Anitta Is Committed to Prioritizing Her Health During Her Summer Tour

This story is part of Como Celebramos, in which we're sharing how we're honoring our favorite summertime Sunday rituals.

Anitta has become unapologetic when it comes to prioritizing her well-being. After experiencing a nearly fatal mysterious illness that gave her chronic full-body pain that at times made it impossible for her to walk, the Brazilian singer no longer lets her health take a back seat in her life.

"My work means everything to me. And for a long time, I thought I needed to be on 24/7. . . . Those health issues were a wake-up call for me. I realized that I need to put well-being first," she says. "Dealing with the pain on a daily basis was horrible."

There's no doubt an intense work ethic helped Anitta get where she is today. Born Larissa de Macedo Machado, Anitta became a pop star in her hometown of Rio de Janeiro after the release of her 2012 hit "Meiga e Abusada," which was entirely in Portuguese. She started releasing hits with well-known artists like J Balvin and eventually found global success with her fifth full-length album, 2022's "Versions of Me."

But behind the scenes, she was everything but happy. The artist was burned out, overworked, and exhausted from 20-plus-hour work days, and the stress eventually began to manifest in her physical body. It wasn't until she decided to take a month off to rest that Anitta finally started to experience some relief. She also made lifestyle changes while diving deep into her Candomblé faith. In fact, she recently released the music video to her single "Aceita," which depicts the practices of her Afro-Brazilian faith and received a lot of backlash from conservative and religious fans.

"I wanted to show a bit of my religious practice, normalize something that still suffers prejudice and violence in my country," she says. "I wanted to show the beauty of surrendering to spirituality and faith." Her health journey also showed her the importance of prioritizing her mental health.

"I always imagined that in order to achieve my goals, I had to work the hardest and be the strongest. So, I tended to put my mental health in second place, unfortunately," she says. "Nowadays, I know how important it is to care for myself in order to feel healthy and strong to achieve my dreams."

During her healing process, she was inspired to create "Funk Generation: A Favela Love Story," an album dedicated to Brazilian funk music from her hometown. This summer, Anitta is implementing routines and much-needed boundaries to keep herself healthy throughout the Baile Funk Experience tour. She kicked the tour off on May 18 in Mexico City, and she has more than 20 other shows planned in cities like Los Angeles, New York, and Miami.

"In 2022, during one of those health scares, I got the urge to make an album like this: to make some music that paid homage to where I came from in a way people would globally understand," she says. "'Funk Generation' is inspired by the music I grew up listening to and the artists that inspired me to become an artist as well. Being able to pull off something like this on my own terms makes me feel accomplished and happy with my journey in music."

For years, Anitta believed that she had endometriosis because of the painful cramps she would have during her menstrual cycle and the recurring cystitis she would experience after sex. She's even opened up about getting endometriosis surgery. But it turns out the health issues she was experiencing in 2023 weren't due to endometriosis at all.

In terms of when the painful period pains began, Anitta says she can't pinpoint the exact year. "But since my cramps started, doctors tried to investigate further. That's when the diagnosis began to be considered but it was never actually confirmed," she shares, adding that the cramps were so severe, she was hospitalized a few times. "After pain disappeared after I changed my diet, way of thinking, and how I dealt with stress, I realized that spiritualizing myself was also a path that could bring me healing. All my effort and dedication made my symptoms disappear."

One simple but crucial wellness practice Anitta is prioritizing during the tour is ensuring she gets enough sleep and rest. "Being able to rest is crucial for my body and mind, especially during long tours or busy days," she says. "I always feel better knowing I'll be able to rest and focus on my well-being at some point."

Rest alone is actually what helped alleviate the pain she was experiencing back in 2022. "A lot of mental health care, wellness, and resting helped me ease those symptoms," she shares. "But it was very difficult struggling for years not knowing what I actually had."

She also takes supplements, maintains a balanced diet, and stays hydrated — especially on the days she hits the stage. She recently partnered with Bodyarmor on their Flash I.V. drink, which she drinks throughout her shows.

"My shows are very wild, with a lot of dancing and twerking. It takes a lot of energy from the body. I want to ensure I'm able to give my fans the best possible show day in and day out, so my health is definitely the priority these next couple of months," Anitta says. "Recognizing when I need rapid rehydration is very important, especially with my high-energy performances, and Bodyarmor Flash I.V. is the perfect solution for this."

Anitta recently shared that she's also been setting boundaries around her time. One of the ways she does this is by making room for stillness in the mornings. "Every morning is different. But I try to start the day by always hydrating myself. I love meditation and the process of finding some inner peace, although I don't [always] get to do it as often as I hope," she says.

Ultimately, the star credits being sick as one of the biggest gifts she's been given. "It has opened my eyes to the importance of taking care of myself, inside and out," she says. Her goals for this summer are simple: "Respect my body and my limits. Also, have a lot of fun on this tour."

Johanna Ferreira is the content director for PS Juntos. With more than 10 years of experience, Johanna focuses on how intersectional identities are a central part of Latine culture. Previously, she spent close to three years as the deputy editor at HipLatina, and she has freelanced for numerous outlets including Refinery29, Oprah magazine, Allure, InStyle, and Well+Good. She has also moderated and spoken on numerous panels on Latine identity.