Brazilian singer Anitta said she “thought she was going to die” after battling a mysterious illness while working on her sixth studio album.
“I was so unhealthy,” the Bellakeo singer reflected on the terrifying mystery illness that left her hospitalized for five months in 2022.
“I got really sick and I was too sick to work,” she said during an appearance on the Today Show.
“I hadn't been off work for years, and when my health prevented me from physically doing a lot of the things I love, it was a big wake-up call for me. I had to take time to look after myself.”
Anitta, real name Larissa de Macedo Machado, revealed that she produced her latest album, “Funk Generation,” while in hospital.
“I wanted this album, I wanted to die with an album that I was proud of. I'd wasted so much of my life trying to achieve goals, trying to please people, trying to be successful,” she said.
Anitta said she was never diagnosed with the debilitating disease but has now made a full recovery.
She is currently touring North America on her Baile Funk Experience Tour.
Earlier this year, the favela funk star became the first Brazilian artist in history to reach 35 million monthly listeners on Spotify.
Anitta rose to fame after releasing the single “Show das Poderosas” in 2013, which reached the top of the Brazilian Hot 100 airplay chart.