Anitta is the ‘world’s most popular WAG’ – but you’ve probably never heard of her
She’s earning millions and has a hugely successful singing career – but chances are, you have no idea who this insanely popular soccer WAG is.
With 64.4 million fans on Instagram, she’s got more followers than Cristiano Ronaldo’s girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez.
But chances are you may not have heard of Brazilian superstar Anitta, who can lay claim to the title of the world’s most popular WAG, The Sun reports.
One of the biggest Latin musicians of her generation – with more than 30 million monthly Spotify listeners, a Grammy nomination, and collaborations with stars such as Cardi B and Kylie to her name – Annita is said to be worth a cool $US50 million (about $A74 million).
So she’ll certainly be out-earning her Brazilian soccer star beau, Vinicius Souza, who currently plays for the UK’s Sheffield United.
From humble beginnings in a Rio de Janeiro, Annita has conquered South America with her chart-topping hits, even performing at the Olympics opening ceremony.
Fiercely independent, she acted as her own manager for years, and has even sat on the board of Latin America’s biggest banks.
And a viral video of her getting a tattoo on her bum spiralled into a controversial political scandal engulfing then-president Jair Bolsanaro.
So just who is the “Queen of Brazilian Pop”?
Humble origins
With an artisan mum and a car battery salesman dad, Anitta was born in 1993, growing up in the Honório Gurgel favela, one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Rio.
Following her parents’ divorce when she was a toddler, the family found themselves even more strapped for cash.
The future pop-megastar slept in the same room as her mum and brother, as this was where their aircon was – but they could only afford to switch it on for a few minutes every night.
Anitta has spoken since about how much family means to her – and how they keep her humble.
“Family is the thing that makes me feel grounded,” she told Nylon mag in 2022.
“When I come back home, I’m treated as the same motherf***er as always. I speak to them literally every day.”
While she’d always declared at a young age that she was destined to be a star, it was a viral video uploaded in 2010 of her singing into a stick of deodorant that led to that becoming a reality, The Sun stated.
At just 16 years old, she caught the attention of record label Furacão 2000, which specialises in a style of music called “funk carioca”.
After releasing her first single, Meiga e Abusada, in 2012, she then brought out her self-titled debut album – which went straight to number one and is certified platinum in her home country.
Shortly after this, the music video for her second single, Show Das Poderosas, went viral.
In less than a week, it became Brazil’s most-watched music video on YouTube of all time, and 11 years on it has amassed over 175 million views.
Now, with 32.6 million monthly listeners on Spotify, she’s widely considered to be Brazil’s biggest female popstar.
She’s won four Latin American Music Awards, three MTV Music Video Awards, and has been nominated for a Grammy for best new artist – while her 2022 hit Envolver spawned a TikTok challenge of twerking with your head on the floor.
The star has also frequently cited Madonna as an inspiration, and performed alongside her in front of 1.6 million people on Rio’s famous Copacabana Beach in May 2024.
Fiercely outspoken
Annita isn’t afraid to do things her own way, having acted as her own manager until 2019, maintaining total control over sponsorship partnerships, business deals, and directing her own music videos.
She has spoken confidently about showing off her cellulite – but is also happy to talk about her plastic surgery journey, which includes a nose job, jaw-line reshaping, and multiple breast reductions.
“I won’t be pretending I’m some type of way that I’m not,” she said of her cosmetic enhancements to Nylon.
“Girls don’t need men for s**t. We got vibrators, we got friends – we got gay friends, which is way better than any other f***ing husband. Trust me.”
While she proudly embraces her sexuality, she’s also made it clear that she’s so much more than just a sex object.
“I don’t care about talking about sexuality. It’s part of our life, and it’s a big part of who I am, so I don’t mind at all being asked about it,” she told Todayafter her Madonna performance.
“I love being a sexual person. It’s part of my character.
“I just don’t like it when people think that’s just it. When people treat me as if ‘Oh, being sexy is all she knows.’
“No, that’s not all I know. I was managing my own career for so many years. I’m a business woman.
“I can’t be reduced to just sex – I do so much, and I still want to do much more.”
‘15 million boyfriends’
Since coming out as bisexual in her first Netflix documentary, Vai Anitta, in 2018, the star has been open about her relationships – and the variety of her dating life.
“I hate hiding things,” she told Nylon. “Yeah, [I] f*** girls too.”
She’s previously been linked to stars including Brazilian singer Mr Thug, dancer Ohana Lefundes, Colombian megastar Maluma, and 365 Days actor Simone Sussina.
And in 2017, she took a leap into marriage, tying the knot with Brazilian businessman Thiago Magalhães in a private ceremony in the Amazon rainforest – but things only lasted for a year before they split.
Most recently, Anitta’s been linked with Sheffield United and former Flamengo player Vinicius Souza, with the pair recently seen together at Paris Fashion Week, as reported by Billboard.
But while he may be her boyfriend for now, she’s happy to admit that exclusivity in relationships isn’t exactly something she craves – and she’s been in plenty of open relationships before.
“I have 15 million boyfriends, whatever,” she told Nylon.
“If the guy makes me feel respected and incredible, I don’t care if he sleeps with another woman. I’ve had boyfriends who never cheated on me, but they treated me like trash.”
While she’s always had a free-wheeling attitude to life, a hospitalisation in 2022 that left her thinking she was “going to die” led to further enlightenment.
“I got really sick and was so physically ill I couldn’t work, and I hadn’t stopped working in so many years,” she told Today, adding: “It was a big wake up call”.
Doctors investigated her illness for five months to no apparent avail.
It was only after travelling to Mount Everest to heal with shamans that she believes things got better.
“After my health issues, I started taking better care of my spirituality. I follow Yoruba religion, and I had to jump into that. I dove into myself, and everything that makes me feel peace,” she said.
“I stopped caring about all of the things that I used to care about, like record sales, or the number of people talking about me. I used to care so much. Now, I honestly just want to have a good time.”
Bum tattoo scandal
When it comes to activities outside of music – and outside of jetting around the world to see her lovers – Anitta has also kept herself busy in the world of business.
In 2019, she became Head of Creativity and Innovation for the Brazilian version of the drink Skol, launching Skol Beats – a citrus take on the beer, coming in several fruity flavours.
And in 2021, she became a member of the Board of Directors of Nubank, the largest Fintech bank in Latin America – and even played a crucial role in getting the bank listed on the Brazilian stock exchange, The Sun explained.
While she’s no stranger to dipping her toe into politics, being an outspoken advocate for protecting the environment and LGBT rights, she also became embroiled in a political scandal for a very different reason.
In February 2021, a video went viral showing Anitta getting “I love you” tattooed on her bum.
One year later, right-wing Brazilian artist Zé Neto took a swipe at the star – because of a political debate over government subsidies for the arts, known as the Rouanet law.
“We are artists who do not depend on the Rouanet Law,” he said to the crowd.
“Our fee is funded by the people. We don’t need to put a tattoo on our butt to show that we are doing well.”
Anitta’s hordes of fans turned against him – and it was exposed that Zé Neto himself had relied on public money to fund his shows.
Eventually, the spiralling scandal led to state public prosecutors investigating funding irregularities in 29 municipalities across the country.
“And I was thinking that all I was doing was an intimate tattoo,” the star later posted on X.
This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission
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