This past year has seen Anitta lining up hit collaborations in English, Spanish and Portuguese alongside superstars like J Balvin, Major Lazer and Poo Bear, spanning genres and musical worlds. But now, the Brazilian superstar readjusts the spotlight back on her with her new three-track single Solo.
Featuring just Anitta on vocals, the three-song EP sees the 25-year-old conquering multiple genres and multiple languages in a release that accurately defines her career thus far while also looking ahead to what she can accomplish—and change—in the future.
“Não Perco Meu Tempo,” the Portuguese track which translated to English means “Don’t Waste My Time,” is a good place to start with a song that feels like classic Anitta. The strong blend of pop and Brazilian baile funk feel like a wink towards some of Anitta’s earliest work as she dissects why it’s so hard to find a good partner.
But perhaps most notably, Anitta takes her message a step forward with the diverse, LGBTQ-friendly visual to “Não Perco Meu Tempo” that sees a cast of suitors of all genders, colors and sizes vying for Anitta’s attention and, eventually, passionately making out with the superstar. At a time when Brazil has just elected a president known for his anti-LGBTQ rhetoric—with Anitta herself initially called out for not denouncing the candidate before she repudiated and made her stance clear—the video to this Portuguese song becomes all the more important and sees the diva understanding the power in the international pop market.
Moving to the EP’s Spanish track “Veneno,” (“Poison,” in English), the Rio de Janeiro native sashays back into the Latin-pop market with the same sexy, sensual sounds that have made her a must-have collaborator with so many of the scene’s hottest acts. With brilliant lyrics about the need to treat one another well in a relationship, the song goes a bit deeper as with the chanteuse using a fascinating metaphor of being like poison that will kill you from the inside if you don’t treat her right.
The song’s accompanying video will likely stand as one of Anitta’s most famous visuals as the star turns into a snake queen as she charms a slew of serpents and tangles herself in a splattering of the venomous creatures. Among all the Solo visuals, “Veneno” has scored the most views with nearly 19 million views on YouTube in its first week out and should continue strong as equal parts sexy and horrifying.
Anitta closes out Solo with “Goals,” the English contribution to the track that doubles as a slinky, Pharrell Williams–produced jam and a commentary for her burgeoning global career. Over the knocking, salsa-inspired beat peppered with Pharrell ad-libs in the background, Anitta gives herself words of encouragement (“What I hated, now I love the most / Mother told me don’t let nothing stop me / Cause ain’t no copies, baby you’re a one-off”) and looks forward to what she can accomplish in the future as a mainstream artist (“Shine the rest of the stars are watching / You’re awesome, you’re unique for all time”).
The musical, visual, personal and political statements Anitta statements makes on Solo not only celebrates the wide breadth of what she’s already accomplished in her career, but also what more she can do in the future and further positions her as a talent to keep watching.
