Meet Nevis Gahunia, Nelly Furtado’s talented mini-me daughter: gifted with music from a young age, she’s recently teased some behind-the-scenes pics hinting she might follow in her mother’s footsteps

Jan 3 , 2025

Meet Nevis Gahunia, Nelly Furtado’s talented mini-me daughter. Photos: @nellyfurtado, @nevisgahunia/Instagram

The 21-year-old is the daughter of Furtado and Jasper ‘DJ Lil Jaz’ Gahunia, and she recently served as creative director for her mother’s Tiny Desk debut on NPR

In May, Nelly Furtado finally made her long-awaited debut at NPR’s Tiny Desk, delivering an 11-track medley that celebrated her illustrious 20-year career. With a full band backing her, Furtado treated fans to everything from the Timbaland-produced hit “Promiscuous” to rare gems like her remix of Missy Elliott’s “Get Ur Freak On”.

Nelly Furtado has three children, including firstborn Nevis Gahunia. Photo: @nellyfurtado/Instagram

The set list was packed with more of her No 1 hits, including “Say It Right” and “Give It to Me”, though her famous collaborators Timbaland and Justin Timberlake were notably absent. Fans were also taken back to 2000 with iconic tracks like “Turn Off the Light”, and her breakout hit “I’m Like a Bird”.

Furtado pulled out all the stops, incorporating everything from violins and cowbells to beatboxing and arrangements by DJ Lil Jaz – who happens to be the singer’s ex-boyfriend and father of her first child, Nevis Gahunia.

But the real magic didn’t just happen on stage; it was behind the scenes where Nevis stepped in as the creative director, bringing a fresh perspective to the performance.

Nevis Gahunia with her parents Nelly Furtado and Jasper “DJ Lil Jaz” Gahunia. Photo: @nevisgahunia/Instagram

So who is Nevis Gahunia? Keep reading to discover everything about Nelly Furtado’s talented eldest child.

Nevis Gahunia was born in Canada

Nevis Gahunia is the daughter of two musicians. Photo: @nevisgahunia/Instagram

Nevis was born in Toronto, Canada, in September 2003. Her dad Jasper Gahunia is a talented musician and composer known for his work on the short films Gravity of Center (2011) and With You Always (2019), and the TV series Murder in Paradise. Furtado and Gahunia split in 2005, but remain on friendly terms.

Nevis attended her first award show with her mum in 2023

Nevis Gahunia helped with her mother Nelly Furtado’s Tiny Desk performance. Photo: @nevisgahunia/Instagram

In 2023, Furtado was accompanied by her then-19-year-old daughter at the MTV Video Music Awards. Although they didn’t pose together on the red carpet, the “I’m Like a Bird” singer couldn’t help but gush about her daughter to the Associated Press. “She does work in the music business. She’s a colleague now of mine,” Furtado said. “Well, it’s funny – I’ve got my 19-year-old here as my plus-one tonight. So she’s experiencing her kind of first award show. She helps me with [scouting and developing artists] and stuff like that. And she’s very creative.”