Nelly Kim Furtado /ˌfɜːrˈtɑːdoʊ/, ComIH (born December 2, 1978) is a Canadian singer and songwriter. She has sold 20 million albums worldwide and more than 20 million singles, bringing her total sales to over 40 million records around the world. Furtado first gained fame with her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, which spawned two successful singles, "I'm Like a Bird" and "Turn Off the Light". "I'm Like A Bird" won a 2001 Juno Award for Single of the Year and a 2002 Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In 2003, Furtado released Folklore, which produced three international singles: "Powerless (Say What You Want)", "Try", and "Força".
Three years later, she released Loose, a worldwide commercial success with 10 million copies sold. The album spawned two number-one hits: "Promiscuous" and "Say It Right." After a three-year break, she released her first full-length Spanish album, Mi Plan, and Furtado received a Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Album. In 2012, Furtado's fourth English-language studio album, The Spirit Indestructible, was released.
Loose is the third studio album by Canadian singer and songwriter Nelly Furtado, released on 6 June 2006 by Geffen Records and the Mosley Music Group. Following the release of Furtado's second album, Folklore (2003) through DreamWorks Records, it was announced that Universal Music Group would acquire DreamWorks Records, the later was folded into the Interscope Geffen A&M umbrella where Furtado would release any new music. Timbaland and his protégé Danja produced the bulk of the album, which incorporates influences of dance, R&B and hip hop. The album explores the theme of female sexuality and has been described as introspective or even sad in parts.
The album received criticism because of the sexual image Furtado adopted for the recording, as some critics felt it was a ploy to sell more records. Further controversy rose over accusations of plagiarism on Timbaland's part in the song "Do It" (which contained the melody from Finnish musician Janne Suni's song "Acidjazzed Evening" without proper authorization) when recordings were leaked onto YouTube. The record was seen generally as critically and commercially successful. It reached high positions on charts across the world, and according to an August 2009 press release, it had sold more than 12 million copies worldwide, making it the best-selling album of 2006–07 and the twenty-second best-selling album of the 2000s.
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name, Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, entrepreneur, investor, and occasional actor from St. Louis, Missouri. Nelly embarked on his music career with Midwest hip hop group St. Lunatics, in 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in the year 2000, with his debut album Country Grammar, of which the title-track was a top ten hit. The album debuted at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to peak at number one. Country Grammar is Nelly's best-selling album to date, selling over 8.4 million copies in the United States. His following album Nellyville, produced the number-one hits "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma" (featuring Kelly Rowland). Other singles included "Work It" (featuring Justin Timberlake), "Air Force Ones" (featuring Murphy Lee and St. Lunatics), "Pimp Juice" and "#1".
With the same-day dual release of Sweat, Suit (2004) and the compilation Sweatsuit (2006), Nelly continued to generate many chart-topping hits. Sweat debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 342,000 copies in its first week. On the same week of release, Suit debuted at number one, selling around 396,000 copies in its first week on the same chart. Nelly's fifth studio album, Brass Knuckles, was released on September 16, 2008, after several delays. It produced the singles "Party People" (featuring Fergie), "Stepped on My J'z" (featuring Jermaine Dupri and Ciara) and "Body on Me" (featuring Akon and Ashanti). In 2010, Nelly released the album 5.0. The lead single, "Just a Dream", was certified triple platinum in the United States. It also included the singles "Move That Body" (featuring T-Pain and Akon) and "Gone" (a sequel to the 2002 single "Dilemma" in collaboration with Kelly Rowland).
Nelly (French: À ce soir) is a 2004 French drama film directed by Laure Duthilleul and starring Sophie Marceau, Antoine Chappey, and Fabio Zenoni. Written by Laure Duthilleul, Jean-Pol Fargeau, and Pierre-Erwan Guillaume, the film is about the four days following the death of a small town doctor, seen through the eyes of his wife, who is a nurse. The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.
Nelly, Nela, Nell, and Nellie are female given names, also used as nicknames, which are derived from the names Janelle, Helen, Ellen, Petronella, Chanelle and Cornelia.