Nelly Furtado won't go Gaga for PH concert
'I'm Like a Bird' hitmaker peforms in Manila on Aug. 16
MANILA, Philippines -- You won't see Nelly Furtado donning a "stylish" bubble wrap anytime soon.
While image is key for many female pop stars, Furtado isn't about making a coat out of Kermit the Frog, or stitching raw meat to form a cocktail dress.
"For me it's just the album. My style speaks [for itself], because I always dress differently everyday," Furtado said, when quizzed if she plans to take inspiration from the outlandish persona of pop stars like Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj.
"In terms of image? If anything, just a little bit of an exotic look. I just wear according to the different scenes, some are tribal, some call for a 'hippie' look," she told ABS-CBNnews.com in a phone interview.
Multi-genre
For her latest album "The Spirit Indestructible," Furtado's fashion indeed reflects the diversity in her music.
"There's actually a lot of hip hop and R&B on the new album. There's reggae, there's pop," she said of the latest record set for release in September, 12 years since she was launched to international fame with her first single "I'm Like a Bird."
Even then, Furtado's lyrics had already spoken of empowerment and hopefulness. Now over a decade since she debuted to a string of Grammy nominations, Furtado takes the same themes to a grander scale.
"I came up with the title of that album, 'The Spirit Indestructible,' more for the human race; it's not just about me. It's an important time for the planet to overcome big natural disasters, the financial crisis, and a lot of other issues," she said.
"I actually recorded almost 40 songs but I just chose the best 12 songs for this album. It took some time and was kind of (difficult to make) because I wanted to experiment in finding the sounds that I like. I kind of collaborated with so many different people and the finished product I really love," Furtado told the Philippine Star.
PH visit
Now, Furtado is set to share this finished product, as she continues promoting "The Spirit Indestructible" across the United States in the last quarter of the year.
But the "Maneater" hitmaker will first make a stop in the Philippines for a "one-off" concert at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on August 16, where she will perform alongside rap-rock band Gym Class Heroes.
No stranger to Filipino culture, Furtado revealed that her partner, with whom she has a daughter, is half-Filipino.
“Actually, my daughter is a quarter-Filipina. Her (paternal) grandmother is from the Philippines, so yeah, part of her beauty comes from her Filipina side, and I think it’s a beautiful culture," said Furtado, who's also had her share of puto, lumpia and even adobo.
Now juggling duties as a mom and as an international recording artist, Furtado shared the secret to professional longevity coupled with acclaim -- and it isn't to keep up with the latest Kermit-wearing pop act seen as the "current" thing in music.
“[There's a] difference in looking at success as a destination versus looking at success as a journey. That’s what I’ve learned. Success is never finished, success is the way you live every day," she said.