Nelly Furtado

Nelly Furtado's first album, the worldly, poppy Whoa, Nelly!, sold 5 million copies worldwide. Her second, Folkore, sold a fraction of that. Learning that music is a fickle business -- and giving birth to her daughter, Nevis, now two years old -- gave Furtado the courage to change things up on her third disc, Loose. "After having food thrown at me by a toddler in a crowded restaurant, I'm made of steel," she says. Beat wizard Timbaland took the reins for this one, and during late-night jam sessions at Miami's Hit Factory, Furtado turned up the sex and the funk, experimenting with R&B, reggaeton, Eighties dance pop and hip-hop. "He's really a snake charmer," says Furtado about her producer. "He really brings it out." Studio guests included Lil Wayne, Latin crooner Juanes and Coldplay's Chris Martin, who co-wrote Loose's closing track. The disc's title reflects the vibe in the studio and Timbaland's guerrilla recording techniques. "We kept the coughing, the laughing, the distorted bass lines," Furtado says. "We wanted to take the mystery out of music. Reality TV is so popular, why not reality audio?"

You've worked with a lot of producers: Track and Field, Scott Storch, Pharrell Williams. Why is Loose nearly all Timbaland?
The first night in the studio with Tim, I knew we were going to do something really cool. I had been listening to Queens of the Stone Age and Death From Above 1979 and Peaches and Metric -- modern rock bands that have this sexiness to what they do. And that was what I felt that first night: a really intense energy, really loud. Then we smelled smoke. There were flames coming out of the speakers. It was like an omen -- like the burning bush, but a burning speaker.

At the VMAs last year in Miami, I saw you backstage talking to Chris Martin.
You witnessed it! We planned to hook up the next night. Tim was so excited about it -- it was destiny -- because all he played me for two weeks was Coldplay. He'd be like, "This guy's sick, he's the truth!" Tim kept calling Chris "Coldplay." At first they were too nervous to sit down, so I said, "Don't just stare at each other, let's jam!" So we did, until 4 a.m., when Chris had to leave. At that point I said, "Why do all good jams have to come to an end?" Chris started singing the song "All Good Things (Come to an End)."

Did you see any of Coldplay's Florida gigs?
Yeah, in West Palm. Great show. Tim and I were there, and they played a version of "Don't Panic," a really true acoustic version. Chris says, "This is dedicated to Timbaland, the greatest producer in the world!" Tim turns to me and says, "I wish he dedicated 'Clocks' to me" [laughs].