Zara Larsson she debuted on the music scene as a 10-year-old. She won one of the Swedish talent competitions and thus made her debut in a musical “The sounds of music”.
In 2008, a wider audience got to know her thanks to the Swedish edition of the program “I have a talent” (“Talang”). Larsson gave no chance to other participants and won the talent show, impressing with her performance of the song in the final “My Heart Will Go On” Celine Dion. In addition to signing a contract with the label, little Zara also won 500,000. Swedish crowns. Today, recordings of the performance of the now 26-year-old singer have from a few to several million views (and the most popular material has over 22 million).
“I was excited, but not surprised. Throughout all stages of the competition, I knew I had a chance to win” – years later she recalled her beginnings in a conversation with “The Guardian”as part of the promotion of the new album “Venus”.
“I made the dress myself. I sang in the final Celine Dion ‘My Heart Will Go On’ and I wanted to wear something ocean-colored, something that would move in the wind – I felt like an adult woman then, even though I was 10 years old at the time. It looked good from a distance, but up close it was obvious that all the seams and joints were visible” – she said.
However, we had to wait a while for the Swedish debut. In 2013, an EP was released “Introducing. The mini-album sold 120,000 copies. copies in the singer’s country and went triple platinum.
In the same year, Larsson’s second EP was released. A good start to his career was crowned by receiving two prestigious awards Rockbjornen in the categories: best live singer and breakthrough of the year.
In 2014, her first full-fledged album was released “1”, which went platinum. Thanks to the good reception of the album, Larsson was recognized as the best singer in Sweden for the second time in her career.
“I never worried that I wouldn’t succeed because deep down I believed that I was destined for the entertainment industry, which is why I applied for ‘Talang’. The only thing I was afraid of was the speed at which I would achieve this success. After the program, I was convinced that it would happen immediately. I signed a contract and was supposed to be a big star. But nothing happened for four years. I started to get stressed and worried about my career. But then everything went better” – she said in an interview with “The Guardian”.
Zara, which could achieve no more in Sweden, decided to start conquering foreign markets. In 2015, an EP was released “Uncover”which featured singles “Never Forget You” (together with MNEK) and “Lush Life”. The singer caused quite a stir with her songs. “Never Forget You” sold over 600,000 copies in Great Britain. copies.
“I signed my first professional contract at the age of 14. Until I was 20, my mother handled everything with me, she was always next to me, regardless of whether it was a concert tour or recording in the studio. If she hadn’t been there for me, I could have ended up in some strange situations” – she commented years later.
Zara’s second album – “So Good” – went on sale in March 2017. On the album, apart from well-known songs “Lush Life” and “Never Forget You”there are also songs recorded with the rapper Ty Dolla Sign (title “So Good”) and with the group Clean Bandit (“Symphony”). The latter became the singer’s biggest hit, breaking the barrier of one billion views.
Zara’s career took off, and Larsson herself recalled what her professional start was like.
“When I was 17, I signed a contract with Sony and everyone worked to make me have a career. I got a stylist, a choreographer, and I worked with songwriters. As I got older, I decided more and more what the creative process of an album would look like. Millions of views weren’t my goal when I was 10. To feel satisfied, I had to feel that this was it” – she said.
The Swedish woman’s third album – “PosterGirl” – released in 2021. “When I created this album, I was already an adult. I talk about how I matured and became a conscious and self-confident woman” – said Larsson.
The album’s creators included: Max Martin, Marshmello, Julia Michaels and Justin Tranter. Despite good reviews, the album did not achieve much commercial success. Another album “Venus” – and in early 2024, the artist released it under her own label, Sommer House. The 25-year-old also took complete control over the rights to her musical output.
While promoting the album “Venus” Larsson announced a world tour, and one of its stops will be Warsaw on March 7. In 2023, Zara performed during the Orange Warsaw Festival.
“Sometimes I miss the beginning of my career, when everything was so innocent. When I was younger, I never thought about how my music was received and how often it was played. Nowadays, it is difficult to assess success without numbers” – she concluded in a recent interview.