Nelly Furtado Says She’s ‘Happier Than Ever’ in Her Career: ‘It’s Just Pure Inspiration Every Day’

Nelly Furtado is back and better than ever, and in celebration of her reunion with Timbaland and Justin Timberlake on “Keep Going Up,” she sat down with Billboard‘s Jason Lipshutz to discuss where she’s at in her career at the moment.

“[Timbaland and Timberlake] had thought it out quite a lot,” she said of the new collaboration, which arrives more than a decade after the trio’s Billboard Hot 100 chart topper “Give It to Me” was released in 2007. “What’s great about them is they’re like, ‘We want you to do your thing.’ If the three of us are on a song, then we’re all equals, and that’s a really good feeling.”

As for how she’s feeling, the 44-year-old star said she’s more “grateful” than ever. “I feel like the place that I’m at is the same place I was at when I was like 20, when I first signed a record deal and spent all my time obsessing over music, listening to music, making music and collaborating with friends who make music,” she explained. “I’m there again, I’m in it for the craft. I’m in it for the right reasons and it’s so pure for me right now. It’s just pure inspiration all day.”

She continued, “I’m just happier than ever making music. I love my job more than I’ve ever loved it. I recognize that being onstage is like my home.”

Moving forward, Furtado is gearing up to release new music. “I have so many songs in the pipeline. I have so many new songs,” she assured.

Watch Billboard‘s full interview with Nelly Furtado above.