Nelly Furtado has made a surprising decision for her career.
On the milestone 25th anniversary of her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, the 46-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter turned to Instagram to announce her major career decision, sharing that she is stepping away from performing.
In the post, which featured a decades-old throwback photo, when she was about to play her first show, Furtado wrote, “25 years ago today my first album Whoa, Nelly! was released. In the first slide I am 20 years old, about to play my first show as a professional artist at Lilith Fair.”
She continued, “25 years later., my music has reached a whole new generation of fans and I couldn’t be happier about that . In the year 2000 I remember feeling purpose in hoping some kid would dust off the Whoa, Nelly ! vinyl one day in a record shop and think it was cool or inspiring , so I never could have guessed that there would be so many new ways to discover “old” music in 2025!”
The Maneater hitmaker joyfully noted, “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.”
Furtado then announced her major career move, sharing that she has decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future.
“All this aside , I have decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future and pursue some other creative and personal endeavours that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life,” she wrote.
The songstress added, “I have enjoyed my career immensely , and I still love writing music as I have always seen it as a hobby I was lucky enough to make into a career . I’ll identify as a songwriter forever . I’m grateful for all the years of fun , community and wonder.”
Nelly Furtado released her debut album, Whoa, Nelly!, on October 24, 2000.
