Video:Songwriting With Nelly Furtado: Developing Your Own Sound

Transcript:Songwriting With Nelly Furtado: Developing Your Own Sound

Listen to Music When Developing Your Own Sound

I think it's really good to listen to new music and to not be sort of biased about the music you listen to. I grew up listening to everything from Portuguese folk music to, you know, hip hop, to Brit pop, to Brazilian Tropicalia, to you know, Pakistani Qawwali music. So, I think, it's important to open your ears to new stuff and just spend time listening to music -- and I think that naturally kind of forces you as a songwriter or a writer/producer to kind of expand your horizons musically and I also think going out to concerts, just seeing different types of bands playing, or different types of musicians – I mean you might end up seeing an orchestra play. Those types of things open up your mind.

Perform Often When Developing Your Own Sound

I think it's also about finding outlets for performance: like performing at your local coffee shop or bookstore, or whatever it is; finding friends with similar interests; not closing doors, not limiting yourself. You know, hang out with a trumpet player, hang out with a DJ -- it's all the same, it's all music.  Choose your influences carefully and start slowly.  Maybe you just heard an amazing polka band and you’re thinking how to I infuse this polka music into my R&B song -- well it might be a sample -- it might just be like this one accordion sample that you start with a beat.

Play Instruments When Developing Your Own Sound

I also think playing an instrument is really important.   I mean, guitar or piano are the obvious of choices for songwriting, I think -- either one of those are really great.  But any instrument kind of helps you. I played trombone for ten years and that really even helps me to this day.  I mean, I sing in a very rhythmic way and playing, you know, marching band trombone occasionally, you know, does inform my vocal delivery at times. Any bit of musicality helps, if you want to be a musician.  You have to love it so much that you can't not do it.

More information on Nelly Furtado and her music:

• About.com: http://top40.about.com/od/artistsdk/p/nellyfurtado.htm

• Nelly Furtado's Official Site: http://www.nellyfurtado.com/

• "Big Hoops" on iTunes:  http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/big-hoops-bigger-better-single/id517307236