Grammy-winning singer Nelly Furtado announces plans to 'step away' from concerts, performing
(NEXSTAR) – Twenty-five years to the day after releasing her debut studio album, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Nelly Furtado announced that she would no longer be performing live — at least for now.
Furtado, on Friday, made the announcement in a lengthy message on Instagram reflecting on her career.
“To have so many people rediscovering my music has been surreal and joyful. It’s been so fun embracing this opportunity, getting out on stages again and seeing up close, the true lasting power of good music. It’s made me really believe in magic,” wrote Furtado, who in August wrapped up a string of tour dates in Europe.
“All this aside, I have decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future and pursue some other creative and personal [endeavors] that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life.”
Furtado, 46, did not specify which pursuits she had in mind but said she still loves writing music and will “identify as a songwriter forever.”
In her post, she thanked her fans, her supporters within the music industry, and her “brilliant collaborators and loyal companions.”
“I also wish, to the new generation of artists, many years of fruitful and passionate performance,” she wrote.
Furtado’s first studio album, “Whoa, Nelly!”, released on Oct. 24, 2000, went double-platinum on the success of singles including “Turn Off the Light” and “I’m Like a Bird,” the latter of which earned Furtado a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. In 2024, she released her most recent album, "7," over seven years after the release of her previous album, "The Ride."
Speaking with Grammy.com, Furtado said in 2024 that her decision to record and release “7” was motivated in part by DJs who would frequently remix her songs during their sets.
“I would go out and hear my songs played before arena shows of other artists, and at house parties and clubs," she said. "There was a sense of joy and celebration in it. … I thought, ‘This can only be remixed so many times, I better go make some new stuff.’"