2022 marked a significant year in Anitta’s career, as she basked in the continued success of her hit song “Envolver,” released at the close of 2021. She graced prestigious stages and dominated music charts. Nevertheless, behind the scenes, the Brazilian singer faced a challenging personal journey due to health concerns. Over several months, she endured frequent hospital visits, with medical professionals struggling to diagnose her illness. Anitta courageously shared her experience, offering insights on all the valuable lessons she learned from this challenging moment.
© @anitta“Last year, I fell seriously ill toward the end of the year, and they couldn’t determine the cause,” Anitta shared during a press conference in Mexico City, coinciding with the release of her album “Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story.” “I underwent cancer testing, spent five months in the hospital, had to halt my work, and couldn’t fully capitalize on the success that ‘Envolver’ had brought me because of my severe illness,” she revealed.
“I was on tour in Europe, and I went straight to the hospital from there, and I didn’t leave for five months,” she recalled. While going through this, she began imagining her vision for “A Favela Love Story.” “Throughout that time, I constantly heard that I might not make it, that my life was hanging by a thread, and I was determined not to let go of my dream project,” she explained. Therefore, from her hospital bed, she began writing her songs and, with the assistance of her team, reached out to producers to start shaping her cherished album.
© @AnittaThe singer revealed that she continued to work in this manner, offering creative input from her hospital bed and sharing her studio preferences while awaiting the results of new medical tests. “They initiated a blood test on me, and the initial results indicated a significant cancer risk, necessitating a retest,” she recounted.
However, before moving forward with the second test to confirm or dismiss the cancer diagnosis, Anitta devoted a month to seeking spiritual guidance, consulting with healers, investigating natural remedies, and engaging in alternative therapies. “Upon my return to the hospital a month later, they conducted the test once more, and thankfully, the elevated cancer indicator had subsided; I was showing signs of improvement,” she expressed with gratitude.
She looked for alternative treatments
“And I said, now I’m going to make this album; now, everything I want in my life, I’m going to achieve it because if I didn’t die, it means I’m going to live even better,” she reflected. “I was still in treatment at that point, with doctors and natural remedies,” she explained. She then mentioned renting a private island in Brazil where, on one side, traditional doctors were present, and on the other side, there was a recording studio. She admitted it was quite a considerable expense. “There, I recorded a song every day because otherwise, I would get too tired... and I continued with the treatment; my mom was with me the whole time,” she said.
“I thought, ‘I don’t know what I’m going to sing about,’ because before, I partied with the whole industry... a crazy life, alcohol, and who knows what else, and now I’m into meditations, therapies, stones, and crystals. So, I thought about making a song about how I used to be a mess and not anymore. And that’s how the song ‘Used to Be’ was born,” she explained.
