Zara Larsson

“I try not to overthink songs,” Zara Larsson told Apple Music in 2019. Instead, the Swedish singer feels most on point when she’s able to “just feel it.” Larsson’s ability to convey that mix of youthful confidence and emotional intensity helped make her one of Europe’s biggest stars while she was still in her teens. Born in 1997 in a suburb of Stockholm, Larsson first found fame in Sweden when her performance of Céline Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” clinched her victory on a TV talent show at the age of 10. She released her debut album, 1, in 2014, which topped the charts throughout Scandinavia and landed her a US record deal. “Never Forget You,” a collaboration with British singer and producer MNEK that also marked Larsson’s first songwriting effort, became her first major US success the following year. Together with the album So Good, the song established the power of Larsson’s sleek yet impassioned brand of EDM-powered pop. Poster Girl followed in 2021, adding a dash of disco influence to the mix, while VENUS, Larsson’s first release on her own Sommer House label, marked a new era of independence (“…and the core of female energy and empowerment I want to step into”, she told Apple Music in 2024). Simultaneously, a viral video combining the kitschy, colorful aesthetics of artist and designer Lisa Frank with audio from “Symphony”—her 2017 team-up with Clean Bandit—triggered a new surge in popularity. Larsson capitalized on the attention, dressing up the maximalist electropop of her 2025 album Midnight Sun in a tropical twist on that same distinct visual style, closing out the year with performances across the US and Europe. Larsson’s instincts continued to serve her well into 2026, kicking the year off at the top of the global charts as the featured artist on “Stateside” by PinkPantheress, taken from the UK star’s remix album Fancy Some More? PinkPantheress would later join Larsson for her own remix project, Midnight Sun: Girls Trip, alongside artists including Kehlani, Tyla, and Robyn.