Nelly Furtado trekked from Canada to the Washington, D.C. NPR offices to make her long-overdue Tiny Desk concert debut.
Furtado bundled her decorated two-decade long career into a soothing 11-track medley performance, which arrived on Friday (May 24) ahead of the holiday weekend.
The set list ranged from her greatest hits like the Timbaland-produced “Promiscuous,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100, to underground bangers that don’t even exist on streaming services today such as her dynamic remix to Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On.”
“We really want to give a shout-out to Timbaland,” Furtado said. “If he doesn’t have one, I feel like he needs his own Tiny Desk for sure.”
Nelly brought out a fully-equipped band to help recreate her eclectic pop sound. Backed by musicians handling the percussion, violin, keyboard, bass, a DJ and additional vocalists, Furtado shined centerstage as an ageless wonder.
She rocked a white tank top that appeared to have a slimy texture to give off an aesthetic that it was actually soaking wet with her black bra peering through behind.
The Portuguese singer ran through her other Hot 100 No. 1 hits “Say It Right” and the trash-talking “Give It to Me” sans Timbo and Justin Timberlake. Furtado also took fans in a time machine back to 2001 for top 10 Hot 100 entries “Turn off the Light” and her introductory anthem “I’m Like a Bird.”
“Please dance,” she instructed the crowd before wrapping up with 2006’s thumping Loose standout “Maneater.”
U.S. fans will be able to catch the Canadian pop icon in Los Angeles at the HARD Summer 2024 music festival in August. Earlier this week, Furtado teamed up with Tove Lo and SG Lewis for her new “Love Bites” single.
Watch the Tiny Desk concert below.
