WHO IS ANITTA? THE BRAZILIAN SUPERSTAR WHO WILL BE PERFORMING THE HALFTIME SHOW FOR THE GREEN BAY PACKERS/PHILADELPHIA EAGLES GAME IN BRAZIL

Who will be the halftime performer for the Green Bay Packers game in Brazil Friday?

Brazilian pop-funk superstar Anitta, the NFL announced last month.

In a Billboard report, Seth Dudowsky, the NFL’s head of music, said the organization plans to put on a "spectacle" that meets "the level of quality that you expect from an NFL event" while also embracing the culture of where they are.

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"The most authentic way to do that is to work with artists and performers who are from those places," he told Billboard. "Artists who have been not only a face of Brazilian music, and what that represents around the world, but also being an icon in America as well. ... When we talked about artists that we wanted to work with, Anitta was at the top of that list."

Friday will mark the league's first-ever game in South America, when the Pack takes on the Philadelphia Eagles. This will also be both teams' 2024 regular season opener.

Join: Tom Silverstein is hosting a live chat during the Packers-Eagles Week 1 game in Brazil

Here's what to know about Anitta. Plus, how to catch the game:

When and where are the Green Bay Packers playing Friday, Sept. 6?

The game is at 7:15 p.m. CT Sept. 6 at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil.

How to watch the Packers game on Friday, Sept. 6

The game will be available on free, over-the-air television in the local markets of the competing teams. In Wisconsin, that means the game will air on NBC in the Milwaukee and Green Bay TV markets. In the rest of the state, you'll likely need a subscription to the streaming service Peacock.

Fans in Brazil can stream the game on CazéTV or watch on RedeTV!, ESPN Brazil or NFL Game Pass on DAZN.

Will I be able to watch Anitta's halftime show?

According to NFL.com, Anitta's halftime show will be shown live across the NFL's world feed and local Brazilian game broadcasts.

U.S. fans will be able to see highlights of the performance on Peacock. After the game, the full show will be posted on the NFL's YouTube account.

Who is Anitta?

Global superstar Anitta, aka Larissa de Macedo Machado, is from an impoverished neighborhood of Honório Gurgel in Rio de Janeiro, according to National Public Radio.

While Anitta calls herself the "Girl from Rio," she's been deemed the "Queen of Brazilian Pop," as one of the country's biggest stars in music.

Her accolades include a Grammy nomination for "best new artist" and eight Latin Grammy nominations. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she's been nominated for three MTV Video Music Awards this year, including "Best Latin," which she’s won twice previously. The awards show is set for Sept. 11. She'll also be taking the VMAs' stage for a third consecutive year for a star-studded performance.

Anitta's a trailblazer, becoming the first Brazilian to win a VMA, as well as reach No.1 on the Spotify Global chart. She was also the first female Brazilian solo artist to perform at Coachella.

Anitta has 64.4 million followers on Instagram; 24.3 million followers and 239.3 million likes on TikTok; 19.5 million followers on X; 17.7 million subscribers and 8,323,534,261 views on YouTube; and 16 million followers on Facebook.

Her hits include "Envolver," "Show das Poderosas," and "Zen," among many others. She's collaborated with Peso Pluma, Saweetie, Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, Maluma, J Balvin, Becky G and more.

While her native language is Portuguese, Anitta speaks multiple others, including English and Spanish.

In 2020, Netflix released a docuseries about the superstar called "Anitta: Made In Honório" about "fame, family and her fierce work ethic."

This spring, Anitta dropped her sixth studio album, "Funk Generation."

Though, her music video for “Aceita” off of that album was met with intense backlash for highlighting persistent religious intolerance and racism in Brazil, The New York Times reported. The video depicts the practices of Anitta's faith, Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion that was relegated to the shadows for centuries. Many, however, lauded the artist for paying homage to the religion.

What can fans expect from Anitta's halftime show?

NFL.com reported that Anitta will perform some of her biggest hits.

"While I want to keep a lot of elements of the show a surprise, I can tell you I will perform Brazilian funk!" she told Billboard. "I can’t wait to do this in front of so many Brazilians at home, as well as the global audience who will be able to see the show as well. It’s going to be big, and I’m excited for everyone to see what we have in store."

What Anitta had to say about performing the game's halftime show

"Growing up in Brazil has completely shaped my journey as an artist and of course, as a person," Anitta told NFL.com. "It means everything to be able to perform in São Paulo at the NFL's first game in Brazil, where I can bring fans around the world the excitement and joy of our amazing culture. It's really a dream come true to be a part of this moment."

Who else will be performing for the game?

According to NFL.com, Brazilian electronic music artist CAROLA will perform during the pregame show.

Brazil's national anthem "Hino Nacional Brasileiro" will be performed by Brazilian pop sensation Luísa Sonza and the U.S. national anthem will be done by American-Brazilian singer Zeeba.

Luísa Sonza

The 26-year-old is a star.

SonzaThe artist has over 3 billion streams on the platforms, is in the top 50 worldwide on Spotify, and has seven diamonds, five platinum, and 5 gold discs. Released in August 2023, her most recent work, “Escândalo Íntimo", has already reached over half a billion streams combined. After 12 months, “Escândalo Íntimo" is once again the most streamed album on Spotify Brasil. It is at #174 on the Global, with Luísa being one of the only Brazilian pop artists present.

Zeeba

According to a Billboard list, Zeeba topped the ranking of the 30 most listened Brazilians in the world with the hit 'Hear Me Now. ' He won international awards and certificates, including Platinum and Gold records in several countries. In addition, he has performed on main stages and festivals worldwide, such as Rock in Rio, Lollapalooza Argentina and Chile, Z Festival, Tomorrowland, Game XP, and The Town.

CAROLA

CAROLA is an electronic music artist who has achieved significant milestones in the electronic music scene for over a decade. She has performed at renowned festivals such as Tomorrowland Belgium, Rock in Rio, Lollapalooza Brazil, Lollapalooza Chicago, EDC Las Vegas, EDC Orlando, Tomorrowland Brazil, and Hard Fest. Her music has accumulated 65 million streams and garnered international attention, leading to her representation in the U.S. by the agency UTA.

Glenn Erby of USA Today contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Who is Anitta? The Brazilian superstar who will be performing the halftime show for the Green Bay Packers/Philadelphia Eagles game in Brazil

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