Loose (Nelly Furtado album)

Did You Know?

• Furtado cited Madonna's 1998 album Ray of Light as a major influence for Loose.
• The album was named partly after the spontaneous decisions made during its creation and partly for the R&B girl group TLC.
• The opening track "Afraid" depicts Furtado's fear of what people think of her.

Recording

Furtado began work on Loose by holding a "hip-hop workshop" with emcee Jelleestone, in which they would write rhymes, dissect them, and try different flows over beats. The first producers she worked with were Track & Field, who co-produced her first two albums, and by May 2005 she had collaborated with Swollen Members and K'naan. She worked with Nellee Hooper in London on reggae-oriented material and with Lester Mendez in Los Angeles on acoustic songs; Mendez helped create "Te Busqué", co-written by and featuring Juanes. In Los Angeles she also worked with Rick Nowels, who co-wrote and produced "In God's Hands", "Somebody to Love", and "Runaway". In Miami, she collaborated with Pharrell and Scott Storch before entering the studio with Timbaland. Timbaland and his protégé Danja co-produced eight tracks, with another produced solely by Danja. Furtado recorded around forty tracks for Loose, deciding which to include based on the album's sonics. She recorded an unreleased collaboration with Justin Timberlake, "Crowd Control", and other considered songs include "Chill Boy", "Friend of Mine", "Go", "Hands in the Air", "Pretty Boy", "Vice", and "Weak".

Music and lyrics

Furtado said that with her earlier albums she had wanted to prove herself as a musician, but after accomplishing that she felt free to make music she "really love[d]". She had a problem with hip-hop but later asked herself why she was being "pretentious". The album represents her separating from such notions and, in her words, "jumping in the deep end of the pool". She considers herself "all over the map" and promiscuous musically. Produced primarily by Timbaland and Danja, Loose showcases Furtado experimenting with a more R&B–hip-hop sound and the "surreal, theatrical elements of '80s music". She categorized the album's sound as "punk-hop", described as Eurythmics-influenced "modern, poppy, spooky music" with a "mysterious, after-midnight vibe". She described the album as "more urban, more American, more hip-hop, [and] more simplified" than her earlier work. During studio time with Timbaland, she said she was "in the VIP boys club of just letting go" and being more impulsive. The album features "really raw" elements such as distorted bass lines and laughter from studio outtakes. Furtado said Loose is not as much about the lyrics as about "indulging in pleasures—whether it's dancing or lovemaking". Loose is primarily a pop album with influences of dance, reggaeton, Latin pop, hip hop, synth pop, Middle Eastern music, R&B, new wave, funk, and trip hop.

Release and promotion

The album was first released in Japan on June 7, 2006, through Universal Music Group, then in Germany two days later. In the United Kingdom it was released on June 12, 2006, via Geffen Records, and on June 20, 2006, in Canada and the United States. During promotion, Furtado performed at major music festivals and award shows: Rock am Ring and Rock im Park in Germany, Pinkpop Festival in the Netherlands, Calgary Stampede and Ottawa Bluesfest in Canada, Ovation Music Festival, Summer Sonic in Japan, Teen Choice Awards, World Music Awards, American Music Awards, the 94th Grey Cup halftime show, and the 2007 NRJ Music Awards. She embarked on the Get Loose Tour on February 16, 2007, in the UK, with thirty-one dates in Europe and Canada and additional shows in the US, Japan, Australia, and Latin America. Furtado described the show as a "full sensory experience" with crowd involvement and "spontaneity and rawness". She hoped to have Chris Martin, Juanes, Justin Timberlake, Timbaland, and Calle 13 guest on the tour. On June 4, 2021, Furtado released a digital reissue of the album for its 15th anniversary, featuring rare remixes and bonus tracks including a version of "Do It" with Missy Elliott and Spanish-language versions of "All Good Things (Come to an End)", "In God's Hands", and "Te Busqué".

Controversy

Considerable attention was generated by the more sexual image of Furtado presented in promotion and publicity for the album, particularly in the music videos for "Promiscuous" and "Maneater", in which she dances with her midriff exposed. According to Maclean's magazine, some said her progression was a natural transformation of a pop singer; others believed she had "sold out" to garner record sales after her second album was a commercial failure. Maclean's wrote that her makeover "seems a bit forced" and contrasted her with Madonna and Emily Haines, who seemed "completely in control" of their sexuality, while Furtado's overt sexuality came off as "unoriginal". Dose magazine wrote that her "highly sexualized" image was manufactured and noted the involvement of Geffen's Jimmy Iovine, who helped develop the Pussycat Dolls. The writer also criticized Furtado's discussion of her buttocks and apparent rejection of feminism in a Blender interview. A writer for the CBC said cynics could attribute her commercial success to "amped-up sex appeal", but added that Furtado was "still demure compared to many of her competitors" and that her new image did not feel calculated.