Nelly Furtado ‘The Spirit Indestructible’ Release Date Bumped

It’s either a not-so-good sign or a necessary evil, but Nelly Furtado‘s forthcoming album ‘The Spirit Indestructible’ has been bumped to a Sept. 18 release date. The Canadian songbird’s fifth album was initially due out on June 19, where it would have been competing with Justin Bieber‘s ‘Believe.’ So why the bump?

A few things could be at play. A terse statement issued by her publicist read as follows: “Nelly Furtado has decided to move the release date of her new album, ‘The Spirit Indestructible,’ to accommodate both U.S. and international promotion schedules through the summer. The album is now scheduled for release on September 18.”

However, the fact that Furtado’s ‘Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)’ isn’t exactly a hit could be the reason for the delay. Her label could be regrouping and restrategizing to address the single’s status as a flop and planning a new track or a different course of action. With no hit single, ‘The Spirit Indestructible’ could be DOA if it drops as planned next month, and the label may be trying to avoid the album’s death on the vine.

Additionally, Furtado could be planning extensive touring in the fall and timing the release up with performance dates is always a smart move.

This is not uncommon, though. Anytime a label bumps a release date by several months, it’s usually a pre-emptive move to avoid a flop, to re-assess promotion tactics and to give the album more time to grow organically.

We didn’t love the singer’s ode to earrings, simply because she is capable of much more than overprocessed fluff like this. She has a great voice — why not use it to its full potential and capacity?

The spirit may be indestructible, but dem hoops? Not so much.