Nelly Furtado at Beyond the Valley Festival 2022, in Barunah Plains, Australia. (Photo by Martin Philbey/WireImage)
Photo: Wire Image, Martin Philbey. All rights reserved.
Nelly Furtado made it public in an interview that she suffers from ADHD. The Portuguese-Canadian singer was diagnosed 18 months ago. However, she would assume that she has been dealing with it her whole life, but that music helped her to deal with her attention deficit from an early age. She says, “Since I was playing instruments six days a week as a kid, it stayed under control.”
In addition to making music and singing, dancing would also be a special help for the Grammy winner. Going into the dance studio and working on choreography would be just right for her, she told FAULT Magazine. Because the required discipline helps your brain to stay in focus. It’s a natural way to deal with attention deficit disorder.
Furtado also wants to take the new knowledge calmly: “I think I’m mature enough today not to react overly dramatically to the diagnosis. I just deal with it and look for solutions rather than getting involved with the emotional side of things.”
She also emphasizes her positive approach to the topic: “The good news is that I’m getting to know my brain really well. I love talking about it, so I hope to be able to share my experience with people and have conversations about it.”
New music in prospect
It’s been over 20 years since Nelly Furtado’s hit “I’m Like a Bird” topped the singles charts in her native Canada. Her last record “The Ride” was released six years ago. But as the conversation progressed, the musician also announced that she had already recorded 100 new songs. So there is enough material for a new album. However, it is not yet known when this will be published.