2 Music Interview

Nelly interview: 'I don't own a Porsche... yet'

Nelly promotional shot.

If there's one thing you can depend on Nelly for, it's a summer pop anthem - and the singer has delivered once again with his new single 'Hey Porsche'.

Digital Spy chatted to the star about his newest hit, as well as the first "Nelly and Nelly" duet and personalised hairbrushes.

Hi Nelly! Congratulations on the success of 'Hey Porsche'. Did it sound like a hit when you recorded it?
"Thank you I appreciate it. I mean, you never actually know until it's out - you know what I'm saying?"

We hear you. Do you actually own a Porsche then?
"Errmm… No not yet [laughs]."

Surely you're good for a free one now?
"Yeah well I've been getting great offers!"

So, have you ever dated a lady called Porsche?
"No I've never dated a lady called Porsche - well what I'm saying is, I've been involved with a Porsche before... here and there [laughs]."

If you had to write a song about another car, which one would it be and why?
"I don't know, I don't know. It's just one of those things where you would probably wait and see, you know. I didn't think I would be writing about Porsche until I heard the beat and everything came up."

How did the song come about?
"It's one of those situations where the producers had this idea for me and they played it for me and I kinda liked it. So we got it in there and mixed it with something we thought would be dope."

Is it an indication of what we can expect from your new album?
"Well, no not really that's just because if you know anything about my albums they're pretty diverse. 'Hey Porsche' is 'Hey Porsche', you know - I got time to do different things. I got the first ever Nelly and Nelly collab which is dope, with myself and Nelly Furtado. That's real stupid. I got Wiz Khalifa, Ne-Yo, Pharrell and TI on there, so there's a variety of different feels on the album."

Is the Nelly and Nelly track a love song or a club banger?
"It's me, you know. It's more of a stressless song and something that's very inspiring. It's something that I think people were probably expecting as a love song from Nelly and Nelly, so we definitely wanted to take it into a different direction to make people think a little bit."

Have you been listening to any artists recently that you have been inspired by?
"I think there's a lot of great music - obviously Kendrick Lamar is dope, but I'm a big west coast fan anyway. I definitely love anything that comes out that way that's worth checking out and his album is definitely an album must-have."

Nelly Furtado in 'Parking Lot' music video.

Nelly Furtado


© PA Images / Dave Martin/AP

Kendrick Lamar

You've had a quite a few hits in your career so far, but which song do your fans sing at you the most when you're out and about?
"Depends, man - I mean people sing, people have their own their own vibes they sing, but it's not just one. People come with 'Hot In Here' to 'Dilemma' and obviously 'Just a Dream', and now I'm getting a lot of 'Hey Porsche'. It's different all over the world."

What's the strangest thing a fan has ever given you?
"The strangest thing a fan has ever given me? A fan gave me a hairbrush one time, so that was pretty dope."

Was it a used hairbrush or a new one?
"Nah it was a new one, but it had my name engraved on it."

Did you ever use it?
"Nah this was years ago."

Oh right. If you were offered to judge on a show like The Voice or The X Factor, would you be up for it?
"Yeah, you never know. You try to take in all offers and see if they're working with something you're doing, so I'm not opposed to it if it works."

What kind of judge do you think you'd make?
"Hopefully a fair one."

When is the album coming out?
"The new album should hopefully be out later this summer."

What happens after that?
"We don't have the tour dates lined up yet, but we're definitely thinking tour around the same time. Probably beginning in the fall towards the end of the year. Hopefully I get a chance to come over to the UK real soon again, like in the summer."

Nelly's new single 'Hey Porsche' is available to download now.
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