Zara Larsson jumps on a Zoom from a Denver hotel room minutes after waking up from an afternoon nap. “It’s two o’clock,” she says with a laugh, “so it’s time to start the day.”
Fresh-faced, friendly and thoughtful, Larsson, 28, is hours ahead of a tour stop in support of Midnight Sun, the 2025 album that’s made her a new household name in the main pop girl zeitgeist. The project’s title track earned Larsson her first-ever Grammy nod, for best dance pop recording, which came on the heels of her opening slot on Tate McRae’s 2025 Miss Possessive arena tour. Meanwhile, TikTok virality pushed her 2016 single “Lush Life” back onto the Billboard Hot 100 a decade after its release, with the song now in its 17th week on the chart at press time. But her verse on the October remix of PinkPantheress’ “Stateside” — and the song’s Lisa Frank-meets-Burberry music video released in January — turbocharged her career, with her profile rising even higher when U.S. figure skating gold medalist Alysa Liu skated to the remix at the 2026 Olympics Exhibition Gala in February. By late March, the track had hit No. 6 on the Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Global 200.
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It’s all part of a breakthrough more than a decade in the making. After winning the Swedish version of America’s Got Talent in 2008 at age 10, Larsson released her debut album in 2014, clocking hits in Sweden and entering the Hot 100 in 2016 and 2019. But she has only now become a capital-P pop star.
“I think this year cemented me as not only a girl with popular songs,” Larsson says, “but a girl worth talking about in pop culture.”
Zara Larsson photographed on March 7, 2026 at House of Blues Anaheim in Anaheim, Calif.
Sami Drasin
Sami Drasin
You’re receiving the Breakthrough award after more than a decade making music. Has this year felt like a breakthrough?
It actually has. It is a fair recognition, because it’s not “best new.” Now with PinkPantheress and “Stateside,” I’m charting, and it’s going so well. For the first time in a long time, I’m on the Billboard charts. I’m reaching so many new heights 10 years into my career, which is exciting and a testament to never giving up. I feel like I have so much more to reach and do and experience.
Has your life changed in practical ways with all the success? What looks different today than it did a year ago?
I’ve thought a lot about that, and it’s absolutely nothing. I like that I get more opportunities. [The success] has given me the opportunity to work with more of the women I really want to work with. There’s more eyeballs on me. But I’m the same. I do the same things. It feels the same internally.
Do you feel anything shifting?
Right now, I’m on this club and theater tour that we booked a year ago. It’s very intimate, and it feels like the start of something new. I was just talking to my sister and my friend who I always go to Coachella with, and they were like, “Do you want security for this year’s Coachella?” I was like, “Hell no. What? That’s so weird.” They were like, “We think you might need it.” I don’t like the thought of needing security to do things I’ve been doing my whole adult life, but time will tell. Right now, it feels very normal, and that’s nice, because I am so happy with what I do, and I’m really proud of what I’ve made.
Sami Drasin
Your pop star essence is so complete, with the music, the dancing, the outfits, the makeup. Was there a moment when you felt all those elements click into place and really become Zara World?
I do feel a huge shift, but it’s coming from within. This change really came with the creation of Midnight Sun. Sometimes I think of my career like this car I’ve been sitting in. I’ve known where we’ve been heading, but I’ve been in the back seat. With this album, I was like, “Guys, I feel like I should drive.” I’m finally writing all of my music. I’m part of the visuals, the outfits, my live shows. My confidence grew so much, and I started surrounding myself with peers, friends and people my age.
How has that made a difference for you?
I’ve always been the youngest in the room. Starting so young, I’ve been surrounded by amazing adults who’ve always wanted the best for me, but it’s hard to find your confidence and your voice in a room filled with people who’ve had 15 years more experience. But now, I’ve had that much experience. It was like I woke up one day and was surrounded by people who were my friends. I made this album with my friends like Margo XS, Eliana [the artist better known as Eli] and Uzo [the singer-songwriter-producer better known as MNEK, who Larsson has collaborated with frequently over the years]. We’re all equal in where we are in life; our cultural references are so similar. That gave me confidence to voice my opinion louder.
How did the “Stateside” remix happen?
I had DM’d PinkPantheress, like, “Queeeeen.” I was just feeling inspired by so many of the girls who were killing it in the dance and pop scenes. She was like, “Oh, my God, you’re a queen, and by the way, I’m doing this remix album. Would you like to hop on?” She literally had [my finished part] in her inbox two days later, because I was serious about it.
It came out, like, a week later, and I never could have guessed what it would do. I’ve had big songs early in my career, but I haven’t connected on a personal or cultural level. People knew about my songs, but they didn’t necessarily know about me. This year has been so fun with people getting to know me, and that feature was a big element of being part of culture and what people are talking about. Then when Alysa [Liu] skated to our song, that felt like such a moment. It felt like history. That’s what gets me going.
Sami Drasin
This story appears in the April 18, 2026, issue of Billboard.
