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However, Furtado says she always goes with her instinct and her instinct was to have a baby - so here she is: six-month-old Nevis, who's been all over Japan, Europe, America and will be in town when Furtado comes to the Juno Awards in Edmonton this weekend. The baby girl's father is Furtado's boyfriend and DJ, Lil Jaz, a.k.a. Jasper Gahunia.
"I go with my heart and I go with my instinct, always," Furtado says. "That's what leads me down these paths - like motherhood. I knew I wanted a family and was ready for this next step in life ... so now we have a family. I make similar decisions in my career. It's just all one thing to me. What your heart tells you should be your guiding force."
You can't argue with success.
A blithe spirit and cheery voice during a recent phone interview, Furtado has seemingly led a charmed life since surfacing in 2000 with the hit single I'm Like a Bird. She was the toast of the Junos the following year - winning four - and is poised to do the same this year. She leads the pack with five nominations, same as new mom Sarah McLachlan, one more than new mom Celine Dion, three more than new mom Shania Twain. Check for Huggies in the Juno gift bag.
Furtado is excited at the prospect of sharing baby stories with Sarah McLachlan - whom she was "starstruck" to meet way back when Nelly was a greenhorn third stage act at Lilith Fair.
She bubbles, "Is Celine Dion coming?!"
No. She's got a gig.
"Awww ... Is Shania coming?"
Er, no. Don't think so.
"Awww ..."
Furtado laughs, "It is the year of Canadian mothers. Even Chantal Kreviazuk had a baby."
And nothing fazes this new mommy - she's a paragon of the virtue of "going with the flow." For example, when Furtado was denied entry to her own record label's post-Juno party in 2001, she simply shrugged and said, "OK." She even made a joke: "The next day, the story was how I wasn't allowed into the party rather than that I'd won all those Junos. So, no backlash, see?"
Furtado was also in Madrid performing a showcase last month, just a week after the terrorist bombing. Far from being afraid for either herself or her infant, she says, "It was good to be there. I'm a fan of just being hopeful and having spirit and being brave and just going about your business. That's all we have in life. I'm a real believer in the moment. I think that's why I love hip-hop, why I love beat writers, jazz music, improv. I love anything that celebrates the moment."
Her new album is no exception. The Portuguese-Canadian singer has earned lavish praise for Folklore, almost entirely written while she was pregnant - some songs in as little as 10 minutes, she says - and featuring an eclectic mix of guest artists from banjo master Bela Fleck to the Kronos Quartet. The music is a more seamless hybrid of world music, pop and folk than what was heard on her debut, and lyrically more mature, too. No more bird songs.
"The older I get the more in tune I am with what really matters," she says. "I've already changed so much. It's amazing how strong the mothering instinct is. You just know what to do and you're suddenly aware of your own health and your own mortality - lots of things, like, 'Oh, I'd better put my seatbelt on because I've got to take care of somebody else.' I was already responsible and now it's like a whole new level.
"It really runs in my own family, too. I come from a long line of women who had many, many children. My grandmother had 10 kids and she worked. My mom worked and raised my bother, sister and I. My aunt has eight kids. I've grown up around this strong female energy."
So a lack of confidence has never been a problem for this artist.
"You have to be confident. You've got to sell it. And what I'm selling is not your average thing. I have to love it."
VOICES RAISED FOR THAT VOTE
Hey, kids, democracy is cool! Just ask Nelly Furtado, Barenaked Ladies and the other artists participating in tonight's "Rush the Vote 2004" youth summit at the Cineplex Odeon Cinemas at South Edmonton Common.
In a recent Sun interview, Furtado says she's participating because she has never voted - "So hey, I'm going to get my butt over there and find out how to vote, when to vote and I'm going to vote! I'm going to go and practise what I preach."
The event will feature performances by the artists as well as various guest speakers. The goal: "To encourage youth to get involved in the democratic process and to become better informed about society's issues."
Rush the Vote 2004, running from 6-8 tonight, is open to the public, but space is limited. Visit www.rushthevote.ca for more information.