All About Nelly Furtado's Daughter Nevis Gahunia

Nelly Furtado and her first child, Nevis Gahunia, connect over their shared love of music

Nelly Furtado gets helpful music advice from her daughter, Nevis Gahunia.

The “I’m Like a Bird” singer welcomed her first child in 2003 with then-boyfriend Jasper “Lil’ Jaz” Gahunia. Although she and the DJ split in 2005 after four years together, they stayed friends and co-parented Nevis.

Speaking to Blender in 2006, Furtado opened up about how the personal milestone changed her in different ways. “I just think motherhood made me better, I think it rejuvenates you as a person, mind, body and spirit,” she said.

Furtado has since welcomed a second daughter and one son, though she hasn't shared details about them.

Today, Nevis is following in the steps of her mom in the music business, primarily focusing on songwriting and Artists & Repertoire (A&R). She also got to work on Furtado's Tiny Desk Concert as well as her upcoming album, 7.

During a September 2023 interview with Elle, Furtado shared how their collaboration reignited something inside of her. “It was really inspiring because that connection gave the music new meaning and made me want to work again and show my kids what I do for a living,” she said.

Here's everything to know about Nelly Furtado's daughter, Nevis Gahunia.

She was born in 2003

Furtado welcomed her daughter Nevis Gahunia on Sept. 20, 2003.

During her 2006 interview with Blender, Furtado called herself a “hippie” because she chose to have a home birth with the help of midwives.

Furtado also shared that she gained perspective when she became a single mother after her split from Gahunia.

“It really made me take my job way more seriously, it made me think about my work ethic, it made me think more about providing for Nevis and her future,” she explained.

She's also in the music industry

Shortly before Nevis' birth, Furtado released her third studio album, Loose, which included hits like "Promiscuous" and "Say It Right." Throughout her childhood, Nevis witnessed her mother work on three more albums, and it seems like the art form resonated with her, too.

Currently, Nevis specializes in songwriting, A&R and creative directing. She has her own profile in the She Is The Music database — a popular resource for women in the music industry to connect.

According to the database, Nevis interns in the A&R department at MNRK music group, which is an independent music company for “world-class music creators” and home to over 50 labels.

Nevis also writes, co-writes and toplines for herself and other artists. (Toplining is the process of writing lyrics and melodies over an instrumental track or beat.) Furtado’s daughter’s genres of interest include hip-hop, pop, rap, trap, R&B, indie rock and new wave, per She Is The Music.

She also documents her music projects through photos she shares with her more than 12,000 followers on Instagram.

She worked with Furtado on her Tiny Desk Concert

When Furtado performed on NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts series in May 2024, Nevis served as the set's creative director.

After the nearly 22-minute mash-up of the vocalist's greatest hits, Nevis celebrated their special collaboration on Instagram. She posted clips from rehearsals and the concert, plus a photo of herself with parents Furtado and Gahunia, the former of whom provided scratching.

“Thank you for the trust @nellyfurtado,” she wrote in her caption. “We did that!!!!”

While chatting with Etalk later that July, Furtado touched on working with Nevis on the Tiny Desk Concert.

“It’s as good as it gets,” she said. “I pinch myself and say, ‘Wow, how lucky am I to be able to share this passion with her?' She’s really talented, so I’m just lucky to have her. She’s got a great mind.”

Furtado also noted that her daughter offers a helpful “Gen Z perspective” and encouraged her to introduce new fans to older songs in her catalog. The singer performed some early hits at her Tiny Desk Concert, including "Explode."

She helped set up Furtado’s TikTok account

Speaking to the Grammy Awards website in July 2024, Furtado revealed how Nevis mentioned her music was making waves with new listeners.

"Four or five years ago, my daughter came home from high school and was like, 'Mom, you're trending on TikTok,' " she recounted.

The following month, Furtado told E! News that Nevis also brought her up to speed on the social media platform. “She taught me how to make my first TikTok,” the singer told the outlet.

The mother-daughter duo ended up collaborating on a few posts, too. When Nevis posted a video of herself lip-syncing “Promiscuous” in October 2020, Furtado duetted the clip and lip-synced her hit alongside her daughter.

A few months later, in January 2021, Furtado performed Olivia Rodrigo’s “Driver’s License” while Nevis accompanied her on the piano. “Just jamming with Neve,” Furtado wrote in the caption.

She's a soundboard for Furtado

Nevis worked with Furtado on her upcoming album, 7, and earned a credit as an A&R. During a July 2024 interview with NME, Furtado revealed that Nevis advised her against using autotune on the new project.

“She’d literally be like, ‘Mom, why are you using auto-tune on this song? You think it sounds cool but it doesn’t,’ ” the award-winning artist recalled.

With honest feedback, Nevis helped her mother make a more authentic album. “She also reminded me that people love my music because it’s three-dimensional, which made me dig even deeper,” Furtado told the outlet.

The songstress also reflected on working with her daughter on 7 during her August interview with E! News.

“I’m lucky she comes in the studio with me and helps me out,” she shared. “There's nothing better than having that creative connection with your child and being able to work on something special together.”

She called their collaboration a “journey” and added that it was meaningful to watch her daughter “discover her own passion” for music.

Nevis mostly stays out of the spotlight

Although Nevis grew up with Furtado as her mom, she didn't step in front of the camera.

Today, as an adult, the aspiring songwriter continues to stay behind the scenes, including at the 2023 MTA VMAs, where Furtado shared that Nevis was her plus-one. that night.

“She’s a colleague now of mine. She's very creative,” she told Associated Press, noting that it was her daughter's first award show.

Still, Nevis didn't join her mother on the red carpet for photos and, instead, kept it low-key by uploading a few artistic shots of her outfit and event pass on Instagram.

Though she maintains a level of privacy, Furtado doesn't miss an opportunity to praise her. In an April 2024 interview with Elle Canada, the singer shared that Nevin co-wrote songs for her latest album, 7, in the midst of her own music job and studying at New York University.

"She’s a really brilliant young woman. I admire her a lot," Furtado said. "She’s a strong, tough cookie, and she’s very independent."

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