Nelly Furtado grew up in remote Victoria, British Columbia, a first-generation Canadian, the daughter of working-class Portuguese parents. Furtado has indeed taken only the first few steps along her path, but her wide-ranging taste suggests an artist who has sampled much that music has to offer. Further evidence of her eclecticism is found in the instruments she plays (guitar, ukulele, trombone), the languages in which she sings (English, Portuguese, Hindi) and the debut album that represents another dream fulfilled. To be sure, Whoa Nelly!, released on DreamWorks Records Sept. 26, 2000, boasts a hybrid sound that is uniquely her own.