‘Girl from Ipanema:' Re-imagining a classic for today’s Rio

RIO DE JANEIRO — Chauffeured in a classic Porsche, the Brazilian beauty steps out into 1960s Rio de Janeiro. “Let me tell you ‘bout a different Rio / The one I’m from, but not the one that you know,” Brazil’s biggest pop star, Anitta, sings over a trap beat. “There really is a secret — an enchantment,” says de Moraes’ daughter Georgiana, who sometimes performs “The Girl from Ipanema.” She’s heard it countless times, she says, yet somehow it never spoils. “But,” he added, “that’s how the system worked, and it’s clear that, without English lyrics, those songs never would have broken through American provincialism.” RIO TODAY “The Girl from Ipanema” didn’t just break through; it became a smash hit, which led Brazil to treasure the original. “I think it’s necessary for people outside Brazil to embrace Brazilian music, funk music and whatever we do, for Brazilian people themselves to think we have a good thing here in our hands.” By scrubbing “Ipanema” from the lyrics, Anitta already succeeded where Gimbel failed.