Zara Larrson

ZARA LARRSON – MILLENIAL GIRL

ZARA LARRSON – MILLENIAL GIRL

Zara is poster girl for the Millenial generation – at only 23 – she is feisty, honest and speaks out about issues and has the platform on which to do it with millions of followers and a multi-platinum pop career spanning over a decade.

LUSH LIFE

Zara Maria Larrson was born on December 16, 2007 and at the age of only 10 she competed in and won ‘Talang’, the Swedish version of ‘Britain’s Got Talent.’

While that bought her notoriety in Sweden and 500 SWK (€50,000), Zara confesses she thought her career was over before it had even begun as she had to wait till 14 to get signed by a major record label.

“I was still pretty stressed out, but the older I got, the more relaxed I felt. When I was younger, I thought life was over by 25. But now I’ve kind of realised that life begins at 25.”

We would have to argue that sentiment. In 2016 the ‘Lush Life’ singer had 3 singles in the top 40, a number 1 in 8 countries and had already performed with a list of artists like the VIP guest list to an NME party including Ty Dollar, Tinie Tempah, MNEK.

She has collaborated with Clean Bandit in hit song ‘Symphony’ which she co-wrote with Ed Sheeran in album So Good. Plus, to date she has notched up two MTV Music Awards, a Kid’s Choice Award and a Brit Award nomination for British Single of the Year in 2017 for ‘Girl’s Like’ with Tinie Tempah. Time Magazine also listed her as among the “30 Most Influential Teens” in the world in their poll.

And all this while still studying at school.

This year, Zara hated “lockdown” so much she even considered giving up music altogether. Luckily for fans, she persevered and is releasing ‘Poster Girl’ a 12-track album of disco-heavy tracks featuring Atlanta rapper Young Thug and Swedish maestro Max Martin – the album deals with “kind of knowing what I want but at the same time definitely not,” she reveals.

COURAGE

Part of Zara’s edge comes with her strong beliefs and the fact she is totally prepared to air them. She has always been vocal about issues close to her heart. “Both my parents are very educated and when it comes to me speaking about social issues and about what’s going on in the world, they’ve been very supportive,” she says.

So, who has crossed Zara’s path exactly? Well for starters there’s men in general! A self-proclaimed feminist, after learning a man had committed a sexual assault on a woman during her set at Bravalla Festival in July 2016, Larrson went onto her social media to not only condemn

the act but what was seen by many as her “blaming all men for the attack.”

“F*** you who shamelessly raped a girl in the audience. You deserve to burn in hell. F*** you for making girls feel insecure when they go to a festival. I hate guys. Hate hate hate.” Strong words indeed.

Zara also recently posted a picture of her on social media with a condom on her leg, criticising men who refuse to wear them because they are “too big”. A move that won her praise from anti-teen pregnancy groups. “It was a bold move, but it definitely got the message across,” one campaigner said.

Talking about her strong opinions, Larrson was honest enough to admit that her “man-hater” label is actually well deserved and explains her views.

“Women are oppressed because of men. It's not a complete lie. People focusing on me being a man-hater is irrelevant, in my opinion. Who cares if I don't like men as a group? It's not a problem, it doesn't hurt anyone. I'm upset because the world hates women. Women are being raped by men, accused, murdered, harassed, discriminated. It's a natural reaction to be upset.”

Zara has also bated Donald Trump, singer Dr Luke and even rapper Chris Brown whom she said, “I think he is very talented, but I won’t support him because he is an asshole.” Brown was arrested in 2009 for assaulting then girlfriend Rihanna.

While Zara’s comments have catapulted her further into the public eye (and not always in a positive light) she is the first to admit, in typical millennial style, that she really doesn’t care.

She would rather be honest about her views and have no fans then keep her views supressed and have millions of fans. Although you may not agree with Zara’s feisty leftfield beliefs - it is brave of her to be that strongly convicted to them that she would sacrifice her career over her silence.

WHAT NEXT

Zara is pleased with her latest album ‘Poster Girl’ and is set to tour in November 2021. She has already signalled she is back in the studio working on the her third studio album which will have more disco beats like the ‘So Good’ album that catapulted her to stardom.

“I’m on my way, but I’m not even close to where I want to be. I want to sell out stadium after stadium. I want to make multi-platinum records… I think I’ll always have a hunger for more. That’s just the person I am.”