Nelly Furtado and her personal life

Nelly Furtado was named after Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Raised in a Roman Catholic home, Nelly Furtado first sang at the age of four when she performed a duet with her mother at a church on Portugal Day. Although remaining unclear about her religious beliefs, she still affirms a belief in God, the Ten Commandments, and in avoiding the Seven Sins. She began playing instruments at the age of nine, learning the trombone, ukulele and, in later years, the guitar and keyboard. At the age of twelve, she began writing songs, and as a teenager, she performed in a Portuguese marching band. Nelly Furtado has acknowledged her family as the source of her strong work ethic; she spent eight summers working as a chambermaid with her mother, who was a housekeeper in Victoria. She has stated that coming from a working class background has shaped her identity in a positive way.

The first musicians Nelly Furtado interacted with were underground rappers and DJs. During a visit to Toronto the summer after eleventh grade, Nelly Furtado met Tallis Newkirk, member of the hip hop group Plains of Fascination. She contributed vocals to their 1996 album, Join the Ranks, on the track "Waitin' 4 the Streets". After graduating from Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996, she moved to Toronto. The following year, she formed Nelstar, a trip hop duo with Newkirk. Ultimately, Nelly Furtado felt the trip-hop style of the duo was "too segregated" and believed it did not represent her personality or allow her to showcase her vocal ability. She left the group and planned to move back home.

Before moving, however, she performed at the 1997 Honey Jam, an "all-female urban" talent show. Her performance attracted the attention of The Philosopher Kings singer Gerald Eaton (aka Jarvis Church), who then approached her to write with him. He and fellow Kings member Brian West helped Nelly Furtado produce a demo. She left Toronto, but returned again to record more material with Eaton and West. The material recorded during these sessions led to her 1999 record deal with DreamWorks Records. Nelly Furtado's first single, "Party's Just Begun (Again)", was released that year on the Brokedown Palace: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.

On September 20, 2003 in Toronto, Nelly Furtado gave birth to a daughter, Nevis, whose father is DJ Jasper Gahunia. Nelly Furtado and Gahunia, who had been good friends for several years, remained together for four years until their breakup in 2005. Nelly Furtado told Blender magazine that they continue to be good friends and jointly share responsibility of raising Nevis. Nevis is ethnically a quarter Filipino, a quarter Asian Indian, and half Portuguese.

In June 2006, in an interview with Genre magazine, when asked if she had "ever felt an attraction to women", Nelly Furtado replied "Absolutely. Women are beautiful and sexy." Some considered this an announcement of bisexuality, but in August 2006, she confirmed that she was "straight, but very open-minded". In November 2006, Nelly Furtado revealed that she once turned down US$500,000 to pose nude in Playboy.

In July 2007, it was reported that Nelly Furtado is engaged to Cuban sound engineer, Demacio "Demo" Castellon, who worked with her on Loose.



	Nelly Furtado and her personal life Nelly Furtado was named after Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Raised in a Roman Catholic home, Nelly Furtado first sang at the age of four when she performed a duet with her mother at a church on Portugal Day. Although remaining unclear about her religious beliefs, she still affirms a belief in God, the Ten Commandments, and in avoiding the Seven Sins. She began playing instruments at the age of nine, learning the trombone, ukulele and, in later years, the guitar and keyboard. At the age of twelve, she began writing songs, and as a teenager, she performed in a Portuguese marching band. Nelly Furtado has acknowledged her family as the source of her strong work ethic; she spent eight summers working as a chambermaid with her mother, who was a housekeeper in Victoria. She has stated that coming from a working class background has shaped her identity in a positive way. The first musicians Nelly Furtado interacted with were underground rappers and DJs. During a visit to Toronto the summer after eleventh grade, Nelly Furtado met Tallis Newkirk, member of the hip hop group Plains of Fascination. She contributed vocals to their 1996 album, Join the Ranks, on the track "Waitin' 4 the Streets". After graduating from Mount Douglas Secondary School in 1996, she moved to Toronto. The following year, she formed Nelstar, a trip hop duo with Newkirk. Ultimately, Nelly Furtado felt the trip-hop style of the duo was "too segregated" and believed it did not represent her personality or allow her to showcase her vocal ability. She left the group and planned to move back home. Before moving, however, she performed at the 1997 Honey Jam, an "all-female urban" talent show. Her performance attracted the attention of The Philosopher Kings singer Gerald Eaton (aka Jarvis Church), who then approached her to write with him. He and fellow Kings member Brian West helped Nelly Furtado produce a demo. She left Toronto, but returned again to record more material with Eaton and West. The material recorded during these sessions led to her 1999 record deal with DreamWorks Records. Nelly Furtado's first single, "Party's Just Begun (Again)", was released that year on the Brokedown Palace: Music from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. On September 20, 2003 in Toronto, Nelly Furtado gave birth to a daughter, Nevis, whose father is DJ Jasper Gahunia. Nelly Furtado and Gahunia, who had been good friends for several years, remained together for four years until their breakup in 2005. Nelly Furtado told Blender magazine that they continue to be good friends and jointly share responsibility of raising Nevis. Nevis is ethnically a quarter Filipino, a quarter Asian Indian, and half Portuguese. In June 2006, in an interview with Genre magazine, when asked if she had "ever felt an attraction to women", Nelly Furtado replied "Absolutely. Women are beautiful and sexy." Some considered this an announcement of bisexuality, but in August 2006, she confirmed that she was "straight, but very open-minded". In November 2006, Nelly Furtado revealed that she once turned down US$500,000 to pose nude in Playboy. In July 2007, it was reported that Nelly Furtado is engaged to Cuban sound engineer, Demacio "Demo" Castellon, who worked with her on Loose.