Nelly Furtado Announces Plans to 'Step Away' From Performing for 'Foreseeable Future'

Nelly Furtado is done with performing – for now.

On Friday (October 24), the 46-year-old “Maneater” singer commemorated the 25th anniversary of the release of her debut album, Whoa, Nelly! and announced plans to “step away” from performing live for the “foreseeable future.”

Keep reading to find out more…“25 years ago today my first album Whoa, Nelly! was released,” Nelly began on Instagram. “In the first slide I am 20 years old, about to play my first show as a professional artist at Lilith Fair . I went down to a store called ‘Original’ on Queen West in Toronto and shopped for that pink dress and some sparkly platform shoes to perform in. It was so meaningful and my artist self felt so actualized.”

“25 years later, my music has reached a whole new generation of fans and I couldn’t be happier about that,” she continued. “In the year 2000 I remember feeling purpose in hoping some kid would dust off the Whoa, Nelly! vinyl one day in a record shop and think it was cool or inspiring, so I never could have guessed that there would be so many new ways to discover ‘old’ music in 2025!”

Nelly went on, “To have so many people rediscovering my music has been surreal and joyful . It’s been so fun embracing this opportunity, getting out on stages again and seeing up close, the true lasting power of good music. It’s made me really believe in magic.

The Grammy winner then opened up about her decision to stop performing.

“All this aside, I have decided to step away from performance for the foreseeable future and pursue some other creative and personal endeavours that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life,” she explained. “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. I’ll identify as a songwriter forever.”

“I’m grateful for all the years of fun, community and wonder. Endless gratitude to anyone who has ever listened and vibrated with my music and attended any of my shows. I love you and your open hearts,” Nelly wrote. “I deeply thank all of those who have worked so hard to help me make my pop dreams come true on a creative and organizational level. I thank all my brilliant collaborators and loyal champions.”

“I also wish, to the new generation of artists, many years of fruitful and passionate performance,” Nelly concluded. “The second slide is me in Berlin this summer finally understanding what receiving flowers means ????❤️ Thank you and goodnight!”

In a recent interview, Nelly opened up about having photos of herself heavily edited at the start of her career.