Nelly Furtado: 'Big Hoops' Was Inspired by Odd Future

Nelly Furtado got some unlikely inspiration from Odd Future when recording her latest single “Big Hoops (Bigger the Better).” The Canadian singer reveals how Tyler, the Creator and his controversial crew influenced the Rodney Jerkins-produced track.

“The state of mind I was in, I was actually listening to a lot of different music a few weeks before,” Nelly told MTV News. “I think I was listening to Odd Future or something, and I was inspired by how dark it sounded and how heavy and visceral and how it made your blood feel things. And I just thought, ‘Wow—that’s really missing in music. We’re missing that rawness, that energy and that power.'”

She also reflected upon her own teenage years. “I think music can tap into a lot of powerful emotions, and I think in the studio on ‘Big Hoops’ I tapped into a really powerful memory of being 14 years old, completely in love with hip-hop and R&B along with all my friends, and putting on my sister’s big hoop earrings and heading down to the mall to hang out with my backpack and jeans,” she explained.

Nelly’s fifth album The Spirit Indestructible is due in September featuring contributions from Salaam Remi, Nas, Passion Pit’s Michael Angelakos, and eight tracks by Jerkins.