NEW YORK (AP) — Zara Larsson is no stranger to packing dance floors around the world, boasting a catalog with several songs that have earned more than a billion streams. But despite possessing all the individual pieces a superstar career requires, her jigsaw has yet to be fully completed in the way she’s hoped.
“I feel like it’s been a disconnect between what I’ve released and who I am,” said the 27-year-old. “I feel finally people are starting to piece the puzzle together.”
Larsson is betting that the image becomes more formed with her new album, “Midnight Sun,” out Friday. Serving as love letter to her native Sweden where summer sunlight can extend until midnight, her 10-track, fourth studio project follows up 2024’s “Venus.”
Larsson, who entered the entertainment world when she was just 10, has never been shy about her desire to become the biggest pop star in the world. But her journey has taught her expectations may have to be tempered.
“Maybe my perspectives of life has changed, too, just growing older. And now, I’m at a point where it’s like maybe I want a family. … That, in a way, feels more important than just being amazing in front of people I don’t know,” said the artist, whose 2017 “Symphony” collaboration with Clean Bandit — already a megahit — recently went viral on TikTok. “It’s maturity, but also actively — like really actively — having to say … I am good enough as I am.”
The “Lush Life” singer, who recently opened on Tate McRae’s tour, will headline her own dates starting next month in Europe before launching a North American leg in February. Larsson spoke with The Associated Press about “Midnight Sun,” the pressure to create more big hits, and becoming a “better person.” This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: You wrote on every song and said you’re most proud of this album. Why is it special?
LARSSON: The older I get, I just wanna make what I put out, and just make it feel like it’s coming from me. Because I’ve had great songs and great projects and really real and heartfelt stuff, but it’s different when it’s my words.
AP: Is there pressure to create another huge hit like “Lush Life”?
LARSSON: What was so fun about making this album is that, this time around, I felt no pressure. And it was kind of like coming back to when I first started making music, like my first EPs that I released only in Scandinavia. We were just having fun and trying things.
I felt a lot of pressure after my first album, “So Good,” just to keep that huge mainstream success going, which led to me kind of like not be able to do anything for four years.
AP: You’ve made no secret of your desire to become the biggest pop star in the world. How do you respond when your goals aren’t reached?
LARSSON: I’ve just had to actively work on how I view myself and life because I do still want to be the best, but I think life’s about the journey. … Even though I’ve been doing it for a long time, I just really, really feel like I am just at the beginning.
AP: It takes courage to put out a song like “The Ambition.” Why were you willing to openly express your professional insecurities?
LARSSON: A lot of people that I play that song to, they’re like, “I feel that.” And especially in an industry where … it’s like how other people are seeing you and how much they like you. And you’re chasing this thing that you will never really reach. … A lot of my success that I had so early on, it’s sad that I can’t go back and really enjoy what I got to experience.
I romanticized just moving out to the countryside and not caring about any of this, and just maybe record some music on my laptop. But then, it’s like I know I don’t want that.
AP: “Saturn’s Return” sticks out as one of the more introspective songs. How was that idea sparked?
LARSSON: People say “Saturn’s return” is when the planet Saturn returns to where it was when you were born, which is approximately 27 years. And that’s when you enter real adulthood. And I really felt that shift. I felt like, “Oh, I’ve always been quite reckless, irresponsible — done weird decisions.” And now I can look back and be like — not hard on myself — but I’d be like “What happened there?” I just grew so much.
I have more empathy. … I feel I’m a better person now than I was when I was younger, which hopefully is the evolution of life.
Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.
