Nelly Furtado is energized and in a very good place.

You can hear it in her voice and her words.

Part of the boost is thanks to her recent European working vacation, which took the Canadian singer-songwriter to some of Europe's biggest festivals, not to mention Euro 2004 in Portugal.

"It was very surreal," says Furtado of the recently completed soccer tournament.

"It was an experience and a half, just to be in the city and just to be around the energy."

Furtado was invited to the finals of the tournament to perform her track Forca, which she had been asked to write as the official Euro 2004 anthem, presumably because the Victoria native is of Portuguese descent.

"I'm so glad I did it," she says. "It's one of those opportunities where I would normally shy away from because it's such a high profile thing, but I had a blast."

It's hard to imagine the pop star, who performs on the Coca-Cola Stage tonight, shy about anything, considering how incredibly huge her debut CD Whoa, Nelly! was.

The disc, which was released four years ago, launched her career into the stratosphere, earning her a Grammy, Junos and other awards, selling in excess of six million copies worldwide, and setting things up nicely for her sophomore release Folklore.

Although it hasn't done as well commercially or critically as Whoa, it's an album that Furtado says she's incredibly proud of.

"I'm the type of person where if I'm not enjoying myself and if my hearts not in it, I just can't do it," she says of the disc which was recorded again with producers Track & Field (Gerald Eaton and Brian West) in a much more relaxed and easier environment than she says their first release was.

"I need to feel like I'm being honest in the music in the melodies in the production and the people I choose to work with.

"So when I make music, I come from a pretty pure place."

And on the subject of pure places, that's also where the musician is getting much of her energy these days -- motherhood.

The 25-year-old gave birth to a daughter, Nevis, this past September, and it has, obviously, changed her life dramatically.

"It's just amazing," Furtado says. "It's crazy, and every day's different and she's just an energetic little spirit ..."

That energy has transferred to her in a number of different ways.

Furtado says she's looking at her job with a whole new respect and understanding, noting that because things came to her early into her life and career, she often took her career and her good fortune for granted.

"I don't take my job for advantage anymore because I feel a new sense of responsibility so I'm a lot more professional about my job now," she says.

"I'm a lot less flippant and taking it for granted and complaining. It's like, come on -- smarten up."

On the artistic side of things, Furtado has also been given a boost.

"There's a newfound sensitivity to the world and I'm noticing it in an artistic way.

"There's a profound change where you're just coming from a place of compassion more often, so you're more sensitive to the poetry of life. That to me is really inspiring."