Z

ara Larsson has spent the past 12 years releasing radio-friendly dance-pop bangers. "If you look at the numbers, I'm kind of in my flop era right now," she admits, a month away from releasing her fifth studio album, 'Midnight Sun'. "But I feel like it's the complete opposite," she continues. "For the first time in my career, people are interested in me as an artist."

Zara has wanted to be a pop megastar since she was ten years old and has always chased that vision with everything she's got. In 2008, she won the Swedish equivalent of Britain's Got Talent with a soaring cover of Celine Dion's dreamy 'My Heart Will Go On' and since then, she's been racking up chart hits around the globe.

"When I was younger, nothing was ever good enough," she says, talking to Dork during a day off from supporting Tate McRae on the North American leg of her 'Miss Possessive' arena tour. The gigs have been incredible, and the response from fans, both in the room and in the comments, has been amazing. A few years ago, though, Zara would have been frustrated; she was only the support act. "And that's sad, because I got to experience so many cool things."

"Because I started so young, I've always depended on what other people saw in me for my self-esteem," she says. "I don't crave that anymore." She's a lot more content in her personal life and with her career. "I can still do everything that I want to do in life. I love to sing – I love how it feels in my body – but I also love making other people feel good. I still have big goals and ambitions, but I'm just enjoying myself a lot more."

You can hear that across 'Midnight Sun', a mischievous, messy collection of confessional pop bangers that lets her personality shine. "I didn't want it to be too conceptual, because it feels like a reintroduction." From the shimmering opening of the title track to the chaotic bite of 'Pretty Ugly', it's an album that isn't afraid of pop being playful. "That is me. I am silly and I don't think most things are that serious, so let's have fun and dance. I really think these songs give people a better idea of who I am," says Zara, who – for the first time in her career – co-wrote every song on 'Midnight Sun'.

"I've always loved writing, but it wasn't always a very important part of what I did, because I saw myself as an entertainer first. That's changed as I've gotten older." She didn't write anything for 2014's debut album '1' but co-wrote over half the songs for 2017's 'So Good' and 2021's 'Poster Girl' via several sessions with different collaborators. "It was basically speed dating," says Zara. She learned a lot, but it's hard to open up in an hour. She changed things up with 'Venus', which was mostly created in "intimate" sessions with the legendary Rick Nowels and some trusted collaborators. "It's not that I wanted more control, but I did want more authenticity in my music. Plus, it was just more fun."

"Rick is amazing, but he's also 64 and from LA," says Zara, who knew she wanted MNEK to act as executive producer for 'Midnight Sun'. He was there when she wrote her first-ever song, 'Never Forget', and they've collaborated plenty of times since. "I love him. We have the same group of friends, we have the same For You page, we have the same pop culture idols." It was the same for producer Margo XS and writers Zhone and Helena Gao. On their first day together in the studio, they created "loud, confident and unexpected" lead single 'Pretty Ugly' and the album's title track. The rest came together just as quickly. "Making this record was just so easy. I really felt like I could just say whatever, and I didn't need to explain myself. It's about just letting loose, having a laugh, but not being afraid of being serious either."

Most of the songs came out of conversations Zara and her friends would have in the studio. 'Saturn Rising' is that feeling of hitting 27 and still feeling lost, 'Blue Moon' is a pure love song to Zara's boyfriend, inspired by a trip to Jamaica ("We saw the most beautiful Beaver Moon when we were there, but that didn't feel very sexy to sing…") and 'The Ambition' was a reaction to fans comparing pop girlies on social media. "I can't stand the negativity on X. Every time I log on, it makes me revert to my teenage self of feeling like I'm not doing enough or I'm not good enough. I hate that."

'Crush' is about having a wandering eye, and 'Girls Girl' is about wanting to take your friend's man. "I want people to be able to see that you can be a nice girl and still have these multifaceted thoughts and experiences," says Zara. She can still mostly remember the original lyrics to 2016's 'Ain't My Fault' ("It ain't my fault your man's calling my phone. It ain't my fault you can't keep him at home. It ain't my fault I give him what you don't") but she changed them because she was worried what people would think of her. "Now, I'd definitely release that because it's so funny. I'm more secure, so I'm not trying to prove to people that I'm good, talented or that I support women." In 2025, there's less pressure to be a perfect pop star. "It's liberating," says Zara. She loves Charli xcx's 'Girl, So Confusing' and Reneé Rapp's 'Bite Me', which is upfront about jealousy and cheating. "Fans are shocked, but we're just people – and writing songs about that is way more interesting and real."

Zara still has huge ambitions, but the most important thing to her is the live show. "That's when it really means something. People spend their hard-earned money and time to go and be entertained or moved. You don't build that live audience by being too general about everything."

"Going to a concert is just beautiful. Having everybody sing and dance together, there's something spiritual about that. It makes you feel connected to other people. It makes you more empathetic and it makes you kinder to yourself." The most recent gig that gave Zara that sense of community? Green Day. "I'm such a pop girl, but I was so inspired by them. They made everyone feel like they were in this thing together, and they just had the audience in a chokehold. It really made me feel in love with humans."

Her upcoming 'Midnight Sun' tour probably won't have as many guitar solos, but she is hoping to create that same sense of togetherness. Every track from the new album will make the setlist "because it deserves it", and the vibe is "digital mixed with nature". After that, she plans to head back into the studio for the next chapter. "I'm really inspired by how K-pop groups have eras and how those records have such a strong sense of purpose. I'm excited to try and do something like that, but for 'Midnight Sun', I just wanted people to get to know me better," she explains.

"I've had huge hits, so I know that hearing a song on the radio doesn't always make people want to buy a ticket," she adds. "Instead of looking out all the time and asking, 'What do I think people want to hear?' I've started asking myself what I want to release and what I think is fun." ■