Nelly Furtado pulled off one of the more surprising and commercially successful makeovers last year when she morphed from a world-pop ingenue to a glammed-up club queen. She had a little help from her friend Timbaland, a producer whose ingenious beats have been known to anoint a hit single or two. The pair’s collaboration resulted in “Loose,” an eclectic collection of dance tracks and chill-out tunes that’s gone gold or platinum in 28 countries.
“I do know that Timbaland and I have chemistry and our songs have a simplicity to them, an innocence, and humans relate. I think we all like to dance in front of the mirror in our underwear,” Furtado says.
Furtado wasn’t in much of a dancing mood when she released “Folklore” in 2004. It was a somber singer-songwriter album, and in many ways a disappointing follow-up to her precocious 2000 debut, “Whoa, Nelly!” Furtado concedes that the tepid reception of her second album freed her to take chances with her sound and her image on “Loose.”
“When you’ve had success, and then a different experience, you go, ‘I’ve seen and done it all, so now I can just have fun. Let’s party.’ “
Furtado insists her transformation from quirky songstress to sexy siren wasn’t as calculated as it might have seemed. She and Timbaland started recording the album a month after she weaned her daughter. Changes — both physical and psychological — were bountiful.
“I had my body back and felt rejuvenated,” Furtado says. “When we went into the studio I couldn’t get the headphones on fast enough. Tim’s beats are primal, bordering on spiritual, and it was an incredibly spontaneous experience. I did experience a reinvention of myself, and I feel lucky. It was a joyful time.”
Timbaland felt the joy too. He says he and Furtado “feed off each other. It’s hard to describe, but it’s just magic. Nelly has a real sense of adventure, so many ideas, and a special talent for hearing melodies.”
MUSIC’S MOST WANTED
RedEye rounds up some of the assorted (and oh-so-varied) musicians who were lucky enough to get a helping hand from Timbaland. Behold.
MADONNA
He and Justin Timberlake have been working with Madge in London on her new album.
ELTON JOHN
He convinced Sir Elton to play piano and not sing for a track on his album “Timbaland Presents Shock Value.” “He was dope,” Timbaland said to MTV of the music legend.
NELLY FURTADO
He produced tracks for the “Promiscuous” girl’s new album, and the two have said they are thinking about forming a band together.
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE
Oh, did he ever help J.T. bring sexy back — they brought it back so many times it got a little tired.
THE HIVES
The indie band also has a track on Timbaland’s “Shock Value.” Timbaland said to MTV that the song with The Hives was “ill.”
MISSY ELLIOTT
Who can forget Elliot and Timbaland’s “Get Ur Freak On?”
