Hollywood Popular Artists

Sep 18th 2012, 18:45

Nelly Furtado isn't your typical popstar. OK, fine, she's got the flawless look, the soaring pipes, and a never-ending closet of fashionable runway stunners, but she's also got heart...and a lot of it.

When I sat down with the Grammy winner, whose The Spirit Indestructible album drops today, she didn't want to talk at length about her flashy gold doorknocker earrings or her designer boots, she wanted to talk about her experience with children in Africa. Just before embarking on her fourth English language album, Furtado teamed up with the nonprofit organization Free The Children to help improve access to education in Kenya.

While in Kenya she built schools, she held singing classes, and she committed herself to learning about the country's culture. "I felt like I waited by own career to meet them" she said of the Kenyan children."I got there and I just fell in love...with the people I met. I felt like had a bigger focus." She was so inspired by Free The Children that she dedicated her new album to org, which she explains below.

+Watch: Nelly Furtado Dedicates 'The Spirit Indestructible' To Free The Children

And with her new album, Furtado hopes to share a story of love, hope, and miracles based on her experience abroad. On her most recent single (also the album's title track), she sings "I have a spirit indestructible/A heart that was made pure/Unbreakable and that's for sure/Unshakeable so give me more." And it's that message of self-love, self-reliance, and resilience that the singer has referenced in many of her chart-topping songs.

It's no wonder that she and K'Naan were nominated for a 2012 MTV Video With A Message VMA and her Twitter wall is full of thanks from her global fan set. "When I was a little girl and I did a duet with my mom, and what I remember most is that I made everyone smile. And it just stuck in my head that I wanted to share that energy," said Nelly in our interview below.

+Watch Nelly Furtado On Being A Pop Artist With A Message

So consider her new album the feel good mix for your fall days, the album that won't just get you moving, but get you moving others to be better too. And if you want to get involved with Nelly Furtado's cause further, make sure to check out her line of tanks, proceeds go to building schools in Kenya. And keep your spirit indestructible, K?

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