Somewhere on the streets of downtown Stockholm, Zara Larsson searches for her car ride home. Chatting via Zoom, she’s obviously dressed for the occasion—fresh from a video shoot for her latest single “Look What You’ve Done”—and still can’t get over her fabulous outfit, specifically the more exaggerated powder blue faux fur and patent leather jacket topped with pagoda shoulders. “These shoulders are very Dracula,” says the Swedish pop star with a smile. “And I just happen to have the highest heels on.” Moments later, Larsson will be back in her apartment, which she shares with her younger sister Hanna, ordering a burger, and slipping into something more comfy for a dance rehearsal later in the evening.
Now sat in the backseat of her ride, Larsson hasn’t missed a beat, moving on from her ensemble to the whirlwind of the past three years. Following the release of her 2017 debut So Good, which delivered dancier tracks “Never Forget You” featuring MNEK, “Lush Life”, and “Ain’t My Fault”, Larsson performed The Beach Boys hit “God Only Knows” with John Legend at the Nobel Peace Prize concert, swept up four Grammi Awards (the Swedish equivalent of U.S. Grammys), landed a prophylactic campaign with Durex in partnership with HIV awareness charity (Red), collaborated with global superstars BTS on 2019’s “A Brand New Day” (featured on the K-Poppers’ mobile game), then found herself playing arenas on Ed Sheeran’s European tour in 2019.
Emerging from the creative vortex Larsson immediately started working on, and finished, her second album Poster Girl (via Black Butter) just days before the pandemic shut the world collectively down in Spring of 2020. Back home in Stockholm, everything seems like normal. “Everything’s still rolling,” says Larsson, sharing that most establishments have reopened but still close by 8 p.m. “The only difference is that you can’t go out clubbing, but I’m not really a club person. I really enjoy just sitting at home with friends and some bottles—plural—of wine and just chilling. That’s really the best way to spend the night.”
Tina Eves 