'I'll identify as a songwriter forever,' says Furtado as she looks to explore other creative pursuits
Pop star Nelly Furtado has announced that she is retiring from live performances for the "foreseeable future" in favour of other creative endeavours, amid attacks from body-shamers on social media.
The Canadian singer, 46, confirmed the news on Instagram, telling fans that she wishes to "pursue some other creative and personal endeavours that I feel would better suit this next phase of my life".
"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 in a lengthy statement. "I'll identify as a songwriter forever".
The "Promiscuous" singer said that she had "endless gratitude to anyone who has ever listened and vibrated with my music and attended any of my shows".
She also extended her thanks to anyone who had ever worked with her and her "brilliant collaborators and loyal champions".
In the Instagram post, she shared a picture of herself as a 20-year-old before playing her first-ever live show as a professional artist. In the second slide was a video of her at this summer's Citadel Music Festival in Berlin, where she says she finally understood "what receiving flowers means".
Furtado's announcement comes months after her figure was criticised by online trolls, following a performance at Boardmasters festival.
The "Say It Right" singer later hit back at those critics at Manchester Pride, performing at the event in an oversized T-shirt featuring an illustrated body of a woman wearing a crop top and mini skirt. Many perceived the outfit choice as a response to body-shamers.
Earlier this year, Furtado also shared a bikini selfie and said she was embracing "body neutrality" as part of her 2025 wellness mindset, adding that she'd found new confidence and self-love despite rising aesthetic pressures in her career.
Furtado rose to fame in 2000 with the hit single "I'm Like a Bird" from her debut album Whoa! Nelly, which went on to sell more than 5 million copies worldwide.
Her announcement coincided with the 25th anniversary of that album's release. "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," she wrote in her post.
Addressing her recent resurgence, thanks to fans on TikTok, she added: "To have so many people rediscovering my music has been surreal and joyful. It's been so fun embracing this opportunity, getting out on stages again and seeing up close the true lasting power of good music. It's made me really believe in magic."