Anitta Wins First Latin Grammy, Honors Afro-Brazilian Faith

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Twelve nominations, more than a decade, zero trophies. Then Anitta finally got her Latin Grammy on Thursday night in Las Vegas, and she used the mic to talk about something bigger than the win: Afro-Brazilian faith, and how long it had to stay quiet.

The Lowdown

Why it’s everywhere: Anitta won Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album for EQUILIBRIVM, her first Latin Grammy, g1 reported. In her speech, she said Black culture in Brazil was persecuted for years and its religion could not be spoken about in public, then closed with a salute to Exu, a Candomblé orixá: “Laroyê, Exu!” The Instagram page @latincity turned the moment into a reel that pulled close to 3,000 likes overnight.

Key Takeaways

Anitta won her first Latin Grammy on Nov. 12, 2026, for Best Portuguese Language Contemporary Pop Album with EQUILIBRIVM.
She had 12 earlier Latin Grammy nominations without a win, going back to 2014.
Speaking in Spanish, she said Black culture and its faith were persecuted in Brazil for years, and she closed with “Laroyê, Exu!”
She also lost Album of the Year to Rosalía’s Lux.

Watch the reel from @latincity on Instagram

Reel posted by @latincity on Instagram, Nov. 12, 2026. View the original reel.

The Full Story

The Win

The award came on the main telecast at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, not the earlier Premiere ceremony where Portuguese-language categories usually get handed out, POPline noted. Anitta pointed that out herself: it was the first time a Brazilian category made it to that part of the show. EQUILIBRIVM beat albums from Luedji Luna, Marina Sena, Jenni Mosello and Ludom.

The album came out in April with 15 tracks mixing samba, reggae, axé, ijexá and MPB, plus guests including Shakira, Liniker, Maria Bethânia and Alceu Valença, UOL reported. She was also up for Album of the Year, the only Brazilian in the category, but that went to Rosalía for Lux, per CNN Brasil.

What She Said

Anitta gave the speech in Spanish. She told the room that Latin America means every country in the region, “not only the ones that speak Spanish,” and that the album grew out of a spiritual journey that “changed me forever.” She said she didn’t even want to work after it, until her collaborators talked her into making the record. (Translations are ours, from the transcript POPline published.)

Then the line that lit up social media. In Brazil, she said, the album became “a religious revolution, and one of faith,” because “for many years, Black culture was persecuted in Brazil, and its religion, its faith, could never be spoken about in public.” She said artists have spent years trying to keep that culture alive, and the album is one more push so that “the Black culture of Brazil stays strong forever.” She signed off twice with “Laroyê, Exu!” You can watch it on the Latin Grammys site.

“Laroyê” is a greeting to Exu, the orixá of paths and communication in Candomblé, roughly “hail, messenger,” Billboard Brasil explained. On the same telecast she performed a medley that also nodded to Candomblé, the religion she follows, according to O Globo.

Why It Lands

This isn’t a new stance for her. Billboard Brasil reported that Anitta lost 100,000 followers after announcing that her “Aceita” video would show her religion. Afro-Brazilian faiths like Candomblé have long faced prejudice in Brazil, which is why a pop star shouting out Exu on a Las Vegas awards stage is landing as a big deal back home.

The PCP Take

Award speeches usually run on thank-yous. Anitta used hers to say the quiet part about Brazil out loud, in Spanish, to a room that doesn’t always count Brazil as Latin America. Some viewers will hear a long-overdue shout-out to Afro-Brazilian faith. Others will just hear a pop star finally getting her trophy. Either way, “Laroyê, Exu!” is now part of Latin Grammys history. Where do you land?