Nelly Furtado confirms that "Maneater" set the studio on fire (literally)

“Maneater” is a great song. The Nelly Furtado track went number one on the charts in the UK, Czech Republic, and Canada, where the singer is from. (It peaked at 16 in the US, but we were clearly behind the curve back in 2006. The number one that same week, if you’re curious, was “Money Maker” by Ludacris featuring Pharrell.) It held its own in the Challengers trailers, even against the aural energy drink that was the movie’s Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score. It even, in the (almost) immortal words of Pitbull, set the [studio] on fire when it was recorded. Like, actually. 

“Yes,” Furtado recently confirmed to The Guardian when asked if the rumor was true. It was her very first day working on her 2006 album Loose with producers Timbaland and Danja, she explained, when Timbaland said “‘I made this beat for you’ and played it super loud.” The beat, as we now know, is the driving bass line over which Furtado sings, “You either wanna be with me or be me.” It’s a riff that could make anyone feel hot.

It worked on the speakers, at least. “Suddenly I smelled burning, there was all this smoke and a flame shot out of the speaker,” Furtado continued. “Someone came to replace the speaker but it freaked us out: maybe we should put this song away till tomorrow. And we worked on a different song. It was a super weird start to ‘Maneater,’ but a great start to the album.”

Loose would go on to generate heat in less literal ways. The album, which also contained classics like “Promiscuous” and “Say It Right,” peaked at number one on various global charts (including, this time, the US’ Billboard Hot 200), and continues to go double platinum in karaoke rooms around the world. “Maneater” even found its way into a TikTok video for Kamala Harris’ campaign, which Furtado loved. “I put a comment on TikTok consisting of a plate with fork and knife. She’s eating!” she said. “I was thrilled that she used my song.”

Furtado’s new album, 7, is out now.