If you were born before 2005, chances are you grew up listening to Nelly Furtado. And if that’s true, you probably worship her as a legend. (If not, you really should.)
The pop powerhouse rose to fame in the ’00s with iconic chart-toppers like “Say It Right” and “Promiscuous (feat. Timbaland),” but she was also super well-known for her iconic performances and dance moves.
More recently, you might’ve listened to her latest album 7, which came out in 2024. (Why the title? It’s her seventh album, and her first album in 7 years.) Or maybe you saw her absolutely incredible Tiny Desk Concert that same year, which filled my nostalgic heart with joy.
In short: Nelly is a legend. But it looks like 7 might be the last album we get from her for awhile — because she recently took to Instagram to announce a hiatus from performing (and music in general, it seems).
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The announcement came on the 25th anniversary of Nelly’s first album, Whoa, Nelly. (YES. TWENTY-FIVE YEARS. WE ARE ALL OLD.) She started by thanking her fans, both old and new, and expressing gratitude for the “magic” she’s experienced in the studio and onstage.
“All this aside , I have decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future,” she wrote.
“I have enjoyed my career immensely , and I still love writing music as I have always seen it as a hobby I was lucky enough to make into a career,” she said. “I’ll identify as a songwriter forever.”
Naturally, Nelly knew everyone’s next question would be “why?” — she explained that she’ll instead “pursue some other creative and personal endeavours that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life.”
And although she can always come back, this really does feel to me like a big farewell to music. “I also wish , to the new generation of artists , many years of fruitful and passionate performance.” It’s almost like she’s passing the baton to the younger pop stars who took inspiration from her: Dua Lipa, Tate McRae, the list goes on.
Perhaps this may seem out of the blue for many people, but if you’ve paid attention to discourse surrounding Nelly’s performances over the past few months, it might make sense why she’d step away.
In August 2025 — just 2 months ago — Nelly performed live at various festivals around the world. And apparently parts of the internet are still living in the Dark Ages, because she received body-shaming hate on the internet after these performances. Instead of focusing on her incredible songs, people began scrutinizing her body and the ways it has changed since she was a 20-something pop star in the ’00s. (Insert infinite eye-roll emojis here.)
Nelly appeared to clap back with a fun optical illusion t-shirt, which had me giving her a standing ovation in my living room. But with this hiatus announcement coming shortly after, fans are now thinking it may have been part of her decision to stop performing.
All I know is, I love Nelly Furtado and she deserves all the flowers. Although I’ll miss her performances, I’m stoked to see what she’ll focus on next!
What are your thoughts on Nelly Furtado’s break from performing? Are you sobbing like I am? Tell me in the comments below!
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