October 2010

As Nelly Furtado prepares to survey the first decade of her recording career with the Nov. 15 release of a hits package, the Canadian singer said she's "just over sort of halfway done" with her next studio album.

Tentatively titled Lifestyle, the new album will be due out in 2011.

"I'm a little bit picky, so I'm kind of going through all kinds of material," Furtado says. "There's new material I'm writing and old material that's... very good and hasn't been re-approached."

Furtado predicted the set will be "eclectic" and influenced by the wide-ranging approach of her double-platinum 2000 debut, "Whoa, Nelly!," as well as the vocal work she did on her 2009 Spanish album "Mi Plan."

"I think that from singing the Spanish album I've learned a new confidence as a vocalist," Furtado explained. "And I think there's a little bit more of an alternative influence on this new album, kind of how my first album was definitely inspired and partially influenced by 'alternative' music."

Furtado has been recording primarily with Salaam Remi, who co-produced "Night is Young," the first single and one of three new tracks on forthcoming, "The Best of Nelly Furtado."

She also "experimented" with reggae with Stupid Genius and has worked with Passion Pit frontman Michael Angelakos.

The new album will also be Furtado's first to feature only English songs, she said.

The album is on hold right now, however, as Furtado focuses on "The Best of..." The disc will be released in a single-disc standard edition as well as a deluxe package that includes two CDs and a DVD; in addition to "Night is Young."

It also includes the unreleased songs "Stars" and "Girlfriend in the City," all of which were originally slated for the next album.

"I think it's a fun thing to celebrate," said Furtado, who will appear on the Latin Grammy Awards on Nov. 11 in Las Vegas "I'm proud of the fact that ('Whoa, Nelly!') came out a full 10 years ago and you can still put it on and it sounds like something that's on the radio now.

"At the time we were just kind of making music we felt like listening to, which is what I've always done since."

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