Melissa Maia de Sousa, better known as Mel Maia, is a Brazilian actress and digital influencer. She became known for playing the character Rita in the first phase of the soap opera Avenida Brasil (2012). In 2010, at the age of 5, Mel started taking theater classes. Her television debut took place in 2011, in Rede Globo's year-end special O Relógio da Aventura, giving her life to the character Nina. However, her recognition would only come the following year, in 2012, when she played Rita as a child, in the first phase of the soap opera Avenida Brasil. Mel was highly praised for her performance, and for the confidence she demonstrated on stage, which earned her several awards.