Zara Larsson

Forget You in Lush Life. Over the last year, she's dropped bangers like love Me, Land Wow and her latest Talk About Love, which features Young Thug. Now she's gearing up to release an all new full length poster Girl, which she promises will be to use her words like abba on acid. If you're missing the club and looking to throw a little living room dance party, it sounds like this is the album for you. I'm so happy to welcome the poster girl for Swedish pop perfection, Zara Larson.

Thank you for having me. I'm very excited. Well, first up, you have a new song talk about Love with Young Thug. I Love it so much because it's about that really exciting time in a relationship when you're still trying to figure out what you are, like if this is for real, if this is going places? Tell me about that? Yeah, I mean I think we've all been there. Scary you know, where you start seeing someone and you're like, do I want to move forward with this? Do I want this

to be a serious thing? Or am I just kind of having fun with it? I am very bad personally at like casual dating. I kind of instantly just have to like ask myself what do I want from this? And if it's not someone that I really want to be with, then yeah, by like what's the reason, why? What are you gonna give me? You know what I'm saying. So, Um, it's definitely about that sweet spot before you like start asking yourself all these questions. Just the first rush of

love and affection. Yeah, that's so Yeah, then it's scary. Then it's like trying to figure out what it is that's the scary part. Yeah, I agree. But yeah again I am like I see a person once and I'm like, yeah, we're getting married, right, and they're like so really, Um, It's funny when you know talk about songwriting and when it comes to the point where it's like, well, how much of it is real? Or like how much can

I relate to it? And I think for me personally, I've always thought that as long as you can relate to the emotions and the feelings of a song, then you can talk about basically anything. It doesn't have to be like for me at least, it doesn't have to be a page ripped out of my diary for me to relate to it on a on an emotional level, because now when I when I listened to the song, it's like, I personally want to talk about love all the time. Like I'm probably the person who was like,

should we talk about this? You know? But I also understand and I have been in a situation where it's like, oh, I know, But that's the thing is usually when you don't want to talk about love, it's because really it's not that serious, you know, I don't really want it. Yeah, sorry, it's just not Yeah, but it's a super fun song. I love the youngs Dogs on it. I think he

did an amazing job. He really brought something to it, not that anything was really missing, but he really he added something that I felt that I didn't know I was missing until I heard his verse. I always wanted to have someone like I since since the first time I heard it, I knew that this was a duet for me. I mean, I think he's such a cool artist because I really admire the way he challenges like the traditional ideas of masculinity and rap with his style

choices like wearing a dressing this album cover. What was he like to work with? Like how did he enter the mix? So because of this weird pandemic and like the weird not weird pandemic, but definitely like a weird year two thousand and twenty. Uh and what's even what's even the word to describe the pandemic? Yeah, we couldn't see each other in the studio, so I I think he recorded it in Atlanta. Um I recorded it actually like a year ago, maybe more in l A. And

you know, we we we talked. We've been texting each other like d m NG and stuff, and like he seems very sweet. I was super happy he wanted to join me on the song, but we haven't actually like spend time in the studio. I was watching the live link, you know, seeing him record his version or the his part of the video, but same thing. I was like, hey, you know on a screen and we didn't. We haven't met each other, and that's so strange. I mean it's

it's not really only because the pandemic, though. I think this is how music is made for a lot of people. Like I remember doing the the euro Cup song. It's like in Europe. Uh, we had this huge it's like the super Bowl, you know, but it's soccer, and me and David Ghetta did a song and we didn't meet each other up until the actual opening ceremony and then I was like, hi, you know, it was weird, but we had this huge song together, but we just never

like spoke before that moment. But it's fun. You know that it works out that way. Just send the files over the cloud or whatever and then you get it back and then you like send your stuff and yeah, it works technology. That's so funn It's like the band the Postal Service, Like that's how they got their name. It's like they just sent their stuff back and forth. I mean, it's it's so interesting. I mean, just think about the way that that you're working methods of evolved

and your songwritings evolved. I mean talk about Love is single off your new LP, Poster Girl, which is due out in the spring. How your songwriting evolved since since So Good? You would have been what nineteen or twenty when when that album came out. How is your writing progressive? Then? Well, I first have to say I actually wasn't a part of creating Talk About Love, but I have worked with Amy Allen and Mike Sabbath was like the two big people on that record, and I have worked with both

of them before and I think they are amazing. And that's usually what it's like for me. If I don't write the song, it usually ends up being a song from writers that I love to work with or that I respect a lot, and they're like, they know what I want, and it kind of all makes sense even though I wasn't like in the room. But when it comes to my writing, I think the biggest thing for

me is the confidence, really because it's so hard. I think that I think that really comes back to all the creative stuff where you have to share your art. It doesn't matter if it's a painting or if it's a dance, or if it's a song or just like a text, you know, you're writing a book. When you share a piece of yourself, or you share your thoughts

on something that's very you're very vulnerable. And sometimes I've been in the studio, especially when I was younger and a bit more insecure, and you know, I had this this line in my head for the next uh sentence of the verse or whatever, and I was just thinking about it, and I was like, oh, no, it's stupid. Oh stupid. Oh no, I can't say it out loud. I can't say it that loud. And then someone would say like the exact same thing, you know, like a

minute after, and everybody's like, that's great. I would be like, just say it, Like, what's wrong with me? Why can't I just express my feelings? Because what's the worst thing that's going to happen? People saying like, yeah, yeah, that's good, but I think we can find something better that's like literally the worst thing that could happen, which sometimes could you know, feel like, oh gosh, I'm a failure, which isn't the I don't think you know, that's not the truth.

But now I can be a little bit more confident and just share my thoughts in a different way. And I think that have just been um, giving people a more open and honest version of me, you know, and a bit more personal because sometimes, yeah, with creative things,

it's like it's not only you write a song. Sometimes it turns into a therapy session and you start talking about like specially love, like relationships and what you've been through and like you realize stuff now that you know, like gosh, I can't believe I went through that, like what he did to me, or like how how was

that reacting that way? Like all of these things you really have to you don't have to, but usually it ends up being brought up because it's it's like a natural way of talking about things when you when you share stuff about yourself. So, um, I guess I've just been yeah again, just more comfortable and confident, and I think that makes a huge difference. Said that, the sound of this new album is and I love this so much Abba on Acid, which is uh an album I

definitely need right now. Please elaborate on that, because that's that's something I really need in my life right now. Yeah. I just I think I've always grown up with Abba being in Swedish, you know, we had some huge pop makers, not only performers, but like writers and producers. But ABBA has always been you know, They've always been around for as long as I can remember, and they probably had their biggest they were like huge before I was born.

But it's just lately that I've realized, um, hello, excuse me. They make the best songs ever. Like they're timeless. They are so good still to this day, they will be good in a hundred years. And I just never really appreciated them like fully up until recently, where I really you know, sat down and I was like, I'm gonna

listen to Abba. Their melodies, the sounds, what everything. It's blowing me away, and I just wanted to like be a little bit inspired by that, especially the melodies they use and like harmonies or how they build up to a chorus and then just I don't know just everything about it. But then I also wanted it to be a little you know, probably with a twist. Yeah, I guess you could say modern, but in a way again like I still ever so timeless, but a bit more me like a little trippy and and fun. Still I

want to ask you a question. It's gonna sound like I'm kidding, but I'm actually kind of serious. Why are people from Sweden's so good at pop music? I mean there's you, there's Abba their Showback, There's Max Martin, there's the Cardigans, there's a base, there's a I mean, there's just so many Like what is it? Is something water? I don't know. I think it's definitely like a legacy

at this point, you know. And yeah, I do think it's been like a privilege for me to go to la for example, right where it's just like the holy mecca of songwriting and entertainment. And uh, a lot of the people there are Swedish. And even if they're not people are people respect me in a different way when I say, hey, I'm Swedish and I like do pop music, They're like, oh, you know, because we have this whole culture of songwriting. I don't really know where it started,

you know. There's a whole bunch of theories about it. One that I really like is that everybody has to play music in school. It's like a subjects like pe or math or English, Like everybody has to take at least, you know, learn a few chords on the piano and the guitar, not maybe write a whole song, but you know, they have to try out a few instruments and they

have to try it basically. And also the fact that we have a different support system than a lot of different countries, so you could actually get fund it from the government or um not a scholarship, but like you don't want to give you money for things like arts and stuff, Yeah, like a grant or something. Yeah, it's very easy to get. And that means that people could actually dare to dream about having a life in music without being scared of you know, am I gonna like

be able to have food this month? Or am I going to be able to like pay my rent and stuff like that, and they could truly just go to school for music or playing a band and like tour and stuff. I don't know. I think it gives you a little when you have a financial freedom, It gives you a sense of security and then you can truly focus on what you love and what you're passionate about.

I've read that you've been uh since being because you're in Sweden right now with your family during all of this, that you've been uh learning more about home recording software like logic and stuff like that. How how's that going. It's hard, so hard, and only because there's like a million, probably more a million different things to do. You know, I always open a session. What I love to do, I this is in like life generally, what I love to do is I love to start things. I don't

really like to finish them. So I have so many sessions that I'm like, yeah, this is a vibe, and then I start something and then, you know, instead of like finishing it. I'm very good at going into the library, YadA YadA, finding a new sound. I'm like, uh no, no, no, we're starting, We're starting over. We're doing this because this sounds really fun and for me, this whole pandemic, it's been really fun to just play around with. UM. I've also realized that recording myself isn't as hard as I

thought it would be. It's definitely hard to you know, I'm not a mixer. I can't make everything sound perfect, but just to put down an idea, UM, it's powerful because it means that I feel independent and I can you know, I always write with other people usually, you know, if I'm in a session. But if I could learn this just to the point where I could put down some ideas, uh, and then just send it over to someone who could clean it up. Then I think that's great.

And also it's so fun to sit around and play with, like it makes me really happy. Would you consider yourself a perfectionist? Oh my gosh, yes, And I think that, Uh it's the worst because sometimes my willing, my my will to want everything to be perfect. It kind of stops me from doing things sometimes because I'm like, well, you know, I'm also that type of person who I want to be excellent at things, like immediately you know the whole process of it, which is the beauty of it.

I don't like it, like I wanted to go at it right now. And I think that's why singing has been such a passion of mine too, because it's something I do naturally, always been doing. You just open your mouth and it comes out sounds. But when it comes to like learning an instrument, learning how to produce, learning, um, even to write songs, really you have to put down and you have to put in the time for it.

And that's why I respect like specially producers, because all of these produced they're just nerds, they're just people who they really are like they're cool, but they're very nerd. I love nerds. When someone has a specific subject that they're just so passionate about and they sit with it and they perfected and they perfected and they perfect it, and then you know, there's no ceiling to this. And also things change age how we want things to sound

in music. Just you know, listen to the songs from twenty years ago or even ten years ago, or like what was popping on the Hot one hundred. It's different from what it looks like now. So it's always evolving. But yeah, being a perfectionist, I feel like some sometimes just be a bit overwhelming, you know, because I want everything to be perfect at once and that's literally impossible. You mentioned singing that was something that's been with you

from a very early age. I mean you were on the the Swedish equivalent of Sweden's Got Talent at what nine ten years old. Was there a moment you knew that that music was was your path in life? I actually don't have that memory. Um, I've just always it's been a part of my DNA for as long as I can't remember, and I think I have always loved my personality type is very much, you know, I love to be the center of attention. I love to entertain. I'm definitely like a people pleaser. Um, I want everybody

to have like a really good time. If they're not having a good time, then I feel like everything reflects back to me and like that I'm a bad person. So that combined with having a good voice, it's like great. You want to you want to please people, you want to entertain people, and you can say sick. That's like an artist. So I have just always had that dream of mine. I don't know where it comes from. My

family is so not musical. My dad played in a punk band when he was like fourteen fifteen, and that's as close as we're getting to any like music musicality in my family. Um, but me, my sister, we've always just loved it. Yeah, it's it's it's really strange, but it feels like it's almost destiny in a way. I don't really know if I believe in that, but it feels like I couldn't do anything else in life just

talking about, you know, bringing joy to people. The music that you've released in I mean love me Land, Wow, talk about love. It's been such a great escape from just this really upsetting, unsettling time. What do you do when when you want to escape? What's your favorite way to just get away mentally? That's so funny you say that because I have, Uh, that's what I've been doing. Like pop for me has been in this form of

escapism for me. So really, if I'm being honest, I think of myself probably more as a performer than a writer. So I really love to write, but I'm not the girl who was sitting in her bed like writing songs. I'm the girl who stands in front of the mirror with like my high heels on, my hair done, and I'm like, are you ready? You know, like let me,

He's saying, and I going off in the mirror. Like I love to perform so growing up and even now every day I stand in my living room and I dance, and I pretend that I'm on stage performing in front of people. And that's how I kind of escape reality, the boredom of it sometimes, the you know when it's gray, when things So when I'm anxious or even just expressing my happiness, that's just been a go to for as

as long as I can't remember. That's really like my true essence just like, Okay, it's performing time and I just get into it. Yeah. I wasn't going to bring this up, but I have to. I love, love, love your very ship of my heart will go on from when you were like like ten years old. I think

I'm a huge Titanic nerd. Like I've been obsessed with with that since I was a kid, So like, I love your version of that where you really yes, actually no, I don't think I was are into movies as a kid, But now I don't know if it's because I watched so many movies and series this year, particularly or last year, because you know, you didn't have that much to do.

I started to really get into like directing, just being like very you know, okay, I wouldn't go that far, I would be interested in I would be interested in directing, or like I would be aware of in movies where it's like oh, that that's a really really great shot, or like I love how they were trucking her movement and then cut to that scene and like oh I see the plots in a different way, and like just

the storytelling of someone on a screen. I am very into that, and I think specifically in these times, everything's very very visual too. You know, you just don't want a great song, you also want like a great video with it, and you want the pictures and you want the gifts and you want the TikTok's and you know we're looking at our screens a lot. And with that, you I think most people want like some form of content with it. So I think it's a you know, if if I would get into that, I would love

you know. I co directed my music video for Talk about Love, and probably going to co direct the next video and then maybe eventually, you know, when I learned all about the lenses and YadA YadA, I will start

doing that too. Um. And that gives me joy, like for real, um, just being a part of I feel like if I'm not writing the song in itself, which I preferably would love to do, you know, but I'm also I've never been proud two say like I didn't write this song, so I won't take it, or like, well I can take it if I can rewrite it, and stuffing like that. I think, if it's a great song, um,

then it's a great song. And I you know, some of my biggest songs in my career have been like lush life and symphony that I didn't write, but then also equally the songs that I did right, like never Forget You and It's just to me. I just want really good songs, and I would I love to be a part of making them, but if I can be a part of creating them, I would love to be a part of everything else around it. So I feel like it's mine. This is like my vision for it,

my my sound. Sonically I sing it, you know, of course how I want the songs to be sung. But also, uh, it just feels better when you know in your heart that you made this into what it is. Yeah, I mean, in a lot of ways, I can imagine making an album is a very similar to directing a movie and you're creating a mood. You're you're the peaks and valleys, you some some bangers and then some ballads, and then looking that all out. I mean, I I I wanted

to ask. I mean, it seems like that there's a there's definitely from the songs that I've heard from this album so far, I mean, let me land talk about love. Wow, there seems to be a theme of love in this album. Is that is that fair to say always always, Yeah, I think that's that's what I'm mostly write about. I think it's because I am obsessed with love. I really am. I think like that's the reason we're all alive, to feel love and to be loved. Uh. And it's the

most beautiful feeling. But also it's very relatable in any aspect. You know, you could be in love and be really sad about it because the person is not loving you back, or you can be really happy or very like very attracted to someone. I like to sing about that, honestly, my you know, it's it's hard to to do a really good song, uh, and to make it really really happy and about just like I love you so much without being super cheesy. You can, but for me it's

a little tricky. But I do love to write about that, like initial like attraction you have with someone, or yeah, just everything about everything about love. I think. I think it's just it's fun. It's fun to write about it, and I think people can relate to that quite easily, no matter and again coming back to maybe they haven't been in like that exact situation, but everybody can relate to the emotion and the feeling of it, and at

least for me. You know, when I listened to songs, I sometimes want to feel like I am heard or understood. I think that's why we listened to sad songs when we're sad. Yeah you feel like, oh you feel me? Yeah? Yeah, okay, yeah. During the lockdown, my girlfriend, I've been watching a lot of old catching up on a old like nineties rom coms like Sliding Doors and stuff like that. Do you have any any favorite rom coms? Rom coms that's when they laugh in between, right, or what categorizes a rom

comment or any any Roman Romancic comedy. Usually I'm thinking Julia. Yeah, like Julia Robert's like my best Why do I think about those friends? That's not a rom com? Oh that could be. Yeah, Like I'm thinking about like Runaway Bride, the Best Friend's wedding, sliding Doors. I'm trying to me, I love what is that? What is that? The Christmas movie with with Kiara Nightley? Actually food Law you love? Actually I love the Holiday That's a classic. I do

love that because that's like zero anxiety. But you know what I mean, it's just like it just feels good watching. But I also I love the dramas where it's like, oh gosh, I can't look like, oh no, no, why is this happening? Like the things that stressed me out. Maybe that's why when I'm you know, listen to music, I mostly just want people to feel really happy, because

I don't know, I'm quite an anxious person. Um and when I do listen to just like music, and specifically that's like my escapism away from like all the drama and in that. But it's so nice sometimes you're right to just watch something that makes you feel cozy and also things you watched like a million times because it feels familiar and nice, you know, like The Office. Yeah, that's everybody's favorite. I always have it on the background. Yeah.

I know, it's so weird, isn't it everybody's favorite? I mean it's it's it's sort of I mean watching those those you know, romantic comedies, and that's just sort of exhilaration and enjoys. Is what you know you feel when you listen to a great banger? Like I is there a feeling that you get when you know that you've just written a great banger? Is there like a personal litmus test for you where you think Okay, this is this is going to get Yeah, definitely. You know, That's

how I felt when I was writing. So that's what I did for this album was love me Land, and I did that with um Jason gil who did Funeral on So Good, and Julia Michaels and Justin Tranther like the best songwriters in the world. So for me working with them first of all, was such a huge honor. I love them both not only as writers but as people. They're just really, really, really great people. And I knew

it was gonna be a great song. But then I just when we played it for the last time, you know, before you go home, you've bounced it, you're ready to like listen to it in the car on the way home. I felt so proud and so happy of that song.

And that can't you can't take away that feeling because being a pop girl and being in you know, the mainstream, I like, I want to have my songs being played on the radio, and I you know, um, I think it's super important and it makes me really happy when I have the radio support or like playlisting and all

of that. Like, I do want my streaming numbers and I do want to be on the chart, and I like, I'm lying if I saying I don't want that, But something about I don't know it when you feel really proud of something and when you've been a part of it and you like put down your vocals and like your input into something then or like even the video, like I was so proud of that video because finally

people saw me dance and just everything around it. I thought I was gonna go home and I was like this is the number one, Like obviously this is going to reach number one on all the charts, and then it so far from did that. Um, but I wasn't sad. I thought I was gonna be really sad about it, but I just didn't care as much as I thought

I would be. I was like, that's a shame that people won't get to hear how good it is more than like I am a failure, you know, because sometimes you do end up in those cycles were like oh my value as an artist or like how good I am?

It's hied to numbers and like that's not the truth though, And I think I kind of woke up from that, especially after doing so well, you know, I was like it just can't be what I'm about only, but I was so proud of that song and I just felt like, this is it, And even if it turned out that it wasn't like for the general public or whatever, I was really really proud. I really was. You got it out of you? You did it? Yeah, I did. I

loved it. Your new album is called Poster Girl. If they were, if you were the poster girl for one thing, what would it be if I was a post to girl for one thing, it would be I would love to be, like, I don't want to say, if we're having really good songs, um, I would say, you know, of course I want that. But I feel like that's obvious. I would love to be post a girl for supporting girls.

I would love to do more of that in my song, to write about more, write more about that, because I'm definitely a huge feminist and I think about feminism and like equality a lot, many many minutes every day for many hours. Even like I consume a lot of information, I I I care about it a lot. And I used to have a blog where I wrote about that all the time as well. And maybe I want that

to reflect more in my music in the future. Maybe, But I hope that people who do follow me and who listens to my music, they know where I stand on questions when it comes to equal rights and feminism and lgbt Q and you know all of that. Um, But I would love to be a Yeah. I think also my generation is like very involved in a lot of things, probably because we have the Internet and there's so much information available. And I feel like my generation

is also very open and supportive of like differences. But it's definitely it's a little you know. I am also very happy that I was born in Sweden, where we are quite equal. Quiet I'm saying, because we're not fully there, but definitely compared compared to other countries, we have an advantage being a woman here. But I would just I'll love to be supposed to go for that. My last question,

I want to take up too much more of your time. Yeah, if you could snap your fingers and have coronavirus go away, just go exactly back to it the way it wasn't twenty nineteen. Whatever your definition of normal is, I guess what would be the first thing that you would do? Trips you'd want to take, things you want to do, people you would want to hug. I think I would honestly get like get my butt on a plane to l A very fast. I'm very excited for that. It's

been really strange not traveling this year. Good for the environment, though, but I am so used to being in different hotel rooms and like different places like every week or every two weeks than now when I've been here. I remember spending my first month like at home in my apartment. I was like, I have to move. I'm so tired of this place. I have to move right now. Um, And now I have I can't lie. I've been having a really good time with my family and my friends

staying at home. I still want to move, but I would probably take a quick flight to l A. And I would go to a festival. Yeah. Yeah, I love festivals. That's I love going to festivals. I love performing at festival. It's just such a fun thing that people like spend a weekend together and they just listen to music and they like party and stand keep like. I don't even remember that feeling of being like in a crowded place. Sometimes I watch movies and I'm like, it's very crowded here.

No one's wearing a mask, like it's in me out, you know. But I can't wait to go to festivals. That is an awesome answer. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for the chat, talk a lot you. You asked like three questions and I was just like love blah blah blah blah. Your answers were incredible. Oh my god. It was such a pleasure. It was It was really good to do. Thanks. We hope you enjoyed this episode of Inside the Studio, a production of I Heart Radio.

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