Zara Larsson has a theory about why Chappell Roan seems to attract more criticism than other stars.
In an interview with The Guardian published Friday (April 3), the Swedish singer came to her fellow pop star’s defense, noting that she thinks the “Pink Pony Club” artist receives disproportionate negativity. “The more people hate her, the more I love her,” Larsson said of Roan. “I don’t like how she’s being treated at all.”
“When a woman has boundaries, I think people freak out,” she continued. “Men can do violent criminal things, and people applaud them, but when a woman says, ‘Stop following me,’ it’s controversial? It’s like, ‘You guys just hate women, actually.’”
The “Stateside” singer was specifically referring to the backlash Roan has faced over the past couple of years for confronting people she feels have crossed her boundaries, from boldly shutting down a cameraman at the 2024 VMAs to calling out photographers and autograph hounds in Paris in March. (Noah Kahan also publicly defended Roan for the latter.)
More recently, the Missouri native faced criticism after a security guard allegedly yelled at Jude Law and Catherine Harding’s 11-year-old daughter for walking past Roan in a hotel in São Paulo and smiling at her. Harding’s husband, soccer star Jorginho, was the first to slam Roan for the incident in a heated Instagram Story, after which the singer clarified she hadn’t noticed the child or asked the bodyguard to scold her. But Harding still followed up with a video saying the star should “take responsibility” for all personnel working on her behalf.
Larsson also knows what it’s like to experience backlash for something she’s said. After making a joke about abortion on TikTok in March, she told The Guardian that a brand had revoked a multimillion-dollar sponsorship offer. “I lost $3 million, which is the biggest brand deal I’d been offered in my life,” she said. “I was genuinely like, ‘OK, losers!’”
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