20 Friday Friday, April 27, 2018 Lifestyle | Music & Movies irst, Anitta conquered Brazil. Now, the “Vai Malandra” (“Go Naughty”), which Spanish-and that’s before you start looking singer best known abroad for her smol- features Anitta twerking to the sultry rhythm further afield. While English is “the universal Fdering, booty-shaking video “Vai Malan- of baile funk-style rap, set social networks on language,” she is also focusing on Spanish- dra,” has her eyes set on the rest of the world. fire and became the first Brazilian song to language songs to reach the rest of the It’s been a fast but long ride from the rough Rio enter Spotify’s Top 20 Global. The video is set Latino world, recording alongside Colombian de Janeiro neighborhood of Honorio Gurgel- in a Rio favela and celebrates the often vio- artists Maluma and J Balvin. She spent two where Anitta, 25, grew up-to the palm-lined lence-plagued neighborhoods’ vibrant and years visiting clubs in Spain, the United condo she now calls home. But as Brazil’s sexy street culture, complete with women States and Mexico to get a feel for the mar- biggest pop star explained to AFP, it’s not so using electrical tape to create perfect tan ket and her potential fans, seeing herself as much a fairy tale as a story of social media lines and sculpted men with peroxide-blond Brazil’s answer to the border-hopping Latin savvy and hard-headed business strategies. hair and gold chains. The fact that she didn’t sensations Ricky Martin and Alejandro Sanz. “An artist has to know who she is and to be airbrush out the cellulite on her now famously “I just went ahead and tried to seize the mo- Christian Omar consistent in building her career,” she said in quivering backside only fueled the social ment,” she said. Palma Gutierrez an interview at her lavish house in Rio’s up- media frenzy-and boosted her credentials as The strategy works, taking her from the market western area of Barra da Tijuca. a singer who preaches female empowerment. 2016 Rio Olympics opening ceremony to an appearance last year on NBC’s “Tonight Show.” This summer, she’ll be pushing the Anitta brand with shows at Rock in Rio Lis- boa in Portugal, and in Paris and London. Bill- board magazine named her number 10 on a list of the most influential artists of social net- works last December, while this February, Mexican rapper and YouTube star with hundreds of Vogue magazine places her among the thousands of followers confessed to dissolving the world’s most influential people. Abodies of three missing film students in acid, author- ities confirmed Wednesday. Christian Omar Palma Gutier- Diva moments rez-also known as “QBA”-is one of two people detained over With its jacuzzi, palm trees and large the deaths of Salomon Aceves Gastelum, 25, Daniel Diaz, 20, swimming pool, Anitta’s three-floor house is and Marco Avalos, 20. Gutierrez admitted to state prosecu- the cliche pop star’s abode. But despite that tors that he disposed of the bodies after the trio’s kidnap- and her large retinue of assistants, she says ping, torture and murder in western Jalisco state last month. she keeps herself grounded. “I may have my “He has participated in three other previous murders,” diva moments but I don’t want to get to Brazilian pop singer chief investigator Lizette Torres told AFP. Gutierrez said he where I’m considered untouchable,” she said. Anitta poses at her received 3,000 pesos ($159) a week to work for the Jalisco In person, Anitta barely resembles the pout- home in Rio de New Generation drug cartel, one of the most powerful in ing, swaggering star of “Vai Malandra.” She Janeiro. —AFP photos Mexico, having been recruited by a friend three months ago. is diminutive, neatly dressed in black pants Two separate Facebook pages belonging to Gutierrez have and a yellow sweater, and her hair falls in a combined 140,000 followers, while his YouTube channel Born Larissa Machado, she began singing World conquest golden curls, rather than the dark braids of has nearly 125,000 subscribers and millions of views. In in church with her family and at 17 she was Brazil is Latin America’s biggest country the video. songs with titles such as “Death Has No Schedule”, Gutierrez discovered by a producer who saw her in a but Anitta says it’s not big enough for her. “I That chameleon-like adaptability, helped sings about violence, weapons and drugs, almost always in YouTube video. Five years later, Anitta found thought I would get to where I wanted to in by several rounds of plastic surgery, is a big a threatening tone. His professionally-shot videos are lit- fame in Brazil with “Meiga e Abusada” Brazil when I was about 30, but by 22, I was part of her rise. Her mantra, she says, “is to tered with images of poor neighborhoods where young gang (“Sweet and Sassy”) and “Show das already doing great,” she told a conference do things differently. I research the market members take drugs and show off weapons-while others Poderosas” (“Show of the Powerful”), but her Harvard hosted for Brazilian business leaders, but only so that I can do something other feature the rapper and his friends showing off in luxury ve- skills at navigating the online markets have where she was a surprise guest this April. “I than follow the trends. I look for things that hicles or on motorcycles. Torres confirmed the videos been the key, helping catapult her to rapidly like challenges, so I studied the international haven’t been explored yet.” And she clearly formed part of the criminal investigation into the murders. growing international stardom. She has 28 market.” Singing in English and Spanish doesn’t lack self-belief. “All my dreams that I Prosecutors said Gutierrez and the other suspect will be million followers on Instagram and her 2015 overcomes the hurdle of having Portuguese had, I’ve fulfilled,” she said. “I wanted to charged with aggravated kidnapping, while five more sus- song “Bang” has been watched 343 million as her native language. Although Brazil has a show people that it’s possible to do every- pects remain at large. — AFP times on YouTube. huge market, the rest of the continent speaks thing that they say is impossible.” — AFP ‘A Quiet Place,’ ‘Star Trek’ sequels announced aramount Pictures said Wednesday end, has amassed more than $200 million take Paramount to new heights,” he said. hit horror movie “A Quiet Place” was in revenue worldwide against a budget of “And we already started on that road to Pgetting a sequel and ended mounting just $17 million and is Paramount’s biggest giant success with ‘A Quiet Place.’” speculation over its lucrative “Star Trek” hit since 2016’s “Star Trek Beyond.” It has Gianopulos announced a string of se- franchise by confirming two new movies. been a ray of light in a dark year or more quels in partnership with Skydance Media, Chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos for Paramount, which has struggled to including a new “Terminator” with Linda opened the studio’s segment at the annual make the box office impact of its “big six” Hamilton from the original movie back on CinemaCon film industry convention in Las rival studios, all of which are presenting at board with Arnold Schwarzenegger, “Top Vegas with the news, praising director CinemaCon. Gun: Maverick” with Tom Cruise and two John Krasinski, who stars in the monster Since the third of the rebooted “Star new “Star Trek” films. Tantalizingly, he of- invasion thriller opposite real-life wife Trek” movies recouped almost $350 mil- fered no details and it remains unclear if Emily Blunt. lion globally, Paramount’s high-profile flops these will be a continuation of the reboot “If you told me five years ago that an have included “Ben-Hur,” “mother!” and franchise or if they include a previously an- almost silent film starring the very funny Matt Damon vehicles “Suburbicon” and nounced “Star Trek” movie from “Pulp Fic- guy Jim from ‘The Office’ would have been “Downsizing.” Gianopulos acknowledged tion” director Quentin Tarantino. a hit at Paramount, I would have said, ‘Well, the studio had suffered a rough year but Paramount initially said after “Star Trek I should go work at Paramount,’” said Gi- vowed that Paramount was “laying the Beyond” came out that a fourth release anopulos, who joined the studio a year ago. foundation” to repeat its past successes. would bring back “Thor” star Chris “A Quiet Place,” which regained top spot “I’m incredibly confident that we have the Hemsworth as Captain James Kirk’s father, at the domestic box office over the week- right team, culture, and attitude in place to George. — AFP.