LOS ANGELES, CA. (Top40 Charts/ Geffen Records) - International superstar
Nelly Furtado will bring her Get Loose Tour to the United States for 17 concerts, starting May 30 in Hollywood, Fla., close by where she recorded most of her five-million-selling hit album "Loose."
The Get Loose Tour started in Europe with 23 shows over five weeks. The next leg crossed her native Canada, starting in Victoria, B.C. where the mayor's office proclaimed March 21 as Nelly Furtado Day. ("Loose" garnered the Victoria-born, Toronto-based Furtado the biggest-selling album in Canada for 2006.)
"This Nelly Furtado thing has hit a whole 'nutha level," praised the Toronto Star.
Furtado will be backed by four dancers and her six-piece band, including Toronto rapper Saukrates on percussion who also fills in for "Loose" producer Timbaland, from whistling on "All Good Things (Come to an End)," to rapping on the duo's monster hit, "Promiscuous." Saukrates will also double as the opening act.
"For the last eight years I've never really traveled with a full production of lights, visuals and dancers - and this tour I've got all of it," the 28-year-old singer enthused to Sun Media in Victoria. "I've spent eight years building my musicality so that now I can rely on that, but then I also have a great backup up there with all the production, which is a treat for me.
"The show is inspired by Miami. There are palm trees on the set, white palm trees and a white stage, and it's got a little bit of drama to it. I think the show's a little more sensual or sophisticated, but I keep the primary focus on the songs."
"Loose" debuted at No 1 when it was released June 20, 2006 and has spawned four worldwide hit singles: "Promiscuous," "Maneater," "Say It Right," "All Good Things (Come to an End)," with "In God's Hands" waiting in the wings for its turn in the spotlight. "Loose" has been awarded platinum and gold sales in 28 countries so far.
Furtado says her recent decision to make a foray into acting - she appeared earlier this year on episodes of "CSI: NY" and the ABC soap "One Life to Live" - after taking acting lessons in Toronto, has also helped her as a live performer:
"Yeah, incredibly, it has really helped me let go, be able to escape more, into another personality on stage. It taught me more about the theater of performing."
The Toronto Star observed: "The giggly ingenue slightly awestruck at her own sudden stardom who first tirelessly made the rounds of the planet on the back of 'I'm Like a Bird' and her hit debut, "Whoa, Nelly!," six years ago was supplanted at the Air Canada Centre by a confident, if not quite yet cocky diva-in-training, perfectly at home on an arena stage."
Earlier this month Furtado pocketed five Juno awards - the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys. She won for best artist and pop album of the year, as well as single, album, and fan's choice. Furtado also took the trophy for Best International Female Artist at the Brit Awards in the U.K. in February.
Earlier in the year she was nominated for a Grammy for the lead track from her album, "Promiscuous." (Furtado was nominated for four Grammys for her debut album, "Whoa, Nelly!", taking home the trophy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "I'm Like a Bird.")
Get Loose U.S. Tour dates are:
May 30 - Hollywood, FL @ Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino
May 31 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
June 1 - Atlanta, GA @ Fox Theatre
June 3 - Portsmouth, VA @ Ntelos Pavilion
June 4 - Philadelphia, PA @ Liacouris Center
June 5 - Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
June 7 - New York, NY @ Madison Square Garden
June 8 - Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center
June 9 - Cleveland, OH @ Time Warner Cable Amphitheater at Tower City
June 11 - Detroit, MI @ Detroit Opera House
June 12 - Rosemont, IL @ Rosemont Theatre
June 13 - St. Paul, MN @ Excel Energy
June 15 - Denver, CO @ The Fillmore Auditorium
June 17 - Grand Prairie, TX @ Nokia Theatre
June 19 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theatre
June 20 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre
June 21 - Oakland, CA @ Paramount Theatre
