Q&A:Nelly Furtado

Hey.Hazim here...again. Here's a Q&A interview with Nelly Furtado spilling her guts out about her dazzling futuristic pop gem of an album,Loose. This interview's interesting guys...Nelly Furtado might form a band with Timbaland and call it The Awake...

Your last album, Folklore, kind of disappeared after your debut Whoa Nelly was a massive hit. What do you learn from that?

I learnt you can't take anything for granted. In the beginning I had all these opportunities, like winning a Grammy, opening for U2, playing Saturday Night Live, doing photo shoots for Vanity Fair . . . I just thought everybody had that kind of luck first time out. Now I see it was beginner's luck. With Folklore people weren't ready, it's a mixture of luck and fate and trends. It was such an intimate and personal album it was a stepping stone for me. I wanted to show people I wasn't just this cartoon character from the I'm Like a Bird video. I guess I'm a little bit guilty of being that selfish artist who uses their albums to work through things.

It's a cult favourite, Folklore.

It's the fan favourite. The people who like that album really, really like it. Whoa Nelly was like the big loud girl at the party who was in everyone's face. Folklore is the dark serious girl on the couch who wants to have a serious discussion with you in the corner. Loose is the whole party.

Loose is a change in direction.

It sounds weird, but it's almost like I was born again as a female with the birth of my daughter (Nevis). I feel like I'm claiming my femininity more on this album.

You've got a more sexy image now.

I've definitely changed that way. Before my closet was 90 per cent sneakers and 10 per cent fancy shoes, now it's all high heels and one pair of gym runners. When I had a baby my body changed . . . as an artist you have to challenge your fans, show them you're evolving. People are attracted to change, to vulnerability.

You did a duet with Chris Martin on Loose's All Good Things, then his voice was removed. What happened there?

That version is on the internet somewhere. It wasn't a traditional duet. Chris really wanted to come in and meet (producer) Tim(baland). Tim didn't want to make it a duet so he sampled his voice and it weaved in and out. It was so beautiful, it was actually quite groundbreaking the way he infused his vocal in it. It's still really good without the vocal, but at the last minute his label said "No, we can't do that" because his vocal was a little more raw than it sounds on a Coldplay record. It was unfortunate, maybe we can put it on a B-side album. I want to do a B-side album next year, there was a lot of stuff left over from Loose.

So it was a mutual love-in between Chris and Timbaland?

Oh yeah. Timbaland was jamming (Coldplay's) X&Y like mad. All Timbaland would talk about was Coldplay. He was like "That guy's the truth". He would play the CD and sing all the lyrics. Coincidentally I bumped into Chris backstage at the MTV Awards in Miami. We used to be friends when we were doing our first albums in England. He said "You're working with Timbaland, that's amazing, can I come by? I'd love to see how he works." I said "Tim would love to meet you, you don't understand . . ."

When you say you used to be friends with Chris, is it true you were once 'special friends'?

No! Everyone thinks that's true, but no, we were just friends.

So how did Chris and Tim's meeting go?

Chris was kind of humble and shy and nervous. Timbaland was the same. They were like schoolkids. I had to be the one to say "Tim, turn your keyboard on. Chris here's your guitar, sit down, get on with it." I don't think they would have made music otherwise. Once we got going it was like Chris had this inner James Brown he had to exorcise.

Hang on: Chris Martin funky?

Hey, at one point Chris was doing his own rendition of Jay-Z's Dirt Off Your Shoulders. It was brilliant!

When HiT spoke to him Chris was coy about the rumours he's doing something solo with Timbaland.

I think he might do a solo project in the future. It'd be great. Actually Timbaland and I are talking about doing a Gorillaz/Gnarls Barkley-style band collaborative effort. We found it quite freeing in the studio, it was really liberating to not have the pressure of being a solo artist. In the music business you get so busy promoting, but when you let yourself make music magical things happen.

You said Timbaland is like 'ET on the boards'. Are you saying he's an extra-terrestrial?

It seems like he beams in a sound from outer space. It's really interesting to watch. He really becomes the rhythm when he makes beats.

You recorded a song, Crowd Control, with Justin Timberlake that hasn't ended up on either of your albums.

He might put it out as a B-side or something. He's very funny and really talented. I didn't really understand how talented he is until I worked with him. He's full of ideas and concepts.

And he's in your Promiscous video.

We invited him to shake his booty in the video. He was nervous, he was like "I'm the odd person out."

So let's talk more about this band you and Timbaland are thinking about. How serious is it?

We're even fooling around with band names, like the Awake. We were inspired by Eurythmics and Blondie. It'll be like the UNKLE project. When I was in the studio with Chris and Tim I felt I was watching something great happening. To tap into that intense energy is the reason I make music. You can't pay for those moments.

So you wouldn't front the band?

I'd be one of the singers, plus maybe Justin, Chris, Missy (Elliott) . . . it'd be neat if it was a real collective.

Between your contacts and Timbaland's contacts . . .

I think it'd be amazing. The idea is to shut off our Blackberrys and work for two weeks straight and call the album In Two Weeks. We'll see.

BackTracks(1978): Blondie-Hanging On The Telephone

Hey.Hazim here...again. Who doesn't like Blondie? They were real pioneers in what they did and uh, I really can't imagine a music lover not at least appreciating what they've done. Here's a backtrack single from the major massive album Parallel Lines. It's called "Hanging On The Telephone". Great song. Some people are still unaware that Blondie's not the original artist for the song, but it was actually The Nerves who did it before them. But The Nerves' version never made it big. So it was all on Debbie Harry and her crew to take the song places. Without Debby Harry, Gwen Stefani, Shirley Mansion and even Madonna wouldn't be who they are today. I would have posted their (arguably) most famous single "Heart Of Glass" but I decided to go with this one instead. I know Debby Harry and the rest of the band are unsure of Blondie's future (they keep quarreling with each other) but I was playing this song and it made me realize how massive they were serving as the root of a lot of ska, pop, and new wave artists today. I don't usually listen to really really old stuff unless it's like Billie Holiday or Frank Sinatra (he da man!), but there are some really awesome gems from the past. You just gotta dust off the dirt on them to let it shine. Enjoy the video. Hazim.Out.

Breakouts:The Fratellis

The Fratellis

Hey.Hazim here...again. What's up world? What's plugged in yer ears today? I've been listening to a lot of random stuff lately, from ThomYorke (his new solo album, kinda OK), Curve, and uh, Portishead. Good stuff. There's this one new band whose song "Henrietta" I've been blasting like crazy. They're from Scottland (yep, same place as Franz Ferdinand). But just so you know...I don't really like FranzFerdinand anymore. They went all weird after their first album. Anyways, back to TheFratellis. Yeah, that's the name of the band. It's such a gay name. Not gay as in 'queer'. Gay as in weird like 'Hoobastank'. Still, their music is way better than anything Hoobastank could ever hope to muster. They performed on TopOfThePops before the show went to fade, its last episode aired recently. Thei debut album hasn't come out yet, but they have an EP out that you can get through the net. Apparently, that Ep was sold in limited amounts and now that they're becoming famous, one of those EPs is gonna cost you 30 pounds. Sorta like what happened with TheArctic Monkeys. The debut album is called Costello Music, which I'm not sure if it has anything to do with Elvis Costello or not. Alls I know is that I've been playing "Henrietta" and their upcoming single "Chelsea Dagger" a lot lately. I'll bet indie kids are rolling their eyes thinking "we discovered them ages ago waaayyy before you did,Hazim". Who fucking cares? I like their style and their sound, so I'm gonna go around and endorse them. Free advertising courtesy of Hazim. Their songs give the impression that they'd sound great live. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll do a show nearby but if it never happens, I'm hoping there's at least some live footage of them on the net. To visit their myspace music profile page, click here. Or you can check out their simple artist webpage. Hope you like 'em. By the way, they're big in Scotland.Hazim.Out. OfficialArtistWebPage:TheFratellis

Fuck Dem Spammers!

Hey.Hazim here...again. Mondays drag on and on. I was sleeping on the bus today and almost missed my stop. The fact that the ride was long didnt help my drowziness...anyways. *Clears throat*. I've been looking for something cool to post and well, I found out KanyeWest might be getting married. I won't make this post about him though. I'll do it when the actual thing is close to happening. Oh and by the way, I'm deleting and filtering all the fucking spam comments on my blogs. It's fucking annoying and full of 'great work!' right before "visit my site!" and "here's something that might be of interest!" and followed by a link to somewhere I don't even know cuz I've never clicked it. Spammers deserve to stripped naked, tied to a tree and beat with little twigs. Really guys, go somewhere else to drop your shit. Aiight? Spam is everywhere...when I open my email up, my myspace account, surf the net, and blah blah blah. Yeah, it's like that cockroach you can't catch. Hazim.Out.

MTV VIDEOMUSIC AWARDS 2006//BEST MALE VIDEO

MTVVIDEOMUSICAWARDS2006BESTMALEVIDEO

Hey.Hazim here...again. Whats up world? The weekend's here...and uh, I dont gots much to do. So, since there are 19 days left until the MTV VideoMusic Awards, I'm a bring around another category to make my predictions on. This time, it's the BestMaleVideo category. To sum up the nominees here, I'd say "3 tough hiphop dudes and 2 sissy boys". That is, I'm talking about BustaRhymes, TI, KanyeWest, NickLachey, and JamesBlunt. I absolutely don't adore JamesBlunt's HughGrant romantic comedy-style of singing, so he wouldnt be my pick. My predictions would lie between TI and KanyeWest, bu TI trumps Kanye because:
1) I like him better and 2)his single is newer so it's still fresh in people's minds. In fact, it's still on the charts. Let's have a look...


#1:TI//What You Know
Kanye West is tough competition, but uh, TI is so much more cooler. He's got the rapping chops and he's young, so that's always a plus. The video? Eh, it's okayy, but the song is seriously hot and even though Kanye prolly has a bigger fan base, TI has earned more respect. I actually dug the interview he had with BLENDER magazine and he does more charit work than Kanye. See? Instead of blasting Bush for being a bad president during a national crisis, it's way better to actually help out. Yeah, so my vote's not really based on the actual video, but the fact that the song is hot shit (not as hot as 'GoldDigger') and the fact that TI doesn't think it's cool to wear oversized sunglasses at night (hint...hint...Kanye). WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

#2:Kanye West feat. Jamie Foxx//Gold Digger
Like whoah...what a song. It's KanyeWest's most brilliant moment and it got everyone addicted. I was one of the people who turned up the volume on their radios when this song came on...but that was last year and the hype has worn off. And instead, Kanye continues with his quest to inflate his already massive ego even more, posing as Jesus on the cover of RollingStone, calling himself 'the best thing that's ever happened to hiphop". I'm so fucking tired of his antics. He should just shut and just make music. The video is hot even with the annoying JamieFoxx doing his RayCharles impression. The lyrics in the raps Kanye spits out are high class and awesomely awesome. So this stands a good chance of grabbing an award only because the song is massive. Fuck Kanye and his childish acts. The song rocks. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

#3:James Blunt//You're Beautiful
Leave it to the Brits to spit out a wussy singer-songwriter even sappier than ChrisMartin rolling around in maple syrup. Yeah, James Blunt's "You're Bueatiful" is the perfect song for most of HughGrant's romantic comedies-which makes me loathe it even more. The video is-to me-just plain stupid. I see no artistic reasoning for having Mr.Blunt strip and then jump in the water. It's really a sad video, sad as in pathetic, not sad, as in gloomy. True, he has a huge fanbase with females and undignified males. And celebrities seem to want to roll him up and slip him into their back pockets and take him out for a song whenever they feel teary-eyed. Mischa Barton and ParisHilton are fans. In fact, since ParisHilton wasn't nominated for anything in the upcoming VMAs, she's prolly up all night voting for Blunt's video to win. It's Paris and Blunt fanatics VS Me...I don't really stand that much of a chance. So that's why I didn't put this last. It's at number 3 instead. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

#4:Busta Rhymes feat. LloydBanks, DMX, Mary J Blige, Papoose, Rah Digga, & Missy Elliott//Touch It
Rap music and hiphop dominate the charts. No secret. 3 o the 5 male artists nominated in this category fit that mold. Aiight...this song has so many remixes it's a bit confusing. The one that's actually nominated here is the fourth part of the "Touch It" remix. That shows ambition. I like ambition. The song also samples one of the best techno bands of all time, Daft Punk. The video itself's a bit messy but it's something wannabe gangstas would really be into. I'm personally sad to see that Busta cut off his beautiful dreadlocks...*sob*...and tried to look like TI instead. Whatever. Great hiphop song and even though I'm not a fan, I wish this one luck cuz it will need it to trump Ti or sadly, James Blunt. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

#5:Nick Lachey//What's Left Of Me
Leaving Jessica Simpson didnt really hurt his singing career (OK...what other career does he have?), it only made it better. But that didn't stop NickLachey from wallowing in depression and despair on "What's Left Of Me". It's like Nick went emo-pop on his fans, talking about how "you can have what's left of me." That is the most emo thing on the charts this year. The video is bautifully shot but I'm not a fan of the song and it's dropping off the charts as I type this, losing its popularity. is second single from the album "I Can't Hate You Anymore" is another tear-sodden track that uh...sucks. Everytime I hear it, it makes me imagine Nick running home and sobbing into his pillow. That makes me giggle. Again, girls love this track. You should see the effect it has on my friend. She actually teared up once listening and watching Nick's sob story of a music video...like whaaaa? This video doesn't have much of a chance of winning, trust me. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

Damn. Fergie Should Be Feeling Smug Right Now...

Hey.Hazim here...again. Well, it's the weekends and chart statistics start rolling in and I was expecting another weekend where the fabulous NellyFurtado and Timbaland-helmed track "Promiscous" would be sitting ontop of the Billboard Hot 100...but I was wrong. It turns out Fergie's solo single from her upcoming album TheDuchess knocked her off. I really don't get this song, "London Bridge". The chorus is very similiar to Gwen Stefani's "Hollaback Girl" and there isnt much originality behind it. I think, the only reason it got to number one is because the song is sung by Fergie herself. So it's more about hype that tricks people into downloading it and blasting the song to the top spot. You won't see me bobbing my head along with it. It's redundant, repetitive, and boring. And Fergie looks waxy. Here, it's the music video for the single. If you like her, you'll love it. If you don't, you'll hate it. Guaranteed, I already hate it. I thought listening to the radio was safe when I found out ParisHilton's "Stars Are Blind" was recieving less airplay. I guess it's still not safe with "London Bridge" hogging the airwaves. Hazim.Out.

Watch Outkast's New MusicVideo For "Morris Brown"!

Hey.Hazim here...again.

I loooooooooooooooooooooooooooovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvveeeeeeeeeeeeee Outkast...haha. BigBoi's rapping is always a highlight in every song he stars in and Andre 3000 is a musical blender spitting out hiphop, pop, rock, funk, soul, and whatever other genres of music there are out there. Psssst...I actually liked Speakerboxx better than the love below...is that a sin? Anyways, this is the video from their new song and movie. The track is called "MorrisBrown" and it takes a while to grow on you, but trust me, it will. Apparently, the new album's gonna have over 20 tracks on it. I'm so excited for this. The rapping is cool and the vocals everywhere else and all the pauses and runs in the songs are brilliant. HipHop for the new millenium...Kanye, take notes. Enjoy the video while I play it over and over again to get myself psyched for the release of the new album. The video quality is a bit fizzy, but soon it'll be playing all over the place anyways (prolly less on MTV nowadays...but there's always VH1...oh god, can't believe I just said that). Hazim.Out.

MTV VIDEOMUSIC AWARDS 2006//BEST FEMALE VIDEO

MTVVIDEOMUSICAWARDS2006BESTFEMALEVIDEO

Hey.Hazim here...again. What is with you spammers? Can't you just leave me alone? Well, whatever. I'm gone for a little over a week and I get bombarded with spam comments. Anyways...the MTV VideoMusic Awards are approaching...do you care? If you do, then you prolly have your favorites. I've got my predictions and I'm gonna bet on the ones I think are winners. First up, Best Female Video. The one I think should win is NellyFurtado feat.Timbaland-Promiscous, just because she's hot and she's number one right now. Her album's selling like hotcakes and she's got both guys and girls wagging after her lapping up whatever she's giving out. Plus, Timbaland's beats are mad and the video's flirty and fun. And uh...you get to see Nelly's belly. That alone should guarantee the win. Haha...here's my input if you actually care...


#1:NellyFurtado//Promiscous
Kay..let's go. I definitely think Nelly's got a majorly strong chance of swiping a moonman for this category since her song is perched ontop of multiple Billboard charts as I type this. Timbaland definitely brought out the fun sexy side of Furtado and even though MamaFurtado's gonna have to try and explain without embarassing herself what "Promiscous" means when her child's older, for now though, it's on heavy rotation on television and radio. That's more than good enough. Two years ago, noone woulda thunk NellyFurtado could threten Beyonce, Shakira, Mariah, and Gwen's throne, but look at her go now. Hell yeah! I'm crossing my fingers for her to nab it. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

#2:Shakira feat. Wyclef Jean//Hips Don't Lie
Uh...the song's not bad. It's very danceable and WyclefJean's rapping is hot, almost as hot as Shakira's vibrating and gyrating hips, but the video itself looks like it was shot with a digicam from 1899 in some dirty street alley. Granted digicams didn't exist in 1899...but the video still kinda sucks, so it's not my fave. That won't stop it from having a strong chance of winning though. With seven nominations total and it is a number one single worldwide, she'll give Furtado a run for her money, so yeah, it's number two. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere


#3:KellyClarkson//Because Of You
KellyClarkson fanatics better band together hard if they want her to win. The song is dropping off the charts after a successful run and yeah, she already won in this category last year for "Since U Been Gone". The strength of this video isn't the camera work or choreography. It's the fact Kelly gave the treatment for it based on her own childhood problems, so it's something personal for her. Could win on that and face it, It's like she never leaves the charts and her songs are never taken off the radio...she's freakin everywhere! WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

#4:ChristinaAguilera//Ain't No Other Man
Can anyone tell my why the hell is this song so damn popular? The single is just damn awful. It just doesn't do it for me. I liked it better when she was dirty and this kind of stuff makes me anitcipate what kind of songs Britney'll be senfing out once she's done popping out babies. Even thought the song sucks, in the video, Christina Aguilera does something very important...she looks hot. And it's her big comeback song, so that might give her an edge added to the fact it's also nominated for VideoOfTheYear. But then again, so is Shakira's "HipsDon'tLie", so I dunno. The chances for this to win is kinda in the fog right now. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

#5:Madonna//HungUp
And in this corner we have showbiz veteran Madge/Madonna/Ester/Whatver the hell you wanna call her...but the point is, "Hung Up" is such a worse video than "Sorry" which would get my vote. But either way, it won't do that well espceially with the song out of the charts long long ago and not played on radio that often. Not much too say, and I know it's nominated for VideoOfTHeYear, but somehow, I don't see it winning unless the gay fans really stick toether like glue and push for her like hell day's tomorrow. Sorry, Madge. Je susi desole. WatchTheVideoForThisSong:ClickHere

2006 MTV Video Music Awards:Nominations Are Out. My Input? Let's Find Out How Much I Care

Heyy.Hazim here...again. Hey guys, take a deep breath. Amidst all the Madonna and MJ moments, the MTV Video Music Awards are an awards show and there are awards being handed out, which means there are nominations. How are the nominations this year? Uhh...well, I'm a bit disappointed. Shakira, Red Hot ChiiPeppers, and uh, Panic!At The Disco lead the nominations. Shakira is for guys who like hot people, the RedHotChiliPeppers are for the oldies who like wearing sock puupets over their penises, and Panic!At The Disco are for the young and growing emo population. Yep, that sums up the MTV generation. Other nominess include NellyFurtado, ChristinaAguilera, KellyClarkson, GreenDay, MariahCarey, Beyonce, MissyElliott, U2, GnarlsBarkley, NickLachey, TI, BustaRhymes, Madonna, Pink, MaryJBlige, Rihanna, JamesBlunt (eww...), AngelsAndAirwaves, AvengeSevenfold, AFI, 30 Seconds To Mars (Jared Leto's band, by the way), ThePussycatDolls, TheAllAmericanRejects, FallOutBoy, SeanPaul, Timbaland, WyclefJean, Papoose, and more. What I'll do is post videos for each category on who I think should win, ya? So, remember, it's an awards show...so I'm wondering what absurd shit they gots planned for this year's VMAs. A kiss between BillieJoelArmstrong and JamesBlunt maybe? That'd be really shocking...haha. It'd be so shocking, it'd be predictable in typical VMA fashion. Hazim.Out.