[14] Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly called the song "triumphant" and wrote that Keys "shows off her trills and her cocky attitude".

"[9] Carl Williott, also from Idolator, praised the track for not being generic, calling it: "the restrained type of pop song that’s becoming harder to find amidst the deluge of hyper-processed vocals and pseudo-dubstep.

[17] The video opens with Keys looking uncomfortable as she sits down at her piano while "getting her a massive mop of curls prepped before a shoot".

Following her shoot, Keys strolls around the music video set in a quest for "self-discovery" and at one point is seen viewing herself in a handful of mirrors.

[9] On October 16, she performed the song during the 'City Advantage Love the Journey Concert' at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York City.

Josh Stillman of Entertainment Weekly praised her appearance on the show as a whole; he wrote: "She carries herself onstage with cool and confidence – not showy or attention-seeking, merely comfortable – and speaks in a voice so smooth you could drape it over your shoulders.

"[21] He noted that Keys was backed by a six-piece band for songs such as "No One" and "If I Ain't Got You", but stripped down the mood for the "passionate solo renditions" of "Not Even the King" and "Brand New Me".

[21] Keys has announced plans to tour the UK in May 2013, and has confirmed that "Brand New Me" is on the setlist along with several other songs from Girl on Fire as well as her older hits.

[22] In celebration of her thirty-second birthday, Keys released a remix of "Brand New Me" entitled "BNM Part 2", on January 25, 2013.

"[23] The up-tempo dance-inspired remix samples "Gypsy Woman (She's Homeless)" (1991) by American recording artist Crystal Waters.

[23] Vibe commented that the remix is a "definite departure" from the original song and features "highly stylized elements and a lot of bleeps and pops".

[24] Jake Updegraff writing for RyanSeacrest.com noted that the remix version "has an upbeat tone to it that makes the song much different from the original".

[26] On January 31, 2013, Keys invited husband Swizz Beatz and close friend Jada Pinkett Smith to Brooklyn in New York City to film a music video for the remix.