The music video for Nelly Furtado’s classic 2006 Timbaland-assisted song “Say it Right” has reached one billion views on YouTube.
The song, which was featured on her third studio album, Loose, received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and topped the Billboard Hot 100.
Originally released in 2006, Loose was catapulted to prominence by a trio of No. 1 hits — the suggestive serve-and-volley relationship conversation “Promiscuous (Feat. Timbaland),” the percussive drive of the pleading “Say It Right,” and the sultry declarations of “Maneater” — and it became an international sensation, having sold 12 million copies globally to date.
Loose returned in 2023 with a special vinyl edition. The standard 2LP version arrived in a gatefold sleeve and is available on standard black vinyl, while the Limited Edition version featured an exclusive red and white color vinyl. Engineer Dennis “Roc” Jones recently used the original master files to create a truly special 2LP edition of Loose.
Furtado’s phenomenal, genre-defying album, Loose expanded the Canadian artist’s reach both creatively and commercially by testing the boundaries of pop by incorporating a litany of dance-music elements, reggaeton and R&B influences, and hip-hop beats into the tenets of her forward-thinking songwriting and arranging.
Produced primarily by Timbaland and Danja, along with Nisan Stewart, Lester Mendez, Rick Nowels, and Furtado herself, the aptly named Loose bursts forth with an even-dozen winning tracks like the falsetto encouragement of “Do It,” the heavenly ballad “In God’s Hands,” and the touching “Te Busque,” featuring a guest vocal from Juanes. All 12 of the core songs on Loose prove why Nelly Furtado became such an international superstar. In addition, a bonus track, the Spanish version of “Te Busque” (Feat. Juanes),” is included at the end of Side 4.
In 2009, Furtado paid tribute to Timbaland’s production in an interview with the UK’s Daily Mail. She said “Of all the great talents I’ve worked with, he’s got the genius touch.” The following year, Furtado told BBC, “We wanted it raw, we wanted it visceral, we wanted the speakers to buzz. We fought for that.”
