duets with on Mi Plan. While in New York doing press for the release of the album, she sat down with Rhapsody to discuss what it was like to work with everyone from Latin alt-rocker Julieta Venegas to bachata king Juan Luis Guerra, as well as Mi Plan and her future plans (hint: you'll never guess who she wants to work with next!).
And, while you're at it, be sure to check out all of our celebrity playlists right here as well as listen to, collect and share all of your favorite high quality audio with your free trial Rhapsody membership.
So I saw you on the VMAs last night. You looked great, and it was super-cool that you did part of your presentation in Spanish.
Aw, thanks. Yeah, that was really fun. It was nice to be able to speak Spanish, you know, when appropriate.
So let's talk about your new album. I think to some people this move maybe seems kind of wild -- to go from an album that was so successful in mainstream pop markets to something that is still kind of a niche market, even though the Latin pop world is huge.
Yeah! I'm a very global girl, you know? I've been raised with a real cultural immersion. I grew up in Canada, speaking Portuguese as a kid and then learning Spanish at age 14, and then really always incorporating those multicultural elements into my music from the beginning. And, you know, I've also always dabbled in the Latin languages on each record. It's a shift of the focus, you know? Not having my album be 20 percent Latin, but 100 percent. And it was fun! I'm so excited. It's like being a new artist again -- a real, true reinvention. And I like to be different, you know? I like to move forward and meet new people and broaden my musical prospects. That's how I learn, that's how I grow in my career and as an artist. I can't tell you how exciting it is to reach new people at this point in my career. Really a lot of fun.
How do you think this album will appeal to all the fans of Loose? Or were you aiming more toward different audiences?
Yeah, you know, it's funny with my fans. I've always had a really diverse fan base from day one. I've had ages 8 through 60 years old like different things I've done over the years, whether it's my own stuff or different collaborations with everyone from Missy Elliott to Michael Buble. So I kind of have the faceless fan, you know? [Laughs] But I think overall my fans are music-lovers. And this is definitely an album for music-lovers, so ...
Do you think the charts are ever going to get integrated? People have been talking for years about how Spanish-language pop is going to be a big presence on the Top 40. Do you see your album as a step in that direction?
Uh, I don't know. I think those things kind of come in waves, and it's just half coincidence and half timing. I mean, who knows? We'll see. The language is definitely huge, obviously. I mean, it's almost an official second language, just like French is in Canada, you know? Doesn't mean everyone speaks it, but [big laugh] most people do.
So you mentioned a few of this range of artists you've collaborated with, and I know you collaborated with a lot of great new artists on Mi Plan. You also put tracks by a lot of those artists on this playlist you put together for us, so I wanted to ask you to tell us a little bit about some of them.
Julieta Venegas: "Eres Para Tu"
and
La Mala Rodriguez: "La Niña"
So you have a great collaboration with these two on the new album called "Baja Otra Luz." What was it like working with them? Were you all in the studio together?
Oh, of course! All of my collaborations were homemade right in the studio together. It was such a fun night! Julieta flew in from Mexico, and La Mala flew in from Spain, and I flew into Miami. And we had a blast. Julieta wrote the song -- for me! And she sent it to me. And I loved it. Because it's so rhythmic. She's got a like pop-alternative style. She's very rhythmic. We both treat our music like our babies! Like they're precious. And we both take a lot of time making records. We have a lot of things in common. And then we also invited La Mala Rodriguez, who is an amazing Spanish rapper, who -- her voice, she just has her own unique flow and cadence. She's very special. And it's kinda funny because the song is about, you know, when you fall in love or maybe when you meet somebody new and you feel like your whole life's under another light. You know, you're shining in a different way. But having three women singing it together in the way we do, like in a quite fun way, gives you the sense that you're actually witnessing a conversation between three girls at a coffee shop -- gossiping, talking about love, like that. It's very girly! It's amazing! I love it.
Concha Buika: "Nina de Fuego"
She's amazing. I discovered her on the internet. I read her name and an article, and then I Googled her and went to her to her MySpace and fell in love with all her stuff. It's beautiful. Her voice is classic. She's so powerful. I think she's gonna be one of the legends, up there with, you know, like Aretha Franklin. I think she's that good. I saw her live in Miami, and she had the whole theatre in tears with the power of her voice, her delivery, her ability to bring the character of a song to life through subtleties, facial expressions, obviously her vocal range, delivery. It was masterful. And she sang this song that night.
Juan Luis Guerra: "Que Me Des Tu Carino"
I do listen to some bachata. More of Juan Luis, just because I've actually just been introduced to bachata in the last couple years. I've been to the Dominican Republic a few times, and we have friends there who also love bachata. And we try to listen to like the local radio stations when we're there. It's just such a part of the fabric of the culture there. It's something else. And I would say Juan Luis Guerra is a staple, you know? He's a living legend. He popularized bachata music. And working with him was a learning experience. He's so poised and subtle and, you know, humble. Really keeps the focus on his music and his family, which is what I try to do. So it gave me inspiration for the future.
Mariza: "Rosa Branca"
Oh, Mariza! She's beautiful! She's carrying the torch of fado around the world. Every country I go to, I always meet somebody who's familiar and in love with Mariza's music. And that's great for fado, which is Portugal's national, signature style and most popular style of music. Our national musical format. She's brought it to a whole new audience and a whole new generation. I have a lot of respect for her. Her voice is just incredibly powerful. And it was no surprise to me when I learned that her and Concha [Buika] are actually really good friends! [laughs] They actually have a duet together. These are some of those legends out there that not everyone gets to hear about everyday, but they're actually so great when you discover them, you know?
It's great that you have all these artists on your album. You're gonna be introducing a lot of new people to them.
Thank you!
So who's your dream collaboration?
You know, it's funny, I saw him last night at the MTVs and I screamed like a little girl! I so want to work with Eminem! I didn't meet him -- he was far away, but he probably heard me yelling. But I really would like to work with him! You know what I look for in a collaboration? I look for a learning experience. And I think I would learn so much from watching him work in the studio -- the way he crafts his lyrics and rhymes, and a lot of the brilliance that goes into it. I think he's very unique. And I'm a vocalist, and I have a lot to learn! So that would be fun.
Thanks so much, Nelly! It was great to talk to you.
You're so welcome! Thanks for the interview. Take care!
Check out the rest of Nelly's playlist of picks and plans here, and see what she has to say about each track below:
Fritz Helder and the Phantoms: "Sex Robot"
Another one of of my faves from the album "greatest hits".
Feist: "1,2,3,4"
A good song for driving
Maxwell: "Pretty Wings"
Maxwell is a true artist that consistently delivers quality music, and classic songs.
Josh Groban: "February Song"
Josh has a very elegant yet strong style to his singing. This song has mystery and drama. I love it.
K'Naan: "Abc's"
K'naan is back with album # 2 and it's full of life.
Alejandro Sanz and Shakira: "Te Lo Agradezco Pero No"
These two sound great together. This song is so effortlessly amazing, and the harmonies are infectious.
Shakira: "No"
This song's lyrics break my heart in two.
Jennifer Lopez: "Toma De Mi"
I co-wrote this song with Julio Reyes. Jennifer recorded this for the El Cantante soundtrack. She sounds beautiful.
So I saw you on the VMAs last night. You looked great, and it was super-cool that you did part of your presentation in Spanish.
Aw, thanks. Yeah, that was really fun. It was nice to be able to speak Spanish, you know, when appropriate.
So let's talk about your new album. I think to some people this move maybe seems kind of wild -- to go from an album that was so successful in mainstream pop markets to something that is still kind of a niche market, even though the Latin pop world is huge.
Yeah! I'm a very global girl, you know? I've been raised with a real cultural immersion. I grew up in Canada, speaking Portuguese as a kid and then learning Spanish at age 14, and then really always incorporating those multicultural elements into my music from the beginning. And, you know, I've also always dabbled in the Latin languages on each record. It's a shift of the focus, you know? Not having my album be 20 percent Latin, but 100 percent. And it was fun! I'm so excited. It's like being a new artist again -- a real, true reinvention. And I like to be different, you know? I like to move forward and meet new people and broaden my musical prospects. That's how I learn, that's how I grow in my career and as an artist. I can't tell you how exciting it is to reach new people at this point in my career. Really a lot of fun.
How do you think this album will appeal to all the fans of Loose? Or were you aiming more toward different audiences?
Yeah, you know, it's funny with my fans. I've always had a really diverse fan base from day one. I've had ages 8 through 60 years old like different things I've done over the years, whether it's my own stuff or different collaborations with everyone from Missy Elliott to Michael Buble. So I kind of have the faceless fan, you know? [Laughs] But I think overall my fans are music-lovers. And this is definitely an album for music-lovers, so ...
Do you think the charts are ever going to get integrated? People have been talking for years about how Spanish-language pop is going to be a big presence on the Top 40. Do you see your album as a step in that direction?Uh, I don't know. I think those things kind of come in waves, and it's just half coincidence and half timing. I mean, who knows? We'll see. The language is definitely huge, obviously. I mean, it's almost an official second language, just like French is in Canada, you know? Doesn't mean everyone speaks it, but [big laugh] most people do.
So you mentioned a few of this range of artists you've collaborated with, and I know you collaborated with a lot of great new artists on Mi Plan. You also put tracks by a lot of those artists on this playlist you put together for us, so I wanted to ask you to tell us a little bit about some of them.
Julieta Venegas: "Eres Para Tu"and
La Mala Rodriguez: "La Niña"So you have a great collaboration with these two on the new album called "Baja Otra Luz." What was it like working with them? Were you all in the studio together?
Oh, of course! All of my collaborations were homemade right in the studio together. It was such a fun night! Julieta flew in from Mexico, and La Mala flew in from Spain, and I flew into Miami. And we had a blast. Julieta wrote the song -- for me! And she sent it to me. And I loved it. Because it's so rhythmic. She's got a like pop-alternative style. She's very rhythmic. We both treat our music like our babies! Like they're precious. And we both take a lot of time making records. We have a lot of things in common. And then we also invited La Mala Rodriguez, who is an amazing Spanish rapper, who -- her voice, she just has her own unique flow and cadence. She's very special. And it's kinda funny because the song is about, you know, when you fall in love or maybe when you meet somebody new and you feel like your whole life's under another light. You know, you're shining in a different way. But having three women singing it together in the way we do, like in a quite fun way, gives you the sense that you're actually witnessing a conversation between three girls at a coffee shop -- gossiping, talking about love, like that. It's very girly! It's amazing! I love it.
Concha Buika: "Nina de Fuego"She's amazing. I discovered her on the internet. I read her name and an article, and then I Googled her and went to her to her MySpace and fell in love with all her stuff. It's beautiful. Her voice is classic. She's so powerful. I think she's gonna be one of the legends, up there with, you know, like Aretha Franklin. I think she's that good. I saw her live in Miami, and she had the whole theatre in tears with the power of her voice, her delivery, her ability to bring the character of a song to life through subtleties, facial expressions, obviously her vocal range, delivery. It was masterful. And she sang this song that night.
Juan Luis Guerra: "Que Me Des Tu Carino"I do listen to some bachata. More of Juan Luis, just because I've actually just been introduced to bachata in the last couple years. I've been to the Dominican Republic a few times, and we have friends there who also love bachata. And we try to listen to like the local radio stations when we're there. It's just such a part of the fabric of the culture there. It's something else. And I would say Juan Luis Guerra is a staple, you know? He's a living legend. He popularized bachata music. And working with him was a learning experience. He's so poised and subtle and, you know, humble. Really keeps the focus on his music and his family, which is what I try to do. So it gave me inspiration for the future.
Mariza: "Rosa Branca"Oh, Mariza! She's beautiful! She's carrying the torch of fado around the world. Every country I go to, I always meet somebody who's familiar and in love with Mariza's music. And that's great for fado, which is Portugal's national, signature style and most popular style of music. Our national musical format. She's brought it to a whole new audience and a whole new generation. I have a lot of respect for her. Her voice is just incredibly powerful. And it was no surprise to me when I learned that her and Concha [Buika] are actually really good friends! [laughs] They actually have a duet together. These are some of those legends out there that not everyone gets to hear about everyday, but they're actually so great when you discover them, you know?
It's great that you have all these artists on your album. You're gonna be introducing a lot of new people to them.
Thank you!
So who's your dream collaboration?
You know, it's funny, I saw him last night at the MTVs and I screamed like a little girl! I so want to work with Eminem! I didn't meet him -- he was far away, but he probably heard me yelling. But I really would like to work with him! You know what I look for in a collaboration? I look for a learning experience. And I think I would learn so much from watching him work in the studio -- the way he crafts his lyrics and rhymes, and a lot of the brilliance that goes into it. I think he's very unique. And I'm a vocalist, and I have a lot to learn! So that would be fun.
Thanks so much, Nelly! It was great to talk to you.
You're so welcome! Thanks for the interview. Take care!
Check out the rest of Nelly's playlist of picks and plans here, and see what she has to say about each track below:
Fritz Helder and the Phantoms: "Sex Robot"
Another one of of my faves from the album "greatest hits".
Feist: "1,2,3,4"
A good song for driving
Maxwell: "Pretty Wings"
Maxwell is a true artist that consistently delivers quality music, and classic songs.
Josh Groban: "February Song"
Josh has a very elegant yet strong style to his singing. This song has mystery and drama. I love it.
K'Naan: "Abc's"
K'naan is back with album # 2 and it's full of life.
Alejandro Sanz and Shakira: "Te Lo Agradezco Pero No"
These two sound great together. This song is so effortlessly amazing, and the harmonies are infectious.
Shakira: "No"
This song's lyrics break my heart in two.
Jennifer Lopez: "Toma De Mi"
I co-wrote this song with Julio Reyes. Jennifer recorded this for the El Cantante soundtrack. She sounds beautiful.
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