With the release of her all Spanish CD ‘Mi Plan,’ Nelly Furtado returns to her roots. The first single ‘Manos Al Aire’ has garnered nominations for the Premios MTV and reached #1 status in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Latin America.

The world first discovered Nelly with the Grammy winning ‘I’m like a bird’ from her debut multiplatinum selling CD ‘Whoa Nelly’ in 2000.  That was followed by ‘Folklore’ in 2003.  But it was the 2006 release ‘Loose’ iwhich set the world on fire. Selling over 10 million copes worldwide it generated monster hits like ‘Promiscuous’ and ‘Maneater.’ We recently had the opportunity to speak with the multitalented and beautiful superstar while she was in Los Angeles filming her latest music video.  Here she gives HOMBRE some insight into her music, her Latin roots and of course, her sexually charged image.

Let’s start with your heritage.
My parents are from Portugal and I’ve always had the exposure of both worlds.  Growing up I always spoke Portuguese and English at home and I listened to both English and Portuguese music, a lot of it Portuguese church music. My mother put us in a lot of stuff, like folkloric dancing and lots of things like that.

So the Latin culture was really important to you?
The culture had a lot of impact on me.  I was exposed to a lot of South American culture. I grew up in Victoria, British Columbia and I started taking Spanish when I was fourteen in high school. I had a lot of friends from Latin America; all were children of immigrants just like me so I learned a lot about all these other cultures, Latin, Asian, African, everything. 

Is that why it’s important for you to include other cultures in your music?
You know it’s funny, I remember being a little girl and not seeing those cultures on television, at least not in Canada. And I remember feeling like I wanted to express myself and celebrate the cultures.  As a matter of fact that’s a very important part of what I do. I always wanted to be an international artist; I always wanted to sing in Portuguese.  But it wasn’t until Juanes invited me to sing ‘Fotografia’ that I began.

How was the experience of recording with Juanes?
Recording with Juanes was amazing. He’s really a gentle soul and he’s really talented; he’s not aware of his genius, he has no equal, in the Spanish or in the English speaking world. He’s a triple threat with the guitar, production, the singing and the writing; he can do it all, he has enough talent for a lifetime.  He’s going to be a legend.  We had so much fun, we’re friends and we love to sing together because we like the way our voices sound together. He was the one who initially pushed the door open for me into the Latin world.  He’s the one who reminded me, he said, “You’re Latin, you need to sing in Spanish and Portuguese, you’re good at it.” So he really encouraged me a lot and when I was in Miami it was good for me because when I was recording this new album I felt at home. I saw all this Latin girls in Miami and it just made me feel comfortable in my own skin.

Growing up, did you ever imagine you would be a performer?
I was very determined to be a performer.  And I knew I was going to be a performer from a very young age. When I was four years old I went on a stage and I felt the connection with the audience.  I performed on a church function for my Portuguese community in Victoria where I grew up and I ravished the audience. I love being on stage. I love doing it and making people happy and sharing positive thoughts

So you thought this would be your future?
I really did, it was very clear for me from a young age what I wanted to do with my life.

What were your musical influences growing up?
A lot of Portuguese music like fado music. I listened to a lot of Brazilian music. I went though a stage of Brit rock like Radiohead and Noises, I went though a stage where I listened to early 90’s hip hop like Salt n Peppa, TLC, Mary J Blige, De la Soul; and I listened to pop when I was a kid like Billy Joel, Abba, The Police.

Who are musicians you admire today?
I admire Brazilian artists like Gaetano Veloso who has been in the business for 40 years and inspired many musical innovations. Celia Cruz, she had such a long career. Here’s a woman making music when she’s 70 years old. It’s inspiring.

Are there plans for you to move into film & television?
Yeah, I’ve been taking acting classes for about three years and its great fun. I love it! I’ve been up for different movies, but they’ve been postponed, things like that.  They were small independents. I definitely do it because it strengthens me as an artist. I learned how to be on stage, how to be better in my shows. It really energizes me as a performer. In the future you may see me someday.

Is Broadway something you would consider?
I’ve considered Broadway before. I’ve been offered Broadway roles in the past but I didn’t think the time was right in my career. But maybe in the future because I definitely would love to live in New York City. Maybe one day I could do Broadway and live in New York!

For someone who admires you and wants to follow in your footsteps what advice would you give them?
The advice I would give to an aspiring musician is to never close doors. Always try every open door. Write songs so you know what you want to say and learn to play an instrument. I grew up playing everything, piano, ukulele, then I played the trombone for ten years, and then I played the electric guitar.

What is it about Latino men that you love the most?
 I haven’t figured it out. I ask myself everyday. I think it’s the brown eyes, the big brown eyes.

What does a woman like you look for in a man?
I like a good sense of humor. I like a confident guy who is compassionate. Confident and compassionate.