From English to Español: Musicians Crossing Over

Nelly Furtado

The Canadian-Portuguese artist credits Cuban crooner Alex Cuba as the catalyst for her 2009 Spanish-language debut, Mi Plan. The story goes that he stopped by the studio when she was recording a song called “My Plan” and suggested she pepper it with Spanish phrases. In the end, she recorded the title track with Cuba, and also joined forces with Julieta Venegas and La Mala Rodriguez for “Bajo Otra Luz” and Alejandro Fernández for “Sueños.” The Recording Academy approved by giving her a 2010 Latin Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Album.