Nelly Furtado | KA MAGAZINE

NELLY FURTADO – Best of Canada

18 Feb 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Posted by:

Doing a magazine and choosing who to interview for Best of Canada isn’t as easy as it seems. But when it came time to chose Nelly Furtado as the best, this was an easy one! However it wasn’t so much because of all the awards and the great music that she had done over the years that made it for us. It was more the fact that she had to keep on striving against the odds at the beginning of her career that did it. To know that even she had to (like other greats before her) make it against all the odds, can serve as a bit of motivation for other artists out there feeling that they should give up: don’t. For the first KA Best of Canada issue, we are thrilled to have Nelly Furtado as Best of Canada 2010(music).

KA — How important is charity to you, and tell us what you are doing these days?

NF — Giving back is important. I keep most of my charity interests private, but I will say that I feel smaller, community-based projects are really impor- tant and often overlooked.

KA — When you create a new album, how much of your time do you actually invest in such a project?

NF — An album can take as little as 6 months to as long as three years.. It depends on craft, songs, time dedication and inspiration.

KA — Which other artists are you currently listening to?

NF — Always listening to K’naan, Emm Gryner, Dylan Murray. Great Cana- dians.

KA — How important is love to you in the context of waking up in the morn- ing and living each day?

NF — Love is essential. Love is everything.

KA — Where are you most at peace?

NF — Inside my mind.

KA — When you’re in studio, how do you know when you have “The take”?

NF — When it just feels right and gives you the goose bumps.

KA — Do you have a specific ritual that you do before recording or perform- ing live?

NF — I drink lots of tea and I make sure my lyrics are scribbled and as messy as possible on the page!

KA — What was the last book that you read that inspired you the most?

NF — Paulo Coelho’s “Winner Stands Alone”. All his books have incredible meaning that can be applied to everyday life.

KA — Do you have a hero in your life?

NF — My heroines are all my female ancestors. Portuguese domestic warriors who pounded the earth with their fists and washed their clothes in the sea.

KA — When doing a magazine, there is so much work in the production of it that by the time it goes to print and is on the news stands, I have seen it a thousand times. I actually have to wait a few weeks before visiting a store and pretending that it is the first time (still I am not fooled) to get a slight feeling of “surprise”. How do you get your slight feeling of surprise after working on an album or song so intensely?

NF — As soon as I hear one of the songs on the radio, it suddenly feels “real” to me, and I have a chance to really reflect on the energy and vibration of the music.

KA — Who is Nelly Furtado?

NF — To quote the awesome Erykah Badu, from her album “Mama’s Gun”

I’m an “analogue girl in a digital world”.

Chris Smith – Best of Canada Artist Manager

18 Feb 2011 | Categories: Uncategorized | Posted by:

When is a manager doing a great job? We think it would be when that manager manages to build the careers of his or her client while keeping a healthy low pro. If the list of talented people, both in entertainment and sports is any indication, Chris Smith is definitely doing a great job and one worthy of being chosen as Best of Canada 2010.

KA — When we look at your resume, it seems that it must be humanly impos- sible to do as much as you do. However you seem to do it with seeming ease, what’s your secret?

CS — I surround myself with great people and I try to spend quality time doing quality things.

KA — Everyone seems to believe, or want to believe that “it” is easy; that others always have it easier than they do, and that’s why that person reached some sort of success. I think that somewhere along the line, someone always had to give us a hand up, who was that “someone” for you?

CS — I believe the team I surround myself with at any given point in my career is responsible for assisting me in getting me to the next level.

KA — In order to manage the careers of others, what is the most useful char- acter trait to have?

CS — Being an active listener.

KA — KA Magazine has voted you Best of Canada 2010, one of the reasons was to create more awareness of the person behind the scenes; the necessary one that by design is over-looked but completely necessary in the success of the client. Why do you think that in general the people in your profession keep such a low profile?

CS — It is important to keep a low profile, as you never want your personal ego or attitude to transfer to your clients’ goodwill.

KA — If you could have a clone, what would he be doing as a job?

CS — He will be doing interviews and sleeping for me.

KA — What motivates you on a daily basis to do your best, even when there is no one else seeing it?

CS — Providing for my family and knowing that I have people’s dreams in my hands.

KA — How important is family to you?

CS — I love my family and I want to make them proud.

KA — What music is on your playlist?

CS — Candi Staton and all my artists.

KA — What single act of kindness have you witnessed recently that brought a smile to your face?

CS — Witnessing my mother’s volunteer work in her town.

KA — Tell us something about Chris that we need to know?