The Brazilian star Anittawhose rise to global fame peaked with the song “Wrap”, spoke in a recent interview about a period of deep personal and professional dissatisfaction. She hadn’t admitted it before, but the events she went through after the release of Versions of Me, the fifth album in her discography, led her to think about retiring from music.
“I didn’t feel happy,” he recalled of that moment of uncertainty. “I no longer had energy. I paid too much attention to sales figures, I read what they said on the Internet and critics. And after having thought so much about what my life would be like if I quit, or if I died… my priorities changed.”
Born and raised in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, Anitta He already had a dominant space in Latin music since his self-titled debut album in 2013. In dialogue with Varietythe artist described herself as an ambitious and visionary person, characteristics that undoubtedly pushed her career outside of Latin America.
Versions of Me It was the project with which it sought to consolidate itself in the American market. Despite receiving a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist and achieving global success with her single “Envolver,” the artist expressed frustration with the album’s mixed reception and the underlying difficulties she faced during its production. The LP lost strength by trying to have “something for everyone,” which meant a dip in the Brazilian’s personal record.
Anitta suffered another blow when a mysterious illness afflicted her with chronic pain and fevers for months. She was tested for cancer and other autoimmune conditions, but she claims she still doesn’t have a solid diagnosis of what happened.
“I thought I was going to die. And if I died, I wanted to leave a work that represented me and the sounds I like. He had already had ‘the hits’; According to the numbers, he had already done it,” he recalled to the American media. “Death and not knowing what tomorrow will bring make me feel more alive. Now I want to try something that makes me feel like an artist again.” he said of his change of focus.
The resolution of Anitta to reinvent himself artistically and return to his musical roots was so strong that it caused significant changes in his work team, including the separation of his manager for almost a decade and Warner Music.
His departure from the American record label was marked by several episodes of tension over creative and marketing discrepancies. Before ending her contract, the singer publicly expressed her disagreement with Warner’s management.
Such was her intention to leave the company, that she declared: “if there was a fine for contractual termination, I would be willing to sell my organs to pay it.” One of the strongest criticisms she launched on social media accused Warner of not investing in her music videos and having an overly dependent approach to virality on TikTok to promote her music.
After a million-dollar deal that freed her from her previous label in April 2023, Anitta emerged with new alliances, including a contract with Republic Records and the call of manager Rebecca Leonknown for her work with eminent figures such as RosaliaJ Balvin and Juanes.
Funk Generation, his new musical proposal, is the opening of this new chapter in his life. It was released on April 26 and is characterized by a return to the authentic baile funk sound of Brazilian favelas.
