Nelly Furtado cemented her status as Canada's musical sweetheart Sunday night, sweeping the Juno Awards, performing a medley of her hits and charming viewers as show host.
Furtado won in all five categories in which she was nominated, taking the event's biggest accolades including best artist, best single and best album for her Timbaland-produced album "Loose."
Furtado told Canada AM she still can't believe how well she did.
"I just got emotional back there because when you really start to think about it, it's wonderful," she told Seamus O'Regan immediately following a news conference in which she talked about fulfilling the dream she began to chase at the age of 16.
"I never thought that would happen. I just feel really really grateful. Thank-you, thank-you, thank-you to CARAS and everybody for voting for me."
The 28-year-old Furtado added it feels particularly good to have been rewarded not just for being the hot new thing on the scene, but for being an established performer. "Loose" has been, by far, her best-selling album to date, selling 10 million copies worldwide and spawning three hits - "Promiscuous," "Maneater" and "Say It Right."
"It means a lot because it's coming from your peers and to get that respect, it feels better because it's my third album, you know?" she gushed.
"It's not my first album; it's my third. I've been doing this for eight years and I put a lot of work into it and I'm just so happy."
The bubbly Victoria native added that she was so busy worrying about hosting and performance duties that she hasn't a had a chance to let it all settle in.
"Sometimes these things fly by and you're preoccupied with 'Ohmigod, this is live TV and I have eight changes of wardrobe,' and this and that," she said.
Her first costume of the night saw her dressed as a bird as she sang a version of her breakthrough hit "I'm Like A Bird." The goofy singer then had a few more costume changes that included a hockey-inspired ball gown.
The Junos producers gave her lots of leeway to show off her goofy side, Furtado said, and she had lots of fun with it.
Now that the show is all over, Furtado, who is currently on a cross-Canada tour with visits to Toronto on Wednesday, Montreal on Thursday and Ottawa on Friday, said she just needs a good nap.
"I haven't been getting a lot of sleep and so tonight, I'm going to sleep so-o nicely," she cooed.
