Nelly Furtado stunned fans on Friday by revealing she’s putting a stop to performing — a decision that comes amid a wave of cruel body-shaming comments.
The announcement comes just weeks after the Promiscuous singer playfully brushed off online chatter about her figure while headlining Manchester Pride, proudly embracing her natural curves.
But this time, her tone was far more serious.
Furtado, 45, shared the news in an emotional Instagram post Friday, saying that while she’s endlessly grateful for her career — which began 25 years ago with her smash debut album Whoa, Nelly! and hits like I’m Like a Bird and Maneater — she now feels it’s time to ‘step away’ to focus on ‘other creative and personal endeavors.’
The Grammy-winning star, who has also recently been praised for her ‘gorgeous curves’ and ‘refreshing attitude’ toward beauty and aging, didn’t directly mention the backlash in her post.
‘Thank you for the ride,’ she told fans, adding that while she’s stepping back from live performances, she’ll ‘always be writing music.’
Nelly Furtado stunned fans on Friday by revealing she’s putting a stop to performing — a decision that comes amid a wave of cruel body-shaming comments; (pictured August 2025)
Furtado, 45, shared the news in an emotional Instagram post Friday, saying that while she’s endlessly grateful for her career — which began 25 years ago with her smash debut album Whoa, Nelly! and hits like I’m Like a Bird and Maneater — she now feels it’s time to ‘step away’ to focus on ‘other creative and personal endeavors’ (pictured 2006)
Her heartfelt post included a photo of herself at 20 years old before her first professional show at Lilith Fair, and a clip from her triumphant Berlin concert this summer — a moment she described as ‘finally understanding what receiving flowers means,’ as the crowd roared her name.
Looking back on her early days, Furtado recalled her very first performance, sharing that she bought ‘the pink dress from a store called Original on Queen West in Toronto,’ along with ‘sparkly platform shoes for the occasion.’
‘It was so meaningful and my artist self felt so actualized,’ the 46-year-old wrote.
Marking the 25th anniversary of her debut album Whoa, Nelly!, the singer reflected on how far her music has come. ‘25 years later, my music has reached a whole new generation of fans and I couldn’t be happier about that,’ Furtado stated.
‘So I never could have guessed that there would be so many new ways to discover “old” music in 2025!’ the Promiscuous Girl hitmaker added, marveling at the enduring reach of her songs.
She went on to express her gratitude for ‘so many people rediscovering’ her music, describing the experience as ‘surreal and joyful.’ Furtado said seeing her fans ‘up close’ has ‘made me really believe in magic.’
‘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,’ the singer explained.
Before signing off, Furtado thanked ‘anyone who has ever listened and vibrated with my music and attended any of my shows,’ as well as ‘those who have worked so hard to help me make my pop dreams come true.’
The Grammy-winning star, who has also recently been praised for her ‘gorgeous curves’ and ‘refreshing attitude’ toward beauty and aging, didn’t directly mention the backlash in her post
‘Thank you for the ride,’ she told fans, adding that while she’s stepping back from live performances, she’ll ‘always be writing music’
Her heartfelt post included a photo of herself at 20 years old before her first professional show at Lilith Fair, and a clip from her triumphant Berlin concert this summer — a moment she described as ‘finally understanding what receiving flowers means,’ as the crowd roared her name
The announcement comes just weeks after the Promiscuous singer playfully brushed off online chatter about her figure while headlining Manchester Pride, proudly embracing her natural curves; (pictured at Boardmasters Festival in August)
‘I also wish, to the new generation of artists, many years of fruitful and passionate performance,’ she added.
Fans quickly flooded the comments section of Furtado’s heartfelt post with messages of love and support.
‘I will never forget buying this album at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square,’ wrote famed blogger Perez Hilton.
‘It was on sale! And then seeing you perform at Irving Plaza on your debut tour. You did I’m Like A Bird TWICE! As you should! Love you! Nelstar forever!!’
Others shared emotional reflections of their own. ‘Your music has been part of my life for so long — since I was 13, and now I’m 37! This makes me so sad, but I’m also so grateful and happy for everything you’ve shared with us,’ one fan commented.
Another echoed the sentiment, writing, ‘I feel like we just got you back recently after years away, and you’re leaving again!!! So happy for you but also saddd. Thank you for blessing us again.’
Back in February, Furtado sent fans into a frenzy with a stunning bikini-clad snap, sharing the behind-the-scenes tricks celebrity makeup artists use for awards shows and red carpets.
‘HAVE A BODY NEUTRAL 2025, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, LOVE WITH EVERY INCH OF YOUR HEART ♥️THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES THIS YEAR,’ the Maneater singer’s caption began.
‘This year I became aware of the aesthetic pressure of my work in a brand new way, while simultaneously I experienced new levels of self love and genuine confidence from within,’ she continued.
Back in February, Furtado sent fans into a frenzy with a stunning bikini-clad snap, sharing the behind-the-scenes tricks celebrity makeup artists use for awards shows and red carpets
‘HAVE A BODY NEUTRAL 2025, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, LOVE WITH EVERY INCH OF YOUR HEART ♥️THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES THIS YEAR,’ the Maneater singer’s caption began
Furtado also made it clear that her look is entirely natural: she’s never had any ‘face or body surgeries or augmentation, besides for veneers on the top row of my teeth, quite recently,’ and she has never used face or lip injections or fillers.
Instead, her youthful glow comes from ‘a loving, old school facialist who I purchase serums and creams from and I started that when I was 20.’
She even shared some of the secrets behind her red carpet-ready appearances: ‘The day before photo shoots and red carpets I drink a lot of water and sleep on my back. Sometimes on the red carpet or at photo shoots my makeup artist uses face tape to give my eyes skin and makeup more lift.
‘Sometimes my stylist uses body tape to give a certain look to different silhouettes. Body makeup can also sometimes be contoured to achieve a certain look,’ she explained.
Celebrating the magic of styling, Furtado added, ‘Makeup can do magical things! So can great eyebrows! So can a great hairstylist! So can great underthings!’
Even amid chatter and criticism, Furtado showed she was unapologetically herself — though the recent backlash over her looks may have contributed to her shocking decision to step away from performing.
