This Is Why Anitta Said Mariah Carey Is Her ‘Queen’ and She Loves ‘All Her Songs’

Brazilian singer Anitta is a pop-reggaeton sensation, bringing musical influences as diverse as the funk she grew up with in the favelas of Honório Gurgel in Rio de Janeiro, all the way to American top 40 hits.

Her influences are so diverse she sat down with Teen Vogue to share the playlist of her life — and of course, her “queen” Mariah Carey is on it.

Anitta, 29, is known for never holding back in her performances, dancing to reggaeton and funk carioca rhythms present in tracks like “Downtown” and “Envolver.”

Performing on stages from Coachella to arenas all around the world, she described how the songs she grew up with served as inspiration to imagine and construct her future. 

The “Vai Malandra” vocalist told Teen Vogue that she loved to pretend she was performing when she was a teenager. She described how she would play Fergie’s “London Bridge” in her room and dance in front of the mirror with an imaginary microphone.

Only hitch? One day, she forgot the window was open. 

“[I was] super crazy on my bed, just with my underwear. And when I saw all the neighborhood was watching me, it was terrible, but it was the first time I had some kind of audience.” It’s all about looking at the glass half full!

While Fergie is a surefire inspiration for the Brazilian star, it seems like no one tops “Songbird Supreme” Mariah Carey for her.

Anitta chose Carey’s iconic 1995 megahit “Fantasy” as the #1 song in the playlist of her life, explaining, “This is one of the first songs of Mariah that I ever heard in my life.”

Anitta described that she still loves “Fantasy” today, and that it makes her “happy” and want to dance and sing all at the same time. She said, “I just love it.”

And her Mariah Carey addiction isn’t just limited to “Fantasy,” even if it is admittedly her “favorite.” The singer, dancer, and businesswoman stated, “I love all of her songs, I think there is no other singer that I listen to all of the tracks and there is not even one song that I say ‘I don’t like this one.’”

Other songs in Anitta’s life-long playlist that might surprise you? Apart from finding inspiration in pop divas Fergie and Mariah Carey, the Brazilian songstress once had an “emo” side.

Anitta explained she was once “kind of emo, kind of a rock girl. Kind of just playing black and white and having pink hair” and was very into Panic at the Disco’s “I Write Sins Not Tragedies.” In her opinion, the best part is, “What a beautiful wedding” and yes, our own teenage emo selves definitely agree.

The star also can’t get enough of Al Green’s iconic song “Let’s Stay Together,” which she remembers hearing in a romantic movie. She said the female protagonist sang the track for her love interest, and she remembers thinking: “One day I’m going to have a boyfriend that is watching me like that. And I’m going to be singing to him.”

The “Que Rabão” chanteuse also adores Colbie Caillat and even shares a playlist with her mother that’s fully dedicated to the “Bubbly” singer. Her favorite track, though? The very-sweet “Fallin’ For You.” 

Clearly family-oriented, Anitta can’t get enough of Sade’s “Smooth Operator” because it always reminds her of dancing with her father and her “family loves it.”

Still, there’s no doubt Mariah Carey has a special place in Anitta’s heart— and yes, same!