Nelly Furtado’s only legal husband — and now ex-husband — was sound engineer Demacio Castellon, whom she married on July 19, 2008, and separated from in 2016. Before Castellon, Furtado dated Jasper Gahunia from 2001 to 2005 and had her first child with him. After the divorce, she had two more children with a partner identified only as American rapper Jerry.
That three-sentence summary covers the basics. But for a Grammy-winning artist who has spent 25 years keeping her private life under lock, the real story sits in the gaps between headlines — the relationships that shaped her music, the children she shielded from public view, and the reason search engines still light up with questions about Nelly Furtado’s husband years after her marriage ended.
Jasper Gahunia — Nelly Furtado’s First Long-Term Partner
Jasper Gahunia, also known as DJ Lil Jaz, was Nelly Furtado’s boyfriend from 2001 to 2005. They never married, though many searches for “Nelly Furtado first husband” point to him because of their daughter together.
Gahunia worked as a DJ and music industry figure in the Toronto scene during the same period Furtado was breaking through with her debut album Whoa, Nelly! (2000). The two connected through overlapping music circles in Ontario, and the relationship coincided with some of Furtado’s earliest commercial success, including the Grammy-winning single “I’m Like a Bird.”
On September 20, 2003, Furtado gave birth to their daughter, Nevis Chetan Gahunia, in Toronto. Furtado was 24 at the time. She has spoken openly about how early motherhood reshaped her priorities — pulling her away from the relentless album-tour-album cycle and toward a more deliberate approach to both music and life.
The couple split in 2005. Neither Furtado nor Gahunia has publicly detailed the reasons. What followed for Furtado was one of the most commercially explosive reinventions in pop history: the 2006 album Loose, which sold over 12 million copies worldwide and produced global hits like “Promiscuous” and “Maneater.”
| Detail | Jasper Gahunia |
|---|---|
| Also known as | DJ Lil Jaz |
| Relationship period | 2001 — 2005 |
| Married? | No (boyfriend, not husband) |
| Child together | Nevis Chetan Gahunia (born Sept 20, 2003) |
| Based in | Toronto, Ontario |
Nevis Gahunia is now 22 years old. According to the South China Morning Post, she served as creative director for Furtado’s NPR Tiny Desk debut and has hinted at following her mother into the music industry.
Demacio Castellon — Nelly Furtado’s Husband
Demacio Castellon is a sound engineer who married Nelly Furtado on July 19, 2008. He worked with Furtado on her multi-platinum album Loose (2006), and their professional relationship evolved into a personal one during that era.
Castellon operated behind the scenes in the American music industry. Unlike Furtado, he never sought public attention, gave no press interviews about their relationship, and maintained a near-invisible media footprint throughout their marriage. According to Furtado’s Wikipedia entry, the two connected during the Loose sessions — a period when Furtado was collaborating with Timbaland and working at the peak of her commercial powers.
The 2008 wedding was a private ceremony with almost zero media coverage. No photographs from the event reached public circulation, and Furtado never used the marriage as a promotional moment. During interviews from 2008 through 2015, she spoke warmly but vaguely about her home life, keeping the focus on her music rather than her domestic arrangements.
The marriage covered a turbulent stretch of Furtado’s career. She released Mi Plan (2009), her Spanish-language album, then took an extended hiatus before returning with The Spirit Indestructible (2012). Throughout those years, Castellon remained a background figure — present in her life but absent from her public narrative.
The Split — What Happened to Nelly Furtado and Castellon
Nelly Furtado and Demacio Castellon separated in the summer of 2016 after eight years of marriage. She kept the split private for roughly a year before confirming it publicly on April 12, 2017, during an appearance on ITV’s Loose Women.
“I am single now,” Furtado told the panel. “Someone here needs to update my Wikipedia — it’s not helping my dating life!”
That quip landed with typical Furtado humor, but the underlying story was more painful. She described the period around the breakup as emotionally difficult, saying she “wrote and sung myself songs to get through it” while driving on long road trips. According to ET Online, Furtado’s representative confirmed the news and said Furtado was “in great spirits personally and professionally.”
Neither Furtado nor Castellon has publicly cited a specific reason for the separation. No reports of infidelity, legal disputes, or dramatic confrontations have surfaced. The most Furtado has offered is that the years surrounding the split were “personally turbulent” — a phrase she has used across multiple interviews without elaborating further.
| Timeline Event | Year | How It Became Public |
|---|---|---|
| Marriage to Demacio Castellon | July 19, 2008 | Private ceremony, minimal coverage |
| Separation | Summer 2016 | Not disclosed at the time |
| Public confirmation | April 12, 2017 | ITV Loose Women interview |
| ET Online confirmation | April 2017 | Furtado’s representative statement |
Hodgy Beats, Odd Future, and the “Jerry” Question
Searches for “Nelly Furtado husband Hodgy Beats” and “Nelly Furtado husband Odd Future” appear frequently in Google results, reflecting widespread public confusion about Furtado’s post-Castellon romantic life. Here is what can be verified.
Hodgy Beats — real name Gerard Damien Long — is a rapper and singer best known as a member of the hip-hop collective Odd Future (OFWGKTA), alongside Tyler, the Creator and Frank Ocean. Multiple online sources have linked Hodgy to Furtado, though neither party has confirmed a romantic relationship in any verified interview.
Separately, Furtado’s Wikipedia page states that she “has a daughter and son with American rapper Jerry.” The identity of “Jerry” has not been elaborated on in mainstream reporting. Furtado herself has never publicly named the father of her two younger children in any major interview, maintaining the same boundary between public and private life that defined her entire career.
The overlap between the Hodgy Beats rumors and the “Jerry” reference has created a tangled web of speculation online. Some fan sites conflate the two. Others treat them as entirely separate people. Without direct confirmation from Furtado, the most responsible conclusion is that the father of her younger children has been identified only by the first name “Jerry” in her Wikipedia entry, and Hodgy Beats’ connection to Furtado remains unverified.
Nelly Furtado’s Husband, Kids, and Family Life
Nelly Furtado has three children from two different relationships. She revealed the existence of her two younger children in late 2021, surprising fans who had no idea she had expanded her family.
- Nevis Chetan Gahunia — born September 20, 2003, with ex-boyfriend Jasper Gahunia. Nevis is now 22 and has worked as a creative director on her mother’s projects.
- A daughter (name not publicly disclosed) — born approximately 2018, with a partner Furtado has not publicly identified beyond the Wikipedia reference to “American rapper Jerry.”
- A son (name not publicly disclosed) — born approximately 2019, same father as her second daughter.
According to E! News (2023), Furtado described her younger children — then ages 6 and 5 — as “almost like twins” and said they had helped her understand her own ADHD diagnosis, which she received after their births. People magazine reported that Furtado was diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder while caring for her two youngest, a revelation she discussed candidly during promotion of her 2023 album 7.
| Child | Born | Father | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevis Chetan Gahunia | September 20, 2003 | Jasper Gahunia | Creative director, based in Toronto |
| Daughter (name private) | ~2018 | Not publicly confirmed | Revealed in late 2021 |
| Son (name private) | ~2019 | Not publicly confirmed | Revealed in late 2021 |
Nelly Furtado’s Current Husband and Relationship Status (2025)
Nelly Furtado does not have a husband as of 2026. She has not remarried since her 2016 separation from Demacio Castellon, and no credible reporting has confirmed a new long-term partner.
In a November 2024 interview flagged by Reddit’s r/Fauxmoi community, Furtado said dating is “so fun” after being “locked down in relationships” throughout her 20s and 30s. “I love it,” she added — a rare moment of openness about her personal life that signaled comfort with being single rather than urgency to find a new partner.
Her career, meanwhile, has entered a major new chapter. Furtado released the album 7 in 2023 to critical praise, her first full-length project since 2017’s The Ride. In early 2025, she teased a single titled “MARRIAGE” on Instagram — a title that immediately drew attention given her history. According to the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), Furtado will be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 55th Annual JUNO Awards on March 29, 2026, in Hamilton, Ontario.
For searchers asking “who is Nelly Furtado’s husband now” or “Nelly Furtado current husband” — the answer is nobody. She is single, actively dating, and focused on one of the strongest creative periods of her career.
Nelly Furtado and Her Husband’s Net Worth
Nelly Furtado’s net worth is estimated at approximately $40 million as of 2025, according to multiple financial reporting outlets. That fortune stems primarily from album sales (over 40 million records sold worldwide), touring revenue during her commercial peak (2006-2009), and publishing royalties from songs like “Promiscuous,” “Say It Right,” and “Maneater.”
Demacio Castellon’s net worth has never been publicly reported. As a sound engineer who worked behind the scenes, his earnings would have come from session work, production credits, and industry employment rather than artist royalties. No details about financial arrangements from the separation have been made public.
Jasper Gahunia’s financial standing is similarly unreported, though his career as a DJ in the Toronto music scene would place him in a different economic bracket than Furtado.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Nelly Furtado’s husband?
Nelly Furtado’s only husband was Demacio Castellon, a sound engineer she married on July 19, 2008. They separated in 2016, and Furtado confirmed the split publicly in April 2017. She has not remarried since.
Does Nelly Furtado have a husband now?
No. As of 2026, Furtado is single and has said she enjoys dating after years of being in committed relationships. She has not announced a new partner or engagement.
Is Sierra Furtado related to Nelly Furtado?
No confirmed family connection exists between Sierra Furtado and Nelly Furtado. Sierra Furtado is a Canadian YouTuber born on September 24, 1993, who shares the last name but has no verified familial relationship with the singer. Sierra once tweeted playfully at Nelly suggesting they might be related, but this appears to have been a lighthearted comment rather than a statement of fact.
How many children does Nelly Furtado have?
Furtado has three children: daughter Nevis Chetan Gahunia (born 2003, with Jasper Gahunia), plus a younger daughter (born ~2018) and a younger son (born ~2019) whose names she has not disclosed publicly.
Who is Jerry in relation to Nelly Furtado?
Furtado’s Wikipedia page identifies “American rapper Jerry” as the father of her two younger children. Furtado has not publicly confirmed this name in any major interview, and Jerry’s full identity remains unverified in mainstream reporting.
Summary
Nelly Furtado’s husband Demacio Castellon was the only man she legally married, and that marriage lasted eight years before ending in 2016. Her romantic history also includes Jasper Gahunia, the father of her eldest daughter Nevis, and an unidentified partner with whom she had two more children after her divorce.
The through-line across all of Furtado’s relationships is privacy. She controlled the narrative at every stage — keeping her wedding quiet, delaying her divorce announcement by a year, and revealing her two youngest children only after they were toddlers. That same instinct now extends to her current status: single, raising three kids, and preparing for induction into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the 2026 JUNO Awards.
