Nelly Furtado quitting music after facing rash of attacks by body shamers

Written by on October 25, 2025

Nelly Furtado has announced she’s quitting music following a rash of attacks by body shamers on social media.

The songstress made the announcement while marking the 25th anniversary of the release of her first album, “Whoa Nelly!,” in an emotional social media post on Friday.

“25 years later, my music has reached a whole new generation of fans and I couldn’t be happier about that,” she wrote via Instagram, alongside a pic of herself in 2000, and a much more recent clip of herself on stage in Berlin over the summer.

While noting that it’s been “fun” to be “on stages again,” Furtado wrote that she’s moving on.

Nelly Furtado quitting music after facing rash of attacks by body shamers

Nelly Furtado announced she’s stepping away from music in an emotional social media post. Redferns

Nelly Furtado poses in a cutout top, distressed miniskirt, striped coat, and boots, standing among luggage by her dressing room.

She wrote on Friday that she’ll “identify as a songwriter forever.” Instagram/@nellyfurtado

“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,” Furtado, 46, 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,” she continued, adding that she’ll “identify as a songwriter forever.”

“I’m grateful for all the years of fun, community and wonder,” the songstress wrote, expressing “Endless gratitude to anyone who has ever listened and vibrated with my music and attended any of my shows.”

The “I’m Like a Bird” hitmaker also thanked “those who have worked so hard to help me make my pop dreams come true on a creative and organizational level,” as well as her “brilliant collaborators and loyal
champions.”

Nelly Furtado poses in an off-the-shoulder black top, dark jeans, and a red belt and wristband.

The announcement comes 25 years after the release of her debut album, “Whoa, Nelly!” Getty Images

Nelly Furtado performing during the opening ceremony of the 2025 Invictus Games.

She rose to fame with her 2001 hit, “I’m Like a Bird.” Samir Hussein/WireImage

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“Thank you and goodnight!” the SKIMS model concluded the post.

Page Six has reached out to a rep for Furtado for further comment.

Fans flooded to the “Promiscuous” singer’s comments thread to congratulate Furtado on the milestone.

“Forever an icon,” one follower wrote, while another chimed in, “Why am I crying? 😭”

“Nelly we need you 😭💕,” a third lamented, with a fourth adding, “25 Years later and you are STILL as ICONIC as Ever ❤️”

Nelly Furtado performing with arms outstretched at Superbloom Festival in Munich.

The SKIMS model endured online body-shaming over her figure and costume choices. BACKGRID

Nelly Furtado performing at Manchester Pride 2025.

She hit back at trolls with a pointed fashion statement in August. WireImage

Amid online body-shaming attacks over her onstage outfits and body, Furtado subsequently made a pointed fashion statement while headlining Manchester Pride in August.

She stepped on stage in an oversized optical illusion T-shirt with a cartoon hourglass body outline in a cinched up crop top, miniskirt and belt reading “Whoa Nelly.”

The back of the cartoon-emblazoned shirt read, “Better than ever” in a tattoo font.

Nelly Furtado performing onstage at Boardmasters Festival, wearing a green shaggy coat, sunglasses, and patterned shorts, holding a microphone in her right hand and her left arm raised.

Furtado wished fans a “body neutral 2025” in January. Getty Images

Nelly Furtado performing with a microphone on stage at Superbloom Festival in Munich.

She wrote that she’d “experienced new levels of self -love and genuine confidence from within.” BACKGRID

The Canadian hitmaker modeled the look with a sultry pair of bedazzled fishnet stockings and knee-high go-go boots.

In January 2025, the singer took to Instagram with a body-positive message, alongside a pair of bikini selfies.

“HAVE A BODY NEUTRAL 2025, 😉, BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, LOVE WITH EVERY INCH OF YOUR HEART ♥️THANKS FOR ALL THE MEMORIES THIS YEAR 🙏🏼” she captioned the pics, adding that she’d “experienced new levels of self -love and genuine confidence from within.”

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