Anitta Named New Rainha de Bateria of Grande Rio, Succeeding Virginia Fonseca

Brazilian pop star Anitta is set to become the new rainha de bateria "drum section queen" of Acadêmicos do Grande Rio for Carnival 2027, stepping into the coveted post left vacant by influencer Virginia Fonseca. Virginia stepped down after serving one Carnival as the school's rainha de bateria, announcing her decision on social media while thanking the school's leadership and saying she hoped to keep participating in the parade going forward, just not as the person leading the drummers.

Before turning to Anitta, Grande Rio's honorary president, Jayder Soares, first went back to Paolla Oliveira the actress who'd held the title through 2025 before passing the crown to Virginia but Oliveira turned the offer down. With Virginia having announced her departure on a Wednesday, the school moved quickly to line up a replacement, weighing several names before landing on Anitta.

According to Extra's Retratos da Vida column, Anitta accepted the invitation, with Grande Rio's official announcement expected this Saturday. Notably, the Mocidade Independente de Padre Miguel the school where Anitta once paraded as a muse in 2016 had also approached her about becoming its own rainha de bateria for 2027, replacing Fabíola Andrade, but she ultimately declined that offer in favor of Grande Rio. Although this marks Anitta's debut as a rainha de bateria specifically, she's no stranger to the Sapucaí runway. Beyond her 2016 turn as Mocidade's muse, she was also a featured performer for Portela back in 2013. Grande Rio, based in Duque de Caxias in the Baixada Fluminense, is reportedly planning a high-profile coronation for the singer around September 20, timed to the school's announcement of its official samba-enredo for the parade.

The move reflects the Duque de Caxias school's strategy of keeping a nationally prominent face at the front of its drum corps, building on the visibility brought by predecessors like Virginia Fonseca and Paolla Oliveira. With her global pop profile, Anitta's arrival gives Grande Rio one of the biggest names in Brazilian music leading its bateria down the avenue for Carnival 2027.