Larissa de Macedo Machado— known globally as Anitta —was born on March 30, 1993, in the Honório Gurgel neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This area, characterized by its low Human Development Index (HDI), presented numerous challenges, but it also instilled in her a profound resilience that would later define her career.
Anitta is the youngest child of Míriam Macedo and Mauro Machado. Following her parents’ divorce during her early years, she and her older brother, Renan Machado, were raised by their mother. Míriam worked diligently as an artisan to support the family, while Mauro contributed by selling car batteries. Despite financial hardships, the family’s bond remained strong.
From a young age, Anitta exhibited a passion for music and performance. At just eight years old, encouraged by her maternal grandparents, she began singing in the choir of Santa Luzia’s Parish in her neighborhood. Her time in the church choir planted the first real seeds of her future career.
Honório Gurgel, in Rio’s North Zone, is one of the city’s poorer neighborhoods. Families there often face tough odds, with limited resources, underfunded schools, and little public investment. But for Larissa, it was also a place full of energy, sound, and community. The bailes funk, loud street parties fueled by funk carioca, were a constant presence. Their beats and lyrics weren’t just background noise, they were part of daily life. Like many kids from the area, Larissa grew up fast and learned early how to stand her ground. She would later say, “If you can make it out of Honório Gurgel, you can make it anywhere.”
Larissa’s parents separated when she was just 1 year and 8 months old. Following the divorce, her mother, Míriam, became the primary caregiver for Larissa and her older brother, Renan Machado, while her father, Mauro, moved to the Região dos Lagos region but continued to provide financial support when possible
Despite the couple’s separation, the sibling bond between Larissa and Renan remained strong. Renan would later become one of her key collaborators and eventually co-manage her musical career.
Although money was often tight, the family unit provided emotional support and instilled in Larissa a belief in her own potential—beliefs that would carry her through significant obstacles in her youth.
Maternal Grandparents & First Steps in Music
Anitta’s grandparents on her mother’s side, Pedro Júlio and Gloriete Macedo, played a big role in her early connection to music. Originally from Guarabira, Paraíba, they knew what it meant to start over and keep going, no matter how tough things got. At the Santa Luzia Parish Church in Honório Gurgel, they were deeply involved. They showed up for mass, helped with community events, and were always around the music.
When Larissa was eight, she started catechism classes at the Santa Luzia Parish, the same church her grandparents were involved in. They encouraged her to join the choir, and that’s where she had her first real experience with singing in a group and performing in front of people. People at the church still remember her voice standing out, even back then. It was clear she had something special, long before anyone knew how far it would take her.
Every Sunday, Larissa’s performance before the congregation helped build her confidence. The act of singing in front of an audience instilled discipline, stage presence, and an understanding of how music could move people.
Larissa’s maternal grandparents were more than just family, they were her first true mentors in music. They shared stories, songs, and traditions from their home in Paraíba, filling her childhood with a sense of history and culture. Their love for music was not just about singing but about keeping their roots alive. This early guidance gave Larissa a deep appreciation for her heritage and helped her find her own voice by blending old traditions with the sounds she heard growing up in Rio.
Cultural & Musical Influences of the Favela
Outside the church, Larissa’s neighborhood was always alive with music—funk carioca, samba, and all the sounds of Brazilian pop. The streets were full of parties, radios blasting, and speakers booming with heavy beats and lyrics about real-life struggles and pride. Watching the local dancers and singers at these bailes funk gave her a love for dance and showed her how music could be a way to express herself and get ahead.
Her grandparents used to say, “Music comes from the people,” and that stuck with her. They taught her that staying connected to where you come from mattered just as much as being talented. Growing up like that shaped her style, which mixes funk, pop, R&B, and music from all over.
Financial Hardships & Educational Shifts
When Larissa was about 11, things got tough for her family. Her dad’s small business ran into big money problems and ended up going bankrupt. That meant he couldn’t help pay for her private school anymore. So she had to leave and switch to a public school called Escola Municipal Itália, where a lot of her friends went too.
Even though the school was different, Larissa didn’t let that slow her down. Her mom says she always pushed herself to get the best grades and never accepted anything less. With the small allowance her mom gave her, Larissa bought the basics but also started taking English classes, thinking it would help her later on.
Around the same time, a dance teacher who knew her mom offered her some free ballroom dance lessons. They thought dancing would help with her singing and performing. Balancing school, choir, and dance wasn’t easy, especially with not much money, but Larissa stayed focused and kept working hard.
Larissa went through public school in Honório Gurgel while diving into different activities outside of class. Her teachers remember her as a bright, curious kid who jumped at any chance to learn something new. At home, her mom kept books and school stuff around, always pushing her to read and explore things beyond music. That helped her stand out with a sharp mind.
By the time she was 10, Larissa was already dreaming big. She’d tell her friends she wanted to be rich and famous someday and fix her family’s money problems. But even with all that confidence, she wasn’t always comfortable with how she looked. Later on, she said she didn’t like her nose and got teased for it at school.
When Larissa was 12, all the time she spent singing in church choirs, taking dance lessons, and working hard at school started to set her apart. She grabbed every chance to perform, whether at local festivals, family get-togethers, or neighborhood events. Even with little money to spare, her natural charm and stage presence shone through. Neighbors would often stop just to listen when she practiced on the balcony or in the church yard.
Her grandparents stayed by her side, teaching her old songs from Paraíba that had been passed down by word of mouth. They encouraged her to learn the rhythms of forró and other music from the Northeast, making sure she stayed connected to where she came from. That mix of Rio’s streetwise funk and the traditional sounds of the Northeast would go on to shape the unique style that made Anitta famous.
By the time Larissa was in her early teens, it was clear she was growing into more than just a talented kid from Honório Gurgel. She had finished a technical course in public administration at just 16, showing the same drive in her studies that she put into music and dance.
All those years singing in church, dancing at local parties, and seeing her mom work nonstop didn’t just feed her dreams. They gave her direction. She wasn’t famous yet but the people around her could already see where she was headed.
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