Swedish pop sensation Zara Larsson is baring it all — not in lyrics, but in truth. The 27-year-old singer got candid in a recent appearance on the Rolling Stone Music Now podcast, where she opened up about her relentless ambition, creative self-doubt, and the years-long journey behind her upcoming album, Midnight Sun.
“When you’re super ambitious, I think that’s the blessing and the curse,” she confessed.
Zara admitted that despite her success and generally happy nature, she often feels nothing is ever good enough, constantly pushing herself to be better. That inner voice, always demanding more, is both her fuel and her frustration.
“I just want to be, like, the number one. Even just for a moment,” she added.
Four Years, Five Scrapped Albums
The Lush Life hitmaker also looked back at the four-year gap between her 2017 album So Good and 2021’s Poster Girl, which she now calls one of her biggest career regrets.
“I must have had five albums in those four years that I was just like, ‘No, no, no, not good enough. Let’s start over,’” she said.
According to Zara, the fear of not following up with another big commercial success made her overthink and restart multiple times. The pressure to outdo herself made her pause rather than push forward.
Midnight Sun — A Journey to Her Roots
Now, she’s gearing up for the release of Midnight Sun, and the title track, in particular, holds deep personal meaning.
“I’ve probably written five songs called Midnight Sun,” she laughed. “I really want it. Because it just reminds me of home… and a Swedish summer night.”
The singer explained that the more she travels and grows, the stronger her desire becomes to connect to her roots — something that Midnight Sun explores emotionally and sonically.
Blocking Out the Noise
While many artists feed off the music industry’s ever-changing trends, Zara chooses to do the opposite when recording.
“I don’t really give a f*** what other people are doing,” she said bluntly.
Instead of keeping tabs on the charts, she tunes into podcasts and ASMR to block out external influences and stay focused on her own creative direction.
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Zara Larsson’s latest chapter may be one of her most personal yet — a reminder that behind the pop polish is a woman constantly striving, stumbling, and starting over — all in pursuit of that fleeting moment of number one.
