Brazilian Pop Star Anitta’s Favourite Place Is Rio de Janeiro

Rising up, the Brazilian singer Anitta didn’t journey lots. “My household was poor, so we didn’t have cash to go wherever,” she stated, talking by telephone from her house in Rio de Janeiro’s Barra da Tijuca neighborhood. Other than a number of journeys to close by seashores, she spent her childhood and most of her teenage years with out seeing a lot of Brazil, by no means thoughts the remainder of the world. “The farthest we’d go is to Arraial do Cabo, which is 2 hours away by automotive.” 

When she first discovered success as an artist within the early 2010s, that each one modified. Out of the blue, she needed to go locations at a second’s discover. Planes, airports, and suitcases turned an everyday a part of her routine. And whereas adapting to this wasn’t at all times straightforward—she was, in spite of everything, touring largely for work—she quickly began to understand elements of her new life-style. “I started attending to know new locations, and having fun with it,” Anitta, who has collaborated with the likes of Madonna and The Weeknd, instructed me in Portuguese. 

She additionally turned more and more common. Her songs began enjoying in increasingly golf equipment and bars and taxis, and her fan base grew extra devoted. By 2016, she was performing on the Olympic opening ceremony with Brazilian music legends Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil. Finally, she moved to the U.S. part-time to concentrate on creating her worldwide profession. 

That tough work paid off. Not solely is Anitta now Brazil’s most profitable pop star, racking up greater than 35 million month-to-month listeners on Spotify; she can be the primary Brazilian artist to high the platform’s world chart, along with her 2021 hit “Envolver,” a reggaeton-inspired pop track in regards to the infectiousness of want. 

“When that occurred, it was superb and I used to be so joyful, however I additionally realized I had earned the fitting to see what was lacking in my life,” she stated. Touring internationally had helped her professionally, however she felt she had been neglecting her emotional and bodily well-being. Present process surgical procedure for endometriosis in 2022 whereas coping with her father’s most cancers analysis marked one other turning level. The extra she considered it, the extra she understood: she wanted to return to Brazil. “I acknowledged that sustaining success overseas would value me lots.” 

Now the singer has discovered herself in a brand new part of her life and turned her consideration towards what her house nation has to supply. She’s moved away from the U.S. to spend extra time in her Rio de Janeiro house, a heat, luminous house designed by the Brazilian agency Studio Roca. “I gave again my home in Los Angeles, and barely go to the home in Miami now,” she stated. She’s exploring Brazil along with her family and friends, in addition to discovering elements of her life she’d beforehand put apart. 

Journey + Leisure just lately met Anitta for an unique picture shoot on the Fasano Rio de Janeiro, a resort overlooking Ipanema Seaside. It’s one of many metropolis’s greatest and most beloved properties, with a Philippe Starck design that captures the essence of Brazilian fashion. Right here, she explains what Brazil means to her—and why she’s as enthusiastic about her house nation as ever. 

T+L: Inform us about your resolution to calm down in Brazil. 

Anitta: “I didn’t wish to quit issues that have been actually vital to me. Once I bought sick towards the top of 2022, I stated to myself, “If I die in the present day, I gained’t have performed something that basically issues to me, like spending high quality time with my household.” I considered how my family had at all times needed to go on a visit to Fernando de Noronha [an archipelago off Brazil’s northeastern coast], and I nonetheless hadn’t taken them there. My dad bought most cancers, and I began enthusiastic about the 14 years I used to be away from him. I used to be in despair. One thing needed to change. As a result of what had I performed? Simply labored. And it was an excellent factor that I did. Working has introduced me every part I’ve in the present day, and I’m so grateful to my followers. However I wanted to take that point. This yr, on my birthday, I took my household to Fernando de Noronha. I’m doing issues slowly now, stopping a bit of, resting. At present, I performed with my nephew. We made a fort. I made a rocket for him. I believe that on the finish of the day once we’re sick, or when somebody is dying, these are the sorts of issues we bear in mind. Not work.”

What do you miss about Rio, and about Brazil, while you’re away?

“The very first thing I miss is the meals. And then I miss my household and the events and the celebrations. Brazil is a rustic the place folks know how one can be collectively. When we’re with household, we spend time collectively in a means that feels heat, truthful, and profound. And that applies to buddies, too. For instance, in the present day, some buddies came to visit from São Paulo to my home in Rio. To do what? Nothing. Simply to see me. We have been simply hanging out at house. Outdoors of Brazil, there needs to be a cocktail party or you must schedule lunch. Individuals don’t get collectively to do nothing, whereas in Brazil we similar to to get pleasure from one another’s firm.”

The place do you go while you wish to journey in Brazil?

“Bahia, for certain. I like it a lot. However totally different locations communicate to me in several methods. Once I wish to go on a religious retreat, with horses and horse remedy, for instance, I’m going to Ituiutaba, in Minas Gerais. And I additionally at all times go to the northeast, to locations like town of Fortaleza. The vibe there’s good.”

What are a few of your first journey recollections?

“The primary time I left the state of Rio de Janeiro, I went to São Paulo to sing. The second, I bought on a flight to Manaus, within the state of Amazonas. And that was once I realized there have been elements of Brazil I didn’t know. I used to be at all times caught within the Rio bubble, however going to Manaus made me notice how various this nation is. The primary time a visit made me emotional was once I went to Paraíba, which is the state my mom and grandmother got here from. It was so transferring going there and assembly folks I’d heard about and gotten letters from however had by no means seen in actual life. I’d prefer to take my complete household there.”

How would you describe the variations between Brazilian cities to a foreigner? What are the principle variations between Rio and São Paulo, for instance?

“Rio is extra relaxed. Individuals stroll round in flip-flops, and the approach to life is its personal factor, whereas São Paulo is extra work-oriented, extra posh. There are extra folks from different elements of Brazil there, and from the remainder of the world. It’s a bit just like the distinction between Miami and New York—Rio being Miami and São Paulo being New York.”

What do you pack while you’re touring?

“If I’m going someplace chilly, I like bringing a headscarf with me, or a beanie. I’m somebody who tends to freeze, so I carry plenty of layers I can put on beneath my garments. If it’s scorching, I carry a bikini and a few flip-flops. Sandals, too. I’ve this pair that just about appears to be like like flip-flops, however they’ve a bit of heel. All of it is determined by the place I’m going, although. If I’m touring someplace the place there are plenty of paparazzi, like St.-Tropez or Mykonos, I’ll pack otherwise. If I’m going someplace extra low-profile, I do know I gained’t must have a lot on me.”

What about when you get house? What do your days appear to be there now?

“I get up, I meditate, I do some energy-healing workouts. Then I’ve breakfast with my boyfriend earlier than figuring out at my fitness center. Later, I would watch a film with my mother and take some conferences to debate future tasks—not too many, although, as I prefer to have time to do some yoga and watch the sundown. At evening, I say my prayers once more and watch a present. It’s scrumptious.”

How is that this time affecting you creatively? 

“I’ve at all times discovered that nice concepts come to us within the moments once we’re slowing down, once we’re in a position to take a breath, and take time for ourselves. Nothing nice is fashioned in a rush, in survival mode, or in moments of despair. My profession has at all times been about introducing folks to new issues and considering exterior the field. However to do this, one wants energy, and time.”

A model of this story first appeared within the December 2025 / January 2026 subject of Journey + Leisure beneath the headline “Anitta Comes Residence.”