I really like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle: Nelly Furtado

Canadian singer, song-writer, actress and musician Nelly Furtado feels that her 10 years of achievement calls for some celebration.

“It has been a decade, hence a time to celebrate this 10-year-long period. And I felt that I should come up with duets that my fans would like to have on one album.”

Back in 2000 Nelly created ripples in the music circuit, when she came up with her debut album Whoa Nelly! She never looked back since.

As a mark of that very celebration, Nelly is out with her latest album titled The Best Of Nelly Furtado that features some of her popular tracks such as  Maneater and Promiscuous and also her Grammy-winning single I’m Like  a Bird.

Talking about the album, she says, “It reflects the present, and without forgetting the past, looks forward to the future. It is also about sharing moments of my songs with my fans. So whatever the best moments are, the album captures it all.”

Nelly earned a huge Indian fan base after she did an Indian remix of her track Powerless along with Montreal-based Indian band Josh.

“Working with Josh was a great experience,” she adds. The singer, who has performed in India already, seems to be quite fond of the country. “I’d like to visit India soon,” says Nelly. “I do listen to Indian music. And I really like Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle.”

Her favourite artists also include De La Soul, TLC, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Amelia Rodrigues, Oasis and Beck, Juanes and the Smashing Pumpkins. “I would like to work with Madonna and Drake,” states Nelly. Ask her about her passion for music and song writing, and the talented singer remarks, “I express myself through my songs and they are very personal. I use them as a diary therapy.”