"Now I appreciate death so much" — Anitta says she feels "most alive" after surviving mystery illness that rendered her unable to walk

Singer Anitta, also known as Larissa de Macedo Machado, recently addressed the time when she was sick last year. While speaking to Variety for their cover story on May 1, 2024, the artist said that she believed that she was "going to die." She also stated:

"Now I appreciate death so much."

Anitta said that she wanted to leave behind work that would represent her and the sounds that she likes a lot. Anitta continued by saying that she had already released successful projects and added:

"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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Anitta had a health issue that led to a lot of pain in her body: cover story details explored

In her conversation with Variety, Anitta recalled the time when she was preparing herself to become a part of the music and acting industry. She said that people around her never believed that her dreams would be accomplished. While she managed to establish herself in the next few years, she was diagnosed with a health problem that left her with a lot of pain throughout her body.

She was having trouble while walking but there was no clarity on the diagnosis. The singer even took a few different steps to find a solution to her problem. She decided to take a break for a month and began following the Yoruba faith as she went to different countries to learn more about their ancient healing methods.

Notably, she posted some tweets in 2022 where she announced that she was diagnosed with endometriosis. She recalled the time when she was at the hospital with her father and although she underwent a few tests, the results revealed that there was no bacteria. She credited another doctor for disclosing the real problem that she was suffering from.

Anitta expressed her criticism towards the media outlets that covered the news of her health problems in a certain way and said:

"They would say hygiene is very important. The use of a condom, peeing after having s*x, drinking lots of water, and other things that in my nine years of suffering I was tired of hearing."

She further stated that endometriosis is "common among women" and can lead to a lot of side effects in all the body parts. She added that an individual suffering from the problem might feel pain while urinating and that she has to undergo surgery to treat her for the same.

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Anitta talks about her latest album in the interview

Anitta's new album, Funk Generation, was released on April 26, 2024. The soundtrack also featured lyrics in Spanish and Portuguese which was supposed to bring a new experience for her fans. She stated that her "numbers" decided if she was successful and would encourage her to try "something unoriginal." She continued:

"I want to be very clear: That doesn't mean I don't love my old songs. With 'Versions of Me', I was trying a little bit of everything to try to solidify myself in the mainstream, but I don't care what the f*ck is gonna happen with this next album."

As mentioned, the singer said that she was preparing to try something that would make her feel like an artist again. She said:

"I didn't feel happy. I didn't have the energy anymore. I was looking at the sales numbers too much, reading what the internet and critics had to say. And after having thought so much about what life could look like if I quit, or if I died … my priorities shifted."

The Brazil native has released five studio albums before Funk Generation. She is additionally popular for being featured in many films and TV shows.