Nelly Furtado makes shocking career move amid body shaming
The 'Maneater' singer will not perform music for the "foreseeable future."
Nelly Furtado has decided to stop performing her music to pursue other creative ventures.
The 46-year-old made the shocking announcement while celebrating the 25th anniversary of her debut album, 'Whoa, Nelly!'.
She included a picture of herself that was taken shortly before one of her early performances.
"In the first slide, I am 20 years old, about to play my first show as a professional artist at Lilith Fair," she wrote.
"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 actualised."
Furtado's first studio album was a major success, producing hits such as 'I'm Like A Bird' and 'Turn Off The Light'. The songs dominated charts worldwide and made her a household name.
"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!"
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Furtado says seeing so many people rediscover her music has been surreal, as it shows the "true lasting power of good music."
However, the singer has decided to quit the stage, and it is unclear when she will return.
"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 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. I’ll identify as a songwriter forever."
Furtado's post also featured a video of her performing at one of her recent concerts, which shows the large crowd chanting her name.
"The second slide is me in Berlin this summer, finally understanding what receiving flowers means."
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Furtado did not give any specific reasons for her decision, but she has faced heavy criticism online about her weight after some of her performances went viral.
The cyberbullies did not hold back, with one X user saying, "Nelly Furtado has gotten so f**king fat".
"Are we all just gonna pretend that obese is sexy now until every American has a BMI of 50?"
Many people also came to her defence, questioning when did people start calling curvs fat.
I’m really annoyed but it’s laughable. Seems women aren’t allowed to grow hips and must remain in a 22-year-old's body at 46," a woman wrote on X.And just like that....Another female singer has been bullied out of the music industry 😢 Nelly Furtado has just announced that she's not doing any more shows for the "Forseeable Future" 🥹 Was Nelly fat shamed out of the music industry? 🤔 #NellyFurtado #Retirement pic.twitter.com/LqT69gp8ih
— onecheetah (@onecheetah1) October 25, 2025
In January, Furtado rang in the new year by vowing to have a body-neutral 2025.
"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 said.
Furtado continued: "I had to pursue some legal action against a few charlatans online selling services based on selling health and beauty myths about me."
The 'Say It Right' singer added that she has never had any face or body surgeries other than veneers.
"My New Year’s message for 2025, is express yourself freely, celebrate your individuality and know that it’s perfectly OK to be OK with what you see in the mirror, and it’s also OK to want something different.
"We are all cute little humans just bouncing around the earth looking for hugs."
❤️ | Nelly Furtado via Instagram: "My New Year's message for 2025, is express yourself freely, celebrate your individuality and know that it's perfectly OK to be OK with what you see in the mirror, and it's also OK to want something different". pic.twitter.com/I1yvLknhq9
— Nelly Furtado Portugal (@NellyFurtadoPt) January 5, 2025
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