Versions of Me
Versions of Me is the fifth studio album and second trilingual album by Brazilian singer Anitta, released on April 12, 2022, through Warner Records. The album is Anitta's first to be fully intended for the international market, and like her 2019 album "Kisses", includes songs in English, Spanish and Portuguese. Ryan Tedder executive produced the album. The singles "Me Gusta" (featuring Cardi B and Myke Towers), "Girl from Rio", "Faking Love" (featuring Saweetie), "Envolver", and "Boys Don't Cry" preceded the album. "Versions of Me" received generally positive reviews from music critics, who praised its production , versatility and Anitta's vocal performance. The album broke records in Spotify Brazil, opening with over six million streams and thus becoming the biggest debut of a Brazilian artist on the platform. The album also holds the record of biggest streaming week for a Brazilian artist in Spotify, with over 39 million streams. Background. After releasing her trilingual visual album "Kisses" (2019), Anitta started working on her fifth studio album, which was originally titled "Girl from Rio". In a 2020 interview for the Brazilian magazine "Veja", Anitta confirmed at that time that she had 30 songs ready for the album  and was selecting the tracklist with her manager Brandon Silverstein. In April 2021, Anitta released the single "Girl from Rio", which was announced as the then-title track of the album, but Anitta and her team decided to hold off on releasing the album that year. Anitta announced the album's changed title, release date and cover art on April 1, 2022, also saying that she would subsequently explain her thinking behind the album cover and that she "loved" that it was "causing controversy", stating that was her intent. She later released a statement on her social media accounts that  read in part, "Even after millions of plastic surgeries, doctors and interventions... my inside just stays the same", which references the "notable plastic surgery differences" between the different faces on the cover. She also remarked that the title was changed to "Versions of Me" as it "made more sense". Promotion. To promote the single "Girl from Rio", Anitta performed on several American talk shows in May 2021, including "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon", "Today" and "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". On September 12, 2021, she performed the song during the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards break, as part of a campaign  by Burger King. She performed on "The Tonight Show" again on January 31, 2022, singing "Boys Don't Cry". "Faking Love" was performed on the American talk show "The Late Late Show with James Corden", where she sang the song with the rapper Saweetie in November 2021. The single was performed in various other events throughout that year, including Miley's New Year's Eve Party, KIIS-FM Jingle Ball 2021, among others. On March 26, 2022, Anitta sang "Boys Don't Cry" with Miley Cyrus during the singer's show on the 2022 edition of Lollapalooza Brazil. Singles. "Me  Gusta" featuring Cardi B and Myke Towers, was released on September 18, 2020, as the official lead single from the album. In the United States, the song debuted at number 91 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 dated October 3, 2020, becoming Anitta's first entry on the chart. "Girl from Rio" was released as the second single on April 29, 2021. It was released as the original title track before the concept of the album changed. A remix was released featuring DaBaby was released on June 11, 2021. Anitta then released her next English track, "Faking Love" featuring Saweetie, as  the third single on October 14, 2021. "Envolver" was released as the fourth single on November 11, 2021. The single managed to become one of Anitta's most successful singles to date and was her second "Billboard" Hot 100 entry reaching number 70 following a viral TikTok trend in March 2022. A remix featuring Justin Quiles was released on February 17, 2022. "Boys Don't Cry" was then released as the fifth single on January 27, 2022. Composition. "Versions of Me" is a reggaetón and power pop album with elements of electropop, EDM, alternative R&B, funk carioca, electro, and trap -pop. Critical reception. "Versions of Me" received generally positive reviews from critics. Reviewing positively for "NME", Nick Levine called the album "a searingly ambitious affair from a star who knows exactly what she wants", scoring it four out of five stars. In another positive review for "Forbes", Chis Méndez affirmed Anitta "shows that she's more than just a pretty face—one that she's proud of after "hundreds" of cosmetic procedures. She easily hops between English, Spanish, and Portuguese as she sings about love, lust, loss, and everything in between". For "Rolling Stone", Julissa Lopez stated that Anitta's  search for an international market "worked, and it made Anitta one of the biggest stars in the Latin pop world. For her next act, she's ready to take on the rest of the planet, and she's planning to do so by sharing the most uncompromising portrait of herself on "Versions of Me"". Reviewing the album for "Rolling Stone", Charles Aaron found it to be "a tirelessly bewitching global dance-floor experience", adding "some may harbor doubts [of Anitta's success], but Anitta has the talent – and data – she needs", rating it four out of five stars. "Billboard" affirmed  the record "proves Anitta's versatility and chameleonic abilities to dabble in multiple genres". Ana Claro Ribeiro for "The Life of Best Fit", said "as [Anitta] dreams of becoming Brazilian funk's poster girl and pave the way for more Brazilian artists to have a global platform, Anitta knows damn well that the route to sucess requires a few concessions and adjustments, and she's very willing to make them", rating the album 7 out of 10.