Anitta: the first Brazilian winner at the MTV VMA 2022
11 september 2024 в 17:37
Anitta can make history again! The 31-year-old Rio de Janeiro native became the first Brazilian performer to win an MTV Video Music Award in 2022, receiving the award for Best Latin American Video for her track «Envolver». Now she will take the stage again at the VMA ceremony in New York at UBS Arena on September 11.
Although Anitta is not entirely a newcomer — her 64 million Instagram followers prove that she did not just appear overnight — there are still those who are not familiar with this Brazilian superstar. As fans gear up to watch the VMA ceremony this year, we have a brief description of Anitta’s path to fame.
Born Larissa de Macedo Machado on March 30, 1993, the woman known as Anitta first achieved commercial success with the song «Meiga e Abusada» in 2012. In 2013, she signed with Warner Music Brazil, releasing her debut album titled «Anitta» the same year. She released her second album «Ritmo Perfeito» in 2014 and her third studio album «Bang» in 2015. While her first three projects had commercial success, she gained critical acclaim with the album «Kisses», - her fourth studio album in three languages. «Envolver» is taken from her fifth studio album «Versions of Me», - which was released in 2022.
«I always need to carry my culture», - she told Billboard in 2022. «I could never just switch to another market and do whatever. What would be the goal: fame? Money? I’ve already had that, and that’s not my goal».
«Being an international artist is not just about being famous wherever you go, because the world is so big», - Anitta told Billboard. «It's about being able to impact culturally diverse areas at the same time». In 2022, the Brazilian music market was the eleventh largest in the world. However, considering that the country speaks Portuguese, it is difficult for artists to find popularity in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. She told Billboard that her brother Renan (with whom she jointly manages her career) told her that she would like to try herself beyond the borders of Brazil.
«[He said] 'Why? You’ll have to start all over and do the crap you did six years ago. You don’t even have the energy anymore,'» she told Billboard. «And I told him that this is what I wanted, even though I was very scared. It meant that I had to give up everything I had done. I knew that if I failed, everyone in my country would laugh at me. This happens to everyone who tries and fails. I didn’t want to become a joke. I wanted it to happen for real».
However, the risk paid off. «Versions of Me» was a success, and she collaborated with major stars like Becky G, Prince Royce, Diplo, Saweetie, and Snoop Dogg.
During a 2017 interview with Trip magazine, Anitta said that if she were not in the music industry, she would have pursued a career as a psychologist.
«It's crazy, because as an artist — perhaps because we don’t want to feel insecure — my character is very powerful, this girl who does everything», - she told J Balvin in an interview for Interview magazine in 2022. «But most of the time I am very caring towards everyone, I care about everyone, I think about my family and make sure everything is okay. I am a very private person, so I don’t let anyone know about it — it’s kind of a secret. But in reality, I am not as powerful, invincible a person as I sell myself as an artist».
«When I was suffering as a teenager, I created this character inside me that no one could play», - she added. «She was strong, but I was very insecure. This is part of me, this side that is very confident — and I like it. But there is another side, the opposite, and it helps my career, because then I don’t forget where I came from. What drives me with this character, with this whole industry, is that I care so much about everything. I am a very politically minded person, and I use this character and the industry to make the changes I want to see in the world».
«I like to change things», - Anitta told Dazed magazine in 2019
Although Anitta is not entirely a newcomer — her 64 million Instagram followers prove that she did not just appear overnight — there are still those who are not familiar with this Brazilian superstar. As fans gear up to watch the VMA ceremony this year, we have a brief description of Anitta’s path to fame.
Born Larissa de Macedo Machado on March 30, 1993, the woman known as Anitta first achieved commercial success with the song «Meiga e Abusada» in 2012. In 2013, she signed with Warner Music Brazil, releasing her debut album titled «Anitta» the same year. She released her second album «Ritmo Perfeito» in 2014 and her third studio album «Bang» in 2015. While her first three projects had commercial success, she gained critical acclaim with the album «Kisses», - her fourth studio album in three languages. «Envolver» is taken from her fifth studio album «Versions of Me», - which was released in 2022.
«I always need to carry my culture», - she told Billboard in 2022. «I could never just switch to another market and do whatever. What would be the goal: fame? Money? I’ve already had that, and that’s not my goal».
«Being an international artist is not just about being famous wherever you go, because the world is so big», - Anitta told Billboard. «It's about being able to impact culturally diverse areas at the same time». In 2022, the Brazilian music market was the eleventh largest in the world. However, considering that the country speaks Portuguese, it is difficult for artists to find popularity in Spanish-speaking Latin American countries. She told Billboard that her brother Renan (with whom she jointly manages her career) told her that she would like to try herself beyond the borders of Brazil.
«[He said] 'Why? You’ll have to start all over and do the crap you did six years ago. You don’t even have the energy anymore,'» she told Billboard. «And I told him that this is what I wanted, even though I was very scared. It meant that I had to give up everything I had done. I knew that if I failed, everyone in my country would laugh at me. This happens to everyone who tries and fails. I didn’t want to become a joke. I wanted it to happen for real».
However, the risk paid off. «Versions of Me» was a success, and she collaborated with major stars like Becky G, Prince Royce, Diplo, Saweetie, and Snoop Dogg.
During a 2017 interview with Trip magazine, Anitta said that if she were not in the music industry, she would have pursued a career as a psychologist.
«It's crazy, because as an artist — perhaps because we don’t want to feel insecure — my character is very powerful, this girl who does everything», - she told J Balvin in an interview for Interview magazine in 2022. «But most of the time I am very caring towards everyone, I care about everyone, I think about my family and make sure everything is okay. I am a very private person, so I don’t let anyone know about it — it’s kind of a secret. But in reality, I am not as powerful, invincible a person as I sell myself as an artist».
«When I was suffering as a teenager, I created this character inside me that no one could play», - she added. «She was strong, but I was very insecure. This is part of me, this side that is very confident — and I like it. But there is another side, the opposite, and it helps my career, because then I don’t forget where I came from. What drives me with this character, with this whole industry, is that I care so much about everything. I am a very politically minded person, and I use this character and the industry to make the changes I want to see in the world».
«I like to change things», - Anitta told Dazed magazine in 2019
© Zhinobaeva Margarita
