DE
MACEDO
Larissa

• 1. Early life

Larissa de Macedo Machado better known by her stage name Anitta, is a Brazilian singer, songwriter, actress, and dancer. Due to the success of the song "Meiga e Abusada" released in 2012, she signed a contract with Warner Music Brazil the following year.

Anitta rose to national fame in 2013 after releasing the single "Show das Poderosas". Its music video has been viewed over 150 million times on YouTube. In July of the same year, she released her debut studio album which received a triple gold record certificate and platinum certification by ABPD. The album hit the mark of 170,000 copies sold, being also released in Portugal. Ritmo Perfeito (2014), her second studio album, sold 45,000 copies. On the same day she also released her first live album, Meu Lugar. In November 2014, she performed at the Latin Grammy Award. In 2015, she released her third studio album entitled Bang, which was certified platinum and produced the singles "Deixa Ele Sofrer", "Bang", "Essa Mina é Louca" and "Cravo e Canela".

In 2013, Anitta spent longer at the top of iTunes in Brazil than any other singer. She was elected by the Associação Paulista de Críticos de Arte (APCA) as the revelation of the year in music in 2013. She is a five-time winner of the Best Brazilian Act on the MTV Europe Music Awards, and was the first Brazilian artist to win the Best Latin American Act award. In 2017, she was ranked as one of the most influential celebrities in social media according to Billboard.

Early life

Anitta was born Larissa de Macedo Machado in Rio de Janeiro, the youngest daughter of Míriam Macedo and Mauro Machado; her brother Renan Machado serves as her artistic producer. Her mother raised the two children by herself.

She began her career at 8 years old singing in the choir of Santa Luzia Church in Rio de Janeiro by the intervention of her maternal grandparents. At 11 years old, with the allowance she got, she decided to take English classes. She later received dance lessons provided by her mother's teacher. At 16, she finished a course in administration at a technical school in Rio de Janeiro. A year later, she decided to pursue an artistic career. That same year, she was the winner of the "Revelation of Music" award.

Anitta's stage name was inspired by the character Anita, from Rede Globo TV series Presença de Anita. She thought the character "amazing" because " she could be sexy without looking vulgar, girl and woman at the same times".