Anitta Reflects on Dreaming Big in Brazil and Breaking the ‘Rules’ of Being a Woman: ‘I Wanted to Shake My Ass. I Wanted to Be Free’
Anitta reflected on growing up in the Brazilian favelas and breaking the “rules” to achieve her dreams at Variety’s Power of Women Presented by Lifetime event on Thursday, held at New York’s Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum.
The Brazilian superstar accepted her award from Bruna Marquezine, who celebrated Anitta’s “authenticity and fiery passion for music.”
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“You are an agent of change — a true ambassador of our culture around the world,” Marquezine said. “You are a fearless woman who has overcome several social and cultural barriers to get where you are – opening doors for many other women in our country and serving as an inspiration and a symbol of female empowerment, courage and freedom.”
In her speech, Anitta reflected on dreaming big while growing up in the favelas, where she said the people are “treated as the trash” of Brazil.
“We are born believing these things are not possible for us, because we don’t have it. There’s no structure. There’s no opportunities,” Anitta said in her speech. “Being born and raised in the ghetto of this country … we don’t have the tools that we should have to be everywhere that we dream about.”
Anitta is representing the charity CUFA (Central Única das Favelas), which is based in Anitta’s hometown in Rio De Janeiro. CUFA aims to promote a more just and poverty-free society by providing impoverished residents with non-profit educational programs and government-assisted aid.
CUFA’s programs range from teaching computer and technical skills to teenagers, while others provide cultural activities – from participation across internationally recognized sports leagues and music workshops – to all ages. Much of the music seminars and programs focus on the funk and hip-hop culture that inspired Anitta’s latest LP, “Funk Generation.”
Elsewhere in her speech, Anitta talked about breaking the “rules” she was taught growing up as a woman in Brazil.
“There were so many rules. So many rules on how to be a woman, how to behave, how to find the best husband, how to look good for the audience, to be the cute girl everybody wants to marry,” Anitta said. “And I was just not this person. I wanted to shake my ass, I wanted to be free, I wanted to make my own money.”
She also shouted out those who helped her reach this point in her career, including her manager Rebeca León and her new label, Republic Records.
In her Variety cover story, Anitta opened up about her career reset, which led her to recording the Brazilian funk-imbued “Funk Generation.” The album, released April 26, includes features from Sam Smith, Bad Gyal and more, and comes after Anitta overcame a series of health issues.
“Now I appreciate death so much,” Anitta told Variety. “I thought I was going to die. And if I did, I wanted to be sure I left behind a body of work that I felt truly represented me and the sounds I love. I’d already had the hits; I already did it by the numbers. Death, and the fact that we don’t know what tomorrow holds, make me feel the most alive. Now I want to try something that makes me feel like an artist again.”
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