Almost without exception. She is credited on 86 of the 87 tracks across her seven studio albums, and the one she is not on is "Bajo Otra Luz" from the Spanish-language Mi Plan, written by Julieta Venegas and La Mala Rodríguez. The other names on her credit lines are her producers, from Gerald Eaton and Brian West at the start through Timbaland and Danja on Loose to John Congleton on The Ride.
By the Numbers
7
Studio Albums
87
Tracks Credited
99%
Self-Written
45 million
Records Sold
30
Years Active
114
Collaborators
Authorship Breakdown 86 / 87 self-written
Who wrote the songs?
Across all 87 tracks: how many Nelly Furtado wrote alone, how many they co-wrote, and how many were written by others. The bracket marks every track they hold any writing credit on.
Nelly Furtado has a writing credit99%
11%
87%
1%
Sole author10tracks11%
Co-written76tracks87%
Outside writers1tracks1%
Role Fingerprint how they contribute
Nelly Furtado's roles across the catalogue
Share of all 87 tracks where they are personally credited, by role.
Lyricist (words)99%
Composer (music)99%
Producer43%
Performer100%
Authorship Over Time writing credit per album
Nelly Furtado's writing credit per album, in release order. Hover any bar for the album.
avg 99%
100%
100%
100%
92%
100%
100%
100%
2000Whoa, Nelly!
2003Folklore
2006Loose
2009Mi Plan
2012The Spirit Indestructible
2017The Ride
20247
Early · 100% written
Mid · 97% written
Late · 100% written
Authorship by Decade track-weighted
98%
2000s
Whoa, Nelly!, Folklore +2 more
100%
2010s
The Spirit Indestructible, The Ride
100%
2020s
7
Authorship Spectrum pure performer to complete author
Where Nelly Furtado sits on the scale from a pure performer (0%, sings songs written by others) to a complete author (100%, writes everything). The bright marker is their catalogue authorship score, plotted against other artists on the site.
Nelly Furtado
Other artists on the site
Reference artists spread across the scale, closest by genre and era.
Bubble size = tracks worked on together. BW Brian West · JC John Congleton · D Danja · NH Nate Hills
The Authorship Story
Data Insight
Furtado is a writer first and everything else second. She is credited on 86 of the 87 tracks across her seven studio albums, and the single exception is "Bajo Otra Luz" on the Spanish-language Mi Plan, written by Julieta Venegas and La Mala Rodríguez. What changes across the catalogue is who sits beside her: Gerald Eaton and Brian West on the first two records, Timbaland and Danja on nine of Loose's thirteen tracks, John Congleton on The Ride, a room full of Toronto producers on 7. The reinventions people describe are production changes, not authorship ones.
Quick Facts
FromVictoria, British Columbia, with Portuguese parents, which shapes Folklore and Mi Plan
Own labelRuns Nelstar Entertainment, which released Mi Plan, The Ride and 7 independently
Biggest albumLoose, with over 10 million copies worldwide
Hot 100 number one"Promiscuous" with Timbaland topped the chart in 2006
AwardsOne Grammy, one Latin Grammy, ten Juno Awards and a Brit Award
AuthorshipCredited on 86 of the 87 tracks across all seven studio albums
Creative Fingerprint
A songwriter credited on all but one track in her catalogue, whose sound is remade every album by whoever is producing.
The Story
Nelly Furtado is a Canadian singer and songwriter from Victoria, British Columbia. She arrived in 2000 with the trip hop-inflected Whoa, Nelly! and its hit "I'm Like a Bird", changed direction entirely for the Timbaland-produced Loose in 2006, and has since made a Spanish-language album, an indie record with John Congleton and a 2024 return called 7. Seven studio albums in all.
Awards & Recognition
Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I'm Like a Bird"
Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album for Mi Plan in 2010
Ten Juno Awards
One Brit Award and one Billboard Music Award
One MTV Europe Music Award, one World Music Award and three MuchMusic Video Awards
A star on Canada's Walk of Fame
Appointed a Commander of the Order of Prince Henry in 2014
Frequently Asked Questions Nelly Furtado
Does Nelly Furtado write her own songs?
Almost without exception. She is credited on 86 of the 87 tracks across her seven studio albums, and the one she is not on is "Bajo Otra Luz" from the Spanish-language Mi Plan, written by Julieta Venegas and La Mala Rodríguez. The other names on her credit lines are her producers, from Gerald Eaton and Brian West at the start through Timbaland and Danja on Loose to John Congleton on The Ride.
Yes, alone. It won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100.
Did she write "Promiscuous"?
Yes, with Timbaland, Danja and Tim Clayton. Timbaland produced it and raps on it, and it went to number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
How many records has Nelly Furtado sold?
Over 45 million records, including 35 million in album sales worldwide. Loose alone accounts for more than 10 million of that.
Why did she make a Spanish-language album?
Mi Plan in 2009 was her first independent release, made through her own Nelstar label. It won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Album and its single "Manos al Aire" topped the US Latin Songs chart, making her the first North American artist to do so with an original Spanish song.
How did Timbaland change her sound?
He produced most of Loose and is credited as a co-writer on nine of its thirteen tracks. The album sold more than ten million copies and produced four worldwide number ones, but the writing arrangement is the same as on her folk records: Furtado writes, the producer takes the music credit.
Who produced Nelly Furtado's albums?
Gerald Eaton and Brian West on the first two, Timbaland and Danja on Loose, Lester Méndez and James Bryan on Mi Plan, Rodney Jerkins and Salaam Remi on The Spirit Indestructible, John Congleton on The Ride, and a Toronto team including WondaGurl and Herag Sanbalian on 7.
What awards has Nelly Furtado won?
One Grammy, one Latin Grammy, ten Juno Awards, a Brit Award, a Billboard Music Award, an MTV Europe Music Award, a World Music Award and three MuchMusic Video Awards. She has a star on Canada's Walk of Fame and was made a Commander of the Order of Prince Henry in 2014.
Is Nelly Furtado Portuguese?
She is Canadian, born in Victoria to Portuguese parents. The heritage runs through the music: Folklore and Mi Plan both draw on it, and Whoa, Nelly! carries songs in Portuguese as well as English.
Nelly Furtado
