Though Nelly Furtado hasn’t released an album in quite some time, her impact on other musicians is undeniable: Dua Lipa has said that discovering Nelly’s music when she was 6 years old made her want to be a pop star, while Drake and Lorde have also cited her as an influence. As you can imagine, Nelly’s pretty happy about that.

Asked about being an inspiration for younger acts, Nelly tells Euphoria magazine for a new cover story, “Oh my God, it’s so cool. It makes me proud and happy.” She adds, “I always remember going to my good friend’s birthday and he had very intentionally invited me because he wanted me to meet his good friend Dua Lipa. We finally got to meet and it was something we had been meaning to do for years.”

“I get proud when I see somebody who’s told me, ‘Oh, you’ve influenced me,'” the “Say It Right” singer notes. “I literally just saw Dua’s Grammy performance and I was so proud. I was like, ‘This is f***** awesome!’ It’s a great feeling. I’m just grateful to be even in the conversation, to be totally honest.”

After returning to the music scene last year with “Keep Going Up,” a collaboration with Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, Nelly is now planning to release a new album, which will be her first since 2017’s The Ride. She tells Euphoria, “I can’t reveal too much, but it’s gonna be elevated.”

“We have big plans and I’m so excited about it because I’m in a better head space than ever,” she adds. “I’ve never loved being an entertainer more. I feel like I’m really owning it.”

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.