Zara Larsson: Pop Girls, Confidence, & Crushes

What is up, Daddy Gang?

It is your founding father, Alex Cooper, with all her daddy.

Daddy, daddy, daddy. [MUSIC PLAYING] Zara Larsen, welcome to our Daddy. Thanks. It is so nice to meet you.

Nice to meet you. I haven't really really looking forward to this. Me too. Girl, you are having a moment. I know, it's so crazy.

How has your felt for you? And how are you handling all the attention? No, it feels amazing.

“Honestly, I've been thinking a lot about it, because internally,”

it's so crazy because I've been doing this forever. And I think a lot of people might just discover me and find out about me. And sometimes a lot of artists, it seems like they just like pop out of nowhere. But I've really been doing this for my whole entire life. And yeah, internally, it just feels exactly the same.

I feel like nothing's really changed for me in my day-to-day, or how I feel when I wake up. And what I do, I'm still on tour right now. And I've been touring for the past year. So everything feels really normal.

I think the only difference of the biggest difference is my interactions on my posts look different. And the amounts of likes and comments and shares. And even things I say in interviews, like things I say to the day, I think earlier,

it might have been like, wow, wow, wow, like I just say something. But then, yeah, it's like a bigger microscope. Yes, yes. That is so interesting, because it's like you're talking about how your life, you feel it's like it's been the same.

But then there's these big moments that, yes, you can pinpoint that. It's like, OK, more people are noticing me. Like, then we have the Olympics, a list of loose skated two stateside, which was everyone's talking about it. What did that mean to you?

It was so amazing. And I knew she was going to do that,

because she mentioned it in an interview like the day before.

“Some, some interview asked her, like, what are you going to do for this performance?”

And when I saw it, I just kept watching it. I maybe watched it like five times with my friends. And we filmed the first time and I put it on TikTok. But then the more I watched it, the more emotional I felt, because I think it's also just seeing her looking so in it.

Like, she's so in her body, and she's so free. And then she looks so joyful. Like, that is my vibe. And the way she talks about her sport and why she doesn't. And the fact that it just seems to come from this place of true passion and love.

And not the no one's forcing her to do it, or that. You know, it just feels like on her terms. And then she did it to ping panthers and my song. It just felt like, obviously, I will give her all the credit for pushing it up to number one. But being in that moment, for me, feels bigger than the charts.

Because I feel like that's like a cultural, it's like herstery. Literally. It's the Olympics. It's like it's representing of countries in the world. No, she just, I'm so excited to have been a part of that. Because that's iconic.

“Did you get to talk to her at all? Did you guys DM?”

Not. I did. Yes. That's actually a very fun part about getting recognized and having more followers. And having this celebrity situation, I feel like I can reach out to basically, like, a lot of people. And I know I'll probably get an answer. Have you been sliding into people's DMs, Laura?

Yeah. What would I do with, like, Queen? Like, "Hey, Queen, have you gone any messages back?" I can't believe I'm even DMing with this person casually. I reach out to a lot of artists, like a lot of girls. Sometimes just to say, like, "Hey, big fan, love what you do."

Like, Queen, you know they're gonna read it. You won't write to the top. You've got that one check, you're like, "Hi, it's me."

Yeah. Have a good Wednesday. Yeah. That's amazing.

But I just said, like, "Thank you so much. That was incredible. You're amazing." Like, "Please come to a show. She has to." I mean, I feel like this new album and era has been really transformative for you. It almost feels like a reintroduction in a way and not even just with your music. It's also your style and your image.

Like, what inspiration did you pull to create this new world? Well, a lot of people, you know, give credit to the dolphin trend on TikTok. Which, on the girl, we got to talk about it. Yes. Which, honestly, you know, it's, I don't think they're wrong. I think subconsciously, when you move through life, you just pick up a bunch of stuff.

I can't, I can't say with the hand on my heart. Like, the dolphin was not on the mood board, but, you know, it's like, you take care.

Can you just quickly, just for anyone who was under a rock? Yeah. And maybe it's like, "No, some people do." What are you guys talking about? The dolphin? What dolphin? Can you explain the dolphin where they came from and how they extended my impact to your life?

Yeah. Okay. Where did they come from? I don't know. I remember one time, I was in a festival. I was in Norway. And my friends, just this day, particularly, I remember because they kept sending me these videos on TikTok. It was just very colorful dolphins. They're jumping out of the water. It's rainbows.

It's blue skies. It's like happiness in a picture. Vivid. Um, and then that picture appeared with the kind of explosive course of symphony with a very depressing quote of your life, you know.

“And I think it's that. What's the word? Just a position? Yes. Yes, they're going to be”

word. It's like something so depressing. Yeah, it's like something so depressing. Yeah, it's like two symphonies. It's like background music. It's so beautiful. It's like so random. It makes you laugh every single time you see one. And that blew up. Because when they, when they sent me those videos, it was like, maybe five to 10,000 likes per video. And I was like, "Whoa, why is this becoming a thing?"

And then from one day to another, it was just everywhere. But um, yeah, I think like my style and everything from that, the thing is I did feel like it's booked to me just to image.

Because I have always loved glitter. I love glam. I love the sparkle. I love colors. I love

like, "Whoa, like this, you know, I love that." And I have always felt a little bit not embarrassed, but like being from Sweden, which is very, like minimalistic. It's like clean lines. There's a lot of neutrals, a lot of black, like in fashion.

“And I've always wanted to be like in fashion. Because I think music and fashion go so”

hand in hand. I feel like I had to repress that side of me a little bit and like be fashion. And then it just turned into like a really weird style. And I think this album just allowed me to fully do what I love. What you said to with the fashion element is so true to artists, the way that they express themselves and the way that they also differentiate themselves from other artists is through fashion, not just the music. And obviously your

fashion sense has really popped off. And I think people are obsessed with the way that you dress. And I can tell that so much of your creative vision is poured into your fashion. People have called you a mermaid Barbie. Does that resonate? I love that. I love it. I love it. I love it. It's perfect. It's like that's my dream. Is that how you would describe your aesthetic? Yeah, maybe. That's

finally colorful. You know, I love the long hair, especially when I'm on tour to just like throw it around, have the wind, have the sparkles. Like I love the showness of it. I love that it feels like it's not pedestrian. You know, it's like no, we're putting on a show. And especially this time around because I'm doing my US run. And we have like maybe the budget. It's five dollars. Like you know what I mean? It's like it's small. Like I was when we when we did these

when we booked these venues, like I didn't know that this was gonna happen. Like I didn't know was gonna sit here and talk to you like a year ago. I didn't know like what would be happening to me.

So we have these like amazing, amazing women that I share the stage with in my band and my dancers

and me. And that's the show. I mean, we are the show. So like the show has to be like the outfits, you know, the light and the hair. But that makes sense where it's like people forget that tours are booked so far in advance and so like we try to upgrade and it's just it's booked out like so far in advance. But I would be back though. You would be back. And you know what? Maybe it's fun that it's like this is going to be the most intimate. It will ever get because it's like

your career is on the right. So okay, you mentioned your chronically online. Yeah. Which I remember seeing an interview you said that your screen time was like 16 hours a day and I'm like perfect. She doesn't sleep. No, I don't know. What app are you using the most? Take talk. I figured. What is like taking over your for you page? Like what is what if I was on your phone? What am I with me? You're your own biggest fan? I'm so very like I think I try to engage

also so much in like what people pose and like what they say and I like always like in common

“and like engage. So I feel like my algorithms like oh you must like be a really big fan of star”

Larsen. It's just like I'm like yes. Like like like lay close. And then what else is

and then you lay down your phone and you're like what have I just walked for six hours? And then you pick like because you're like I need more and you're like what do I even walk? The way you scroll and it's like next video will be amazing. Next video will be amazing. It's that don't love your saying that and your videos are you? Because I know the next one's good. I know some people's are like would be like whenever people would see themselves on an app they'd be like oh my

god quickly scroll whether like I'm gonna be cringe or whatever you have you're like I fucking love

“myself. Yes, but also I think it's like that's funny you say that actually because I used to really”

be like that. I used to like now watch anything I don't want to watch any performance says I was like oh like get it away from me you know and now I think it's just so in my face a lot of the times and it truly did come from me wanting to like engage with the people who are posting it but I think

also the older I get I've never actually been a very shameful person like everything that I do I think

that's one of my best qualities is that I don't carry like a lot of shame and I think that just allows me to have more fun and like not be so hard on myself and judgmental because I really used to be like every time I was step off stage it wasn't good enough I it wasn't fun like I could have done better that was embarrassing oh I messed this up I did I was just like everything

“was I boo what do you think was that turning point for you though was it age perhaps age I think”

it was also me really feeling like I because I've been doing this for like so long it wasn't until quite recently I felt like I am finally like a part of creating what I do because when I started out I didn't write my music I didn't like really creatively make like my shows my video I

felt like it was just kind of happening around me and it was happening with I was always like a

part of the decision the overall like decision making and I got I got to like no I want to do this song like I don't want to do this song but overall I think a sense of control that I have now where it's like it's coming from me that's when I feel like it represents me and I feel like it's I have to plant the seed I can't just like tend to the garden the somebody else planted I have to like this how I feel I have to make like write my music be a part of the show be a part of

designing like what I wear be a part and then it just makes me feel like in control and it makes it so much more fun right so almost like I was thinking about it when you're saying that you saying you don't scroll past yourself it's because you're fully aware of what you're about to see because all of the creative you chose all of your outfits what you're singing you chose so you're like oh I remember oh when I hit that dance move like that moment we're before you're probably like oh

god why did I do that why did I do that I was already feeling itki about it before I went on stage because I actually didn't even really know if I wanted to sing that song yeah you sparked a lot of conversation when you said that you finally broke out of the kia asylum first of all for anyone who does not know what that means can you explain what the kia asylum is I feel like it's a place that um okay here we go it's a place I don't know how it

“was started and it's this institution where I think it's mostly girls in there honestly like the”

pop girls that have big hits so they've been charting like they maybe have billions of streams on their songs like I have really popular songs but they have little to know like cultural relevance I would say or maybe like an identity so they have like the songs and people know can sing along with them but they might not necessarily know who is singing the song and I've

always kind of struggled with this I'm like oh I've been so aware of it and I didn't know about like

the kia asylum or the kia asylum before um you know like five six seven years ago but I've always felt like what is it that because I I feel like I have so much inside of me that people can connect with why why can't I bridge that gap because of how these amazing songs but like what the fuck is happening that makes me not amazing clicking yeah in your opinion now looking back what do you think was keeping you there I think I think it was being free in

there's something very like a like sexy about that you know but I'm not a mysterious person and that's just genuinely not who I am so with this um midnight song because it felt so much like me I also felt like just sharing who I am with people in my followers I think my my like

you know hardcore fans have always kind of known me and like checked out on my interviews and

like all of that but I think I've also just shared more of myself with my followers and like online and I think it's again I think it's all these small things coming together like the music, the fashion, the personality just me being freer but also more um yeah like myself it's like you thought being in the music industry you're like maybe I'll just try to be mysterious and look at when you just leaned into yourself everyone's like bitch myself I think like Instagram

“is like hard because it is so like aesthetic you know it's so hard and I think that's why it's just”

so much easier to like like connect because I don't have to think about and and even sometimes

I do want to wear like a black leather jacket and now I'm like wait can I do that but it's like

the duality of a woman like I still have it in me I still have a leather jacket in me I love it I love it but it's hard it's hard to like I think that's also what it is actually now when I think back at it it's like staying a little bit disciplined because it is me and it is what I love but it's also like if you want to create some sort of brand you have to have the consistency and the discipline you're so right um you said in an interview that people

used to call you a flop like 50 times a day it's like oh no listen girl that's why I have to delete Twitter I'm like take care like goodbye um but how did those type of comments affect you

when you were reading them and consuming them um it's weird because it's this like game with my

brain I think reading it's it's so strange how I don't think we're meant to read a thousand

“opinions about ourselves a day um even like over five like that's a lot and I think what matters”

is like what the people around you are saying right so having having like some sort of social media or platform where people would just kind of say everything and I have to be honest like yeah I search for my name I did that I don't want to see the men show you what I'm talking about Wikipedia oh we know how do we can we quickly talk about that really pivot sorry yeah this Wikipedia beef you have have we settled it have we switched it they locked the page they did no one can no one can

come in and edit it anymore and explain the photo to people who haven't seen it it was just an ugly photo of me and I was like I don't want that to be the photo I wanted to be a hot photo and then we tried to change it and then they kept changing back and we emailed them like can can like we just keep this picture and they were like well it has to be by a photographer who have to give up like the copyright and I'm like yeah but like I took the photo like my friend took

the photo and they were like what camera then we sent this camera and they were like send us a full resolution and we're like it's just like a small bad digital going back and forth with Wikipedia like back and forth I think they didn't believe that I like owned the picture and I was like no like I had to send them a video like hey this is our larcen like I took this photo like my friend took this photo and they were like yeah so the cotton that girl it was the whole thing the link to you went

to be like there will be no ugly photo of me get this shit out Zara like that's the one I want you're like I want to surf face yeah I love how of all the photos you're like no one even looks at fucking Wikipedia these days but you're like my Wikipedia will slay to the gods and don't you ever forget it honestly I have a lot of respect for them yes how many times did you go and try to change it oh like 20 yes it was over a period of time and then when I posted the video

I posted a video on TikTok I was like whoever's changing this like stop it like because I will not give up I will change it 21 times like every morning you're having your coffee you're like hmm here we go refresh yes yeah it's like I will take my friend Vendala just be like

“you have to change it again like it's changed back okay so you're searching yourself online constantly”

you're asking and as Wikipedia and I think it's I think it's and I think it's like again a sense of false control of like what are people saying about me what are they thinking about me because at the end of the day I'm like an artist right like I have this ego that I have to sue and I want people to love me and I want people to like what I do and when I have a bad day I almost go in and I search for like the good comments gives me a boost and like yay you know it's

that day and it's like I knew it what I knew it what are some of the negative things that you feel about yourself because I feel like people online would look and be like oh you want to know what I look up when I want to like get confidence it's as our Larsen dancing video of you shaking your ass looking like the hottest goddess in the world and then like so I'm assuming people are like wait what do you mean like well I think it is I think if I have a bad day I mean what

“the only the only thing that affects me is which I guess is true for everyone the the things that”

affects you is the things that you believe even a little bit you know so because I always like

I always felt this disconnect with people or like fuck I'm in the KSI alone like I'm really stuck in here you know or like maybe I am a flop or like what is it that doesn't kind of like what am I missing and like all those things I think that affects me more because I've been like beefing with people online since I was like 14 and I had my blog and I would just you know but I used to write a lot about feminism I used to write a lot about like I was out here hating man

before it became a thing yes no truly and when it comes to me personally I think yeah like when I have a bad day it just oh reinforces what I feel like I already felt right do you look back at the time when there was negativity and it when it would get to you before you got yourself out of this asylum um did it impact the way that you felt about releasing music yes talk to me about that well I think I just cared a lot about what people would think and when people

would say and um earlier on I also again I didn't like write my stuff so I felt like since it was a really like coming from me like my words um I could kind of only lean on other people's

“like I could know that it's good I think it's good but also like it was very important for”

other people to also feel like it was good for me because I started like I got signed at 14 and at that point you're so young and you're around all these grown-ups and um they just you know have been an industry for a really long time and they're very talented so it's like we're giving you this song we're giving you this song and it wasn't really like an option for me to what I didn't know like I when you don't know what it is you don't know you just don't even know where to start

and I've always kind of I've loved writing like I said I had my blog I love to like I love to like

express myself um but I think also I try to be in some sessions and and I think there's just this sense of like like when you're 14 15 it's hard to truly emotionally connect with someone who is like 40 and I know some of the type of people you're sitting in that room was yeah you feel really small and they're so amazing and incredible so I just kind of felt like oh what do I have to say like you guys know better than I do when really it's not about that it's just about like it's not about

who who is better it's like who can now I realize like who can get who can get me the most comfortable so I can be the most myself but even Tara I'm thinking to you referenced you know your young girl at the time when you started your career when you would walk into rooms with label executives and producers you would be the youngest person there definitely what did that make you feel like

it's just always been like that for me and now when that's no longer the reality I'm like wow

“I think I really really would have benefited from being around people more like my age but it's really”

hard to find like well the next big but the number one writer 15 year old later yeah just like a come hang after school who's paying for the studio right none of us have jobs yet you know I get it like it's just always been like that and the thing is I used to have my mom with me everywhere okay my mom was with me everywhere like in every session and every studio like she would sit right there like she was just with me and um I think that is such a blessing for me and like thinking back

it I'm very thankful that she was just there you know and I've always felt like the people I started working with were also because I got signed to an independent label in Sweden called 10 and

worked in the beginning because it was so small and it was just kind of in Sweden but they were also

with me and I felt like um I could really trust them they always wanted like what was best for me

I've been lucky to have been around good people you go on tour with all these women yes since surrounding yourself yeah women what difference has that made for you in your career I feel so confident yeah I feel so um free and expressing myself I also feel like for a lot of women like what in whatever kind of um work they're doing even like on tour because we're all women on stage but there's so much happening um also a lot of women holding the mics you know performing being

pop stars but the producers and the the people working backstage you're like nothing of this

“would work without people surrounding me or like the industry so I think um they they always just”

have to the classic you know work twice as hard to take um or to get half the recognition that the men get and it feels really um it feels really like they're just so accomplished and I feel like everyone is being taken seriously and it does you don't have to like prove all the time that you know what you're talking about or that you know what you want it's so refreshing and I'm curious like since having this success I in your song states I'd you say I'm not girl I've been it yes what

is it feel like now that you really have people finally recognizing that like is it a little annoying

like are people coming out of the world or I love it I love it and they just proved like oh I'm the shit like I'm hot right now like that's fun it just it says more about like what I'm doing then and I think I think I think actually maybe the opposite for me I think a lot of my friends because I'm so bad at staying in contact with my friends when I travel just in general like this really been an issue for me and a lot of my friendships throughout the years because I'm a way

“a lot and like the only thing that exists for me I'm very present it's piss like whatever some”

front of my nose that exists but I think almost the opposite that people might be scared of now like clothes close friends that I had are a bit like scared of calling me because maybe they don't want to think that I like that they're calling me because that is going well for me I see so it's almost like the opposite you like girl call me yes let's go let's go get dinner yes but also like yeah I've been I feel like I am just doing what I do you know and that's what makes this so fun and easy

I think this whole era is just I don't really have to think about like oh fuck what's going to be the next thing like oh because I just do what I like and like I just do what feels right and that's just who I am at the moment and then I don't have to overthink what's next so much or what it is like it's just is and I'm just I'm just this like I'm very open what you see is

what you get okay let's talk about tour yeah first of all the one note in your song midnight

sun yeah it's like kind of long it's kind of long do you have to like prep for it like when you do it live or you like like could you bust it out right now or do you have to like fully prep for that I could bust it out right now it's just loud would you do it for me wait wait not me fangirling okay me pushing my microwave too we're talking okay that I think it's that's the

“right key oh so I do take a breath that's what I did okay take a breath”

I think that was the right key maybe it was I think it was lower if that wasn't the right key maybe it's up there yeah I just got tears in my mouth stop it wait you know I'm not even gassing you up every single woman in this room right now your voice oh thanks getting a little live performance right now like I have full you know I used to do that I think that was like when I used to go to to these like record labels to be signed I would be like and now I'm going to

sing a capella for you like old school shit and then they would just literally with their mouth open be like oh shit she doesn't need anything I was saying I would rather go blind stop you like

yeah you have an insane voice oh my god you didn't even do a you do vocal warm-ups you just hit me I literally don't I feel like the first song of the show midnight song that is like warm-up that'll do it and then I just get like warm warmed up throughout the show I'm never

gonna get over that I first of all I've also never had someone sing that loud in the call it a studio

and I am whoa okay um you've been touring for like 10 years yeah I'm assuming you have some wild stories like things that have happened but okay no no I'm doing that face because the craziest thing we do is like throw some candy wraps on the floor in the bus stop it's okay what's the crazy thing that's happened on stage oh now functions disasters people all the time all the time yeah but that's just like that show is baby just gotta suck it up and and move on we have something in

common okay we both like edibles oh yeah I love that shit oh what is your favorite kind oh like you don't like strain or like brand they're just like or just like yeah like are you more of a setiva girl like a hybrid hyper because sometimes I get scared okay you know talk to me about your fears no but sometimes I get like paranoid yes oh like if I take one it's like oh I'm scared

what what time of day are you usually um always like always recreational like no work

no work yeah so like your so my worst nightmare would be to like have an edible sit in this couch with you and like having to speak you know what I am the same exact way like if we both were on edibles right now not we would just we would just we wouldn't we would just uh uh and we

“flap knees flap knees flap knees flap and we'd be too scared to like say I think I feel like what's”

that I come up weird yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah like no no am I being weird and like am I sitting weird what's my posture like yeah yeah I don't know where I am yeah okay so your traditional friends I have done it like twice on tour and it was so fun why okay so it went well it went really well but it was also like just an opening slot it was for tape and it was just 45 minutes at that point I was very comfortable in the set but having done it I'm like yeah I don't think I'm

gonna do it again because I think it's something you know it's for me it's like giggle and chill with your friends or like yeah yeah no no I I don't understand people that just like smoke

“crazy and then they go into a show I'm the same I like to I think I thrive my most when I'm alone”

and I have a little edible yeah I'm not like walking around and going to meeting no couldn't do it okay speaking of tape you opened for tape McCray yes what was the most fun part of that tour wow I mean the whole experience was really so incredible for me and I knew it was gonna be amazing before we

went on first of all because she's incredible her fans are so fun and I feel like it was just

the perfect match so I knew that this was gonna be like one of the first stepping stones of what I was trying to do with midnight sun I mean it was right I think my album released on the last day of the tour so it was like a perfect setup because I really haven't taught that much in the U.S. or like American general um and the the most fun part I mean obviously to do the show every night which was still like a 45 minute so I got to give them like a good chunk of what I do and who I am

and uh just the way it was received I just could never have guessed like how much it was gonna do for me because they really felt like maybe it's just my for you page because that's all it is just me me me like they were loving me I was thriving on the tour but I saw so many videos from it and like people engaging with it and even though I don't have Twitter I have my friend vandalashik sometimes she sends me like the hit tweets of the week and the and people were like really

“really positive and I think also the story of it all I think the lore like people loving under dog”

and people love to root for someone who who they feel like it's like on the come up a little bit

and there is so much lore it's like this is not like an overnight thing and people could be like

“wow like she's worked so hard like she deserves this and I think that like adds to it”

and having two women that are so good at dancing yeah you're gonna have a good time that night oh for you singing both of you are like insane dancers and singers so you're like it was so incredible because I've been opening for other people before like Ed Sheeran, Kai go um Ed yeah love love love love love him I love him but I think that that match was like way better

and I've never had it was like it was it was like a lot of people who came to see the opening

which I didn't feel was the the vibe for the other people that I've opened for the girlies were out the girlies were out and they were like they came to see it so that was so much fun I know that you had written in an Instagram post you kind of called out even though so many like you're saying the comments were so positive the vibes were so positive it was strange seeing people put you and totally again see each other which is so sad because it's like kind of

expected which is like why do why is that even the case um what was going on that you think was

“creating that dynamic what was going on I think um well first of all I've been doing this for”

longer I'm older and maybe some people felt like I deserve to be in the arena and I'm like well why didn't take it then that's not takes fall you know what I mean I haven't told for me this

was an amazing opportunity um I think it's just like the nature of how people speak about girls

and pop again I come back to the fucking KES Island like no one's being put in there except for the pop girls you know is this culture around which I sometimes think it's it's very interesting it could be fun because people are very like engaged in pop girls the girls of pop are kind of pop culture at least in my world but then I think um we are similar in the sense that you know we both dance although she's a way better dancer and I like I do pop she does pop I think it's like

“and I think again it's easier to root for someone who it's like an underdog you know because once”

you and I kind of always said it's like once you start getting haters that's when you know you're like

that bitch yes no it's so true it's like remember Taylor Swift's line it's like they want to see you rise but they do not want to see you rain no no like they love to come up totally and then the minute you're there they're like what the fuck are you doing there and obviously Taylor's like massive she had this sold out arena tour like I'm on her tour like opening for her so she's this very successful girl and I think it's just we're both talented but I think people were like why is

our opening for tape well it's not really about talent it's about the me being put in front of a crowd where I haven't like been before so I think it's just it's it's like too easy for people to compare us even though we are we're similar but we're very different and I don't think that was fun at all for her we haven't spoken about it much but I think as a human being you know like her being so hard working and talented and just seeing this fucking random Swedish girl come on her tour and be like

the fuck like you know what I mean but I did tell her that I was like I am on your tour like she is incredible and also being on that tour I personally have so much respect for the way she works and how hard she works and the fact that everyone was so lovely and I think that's as a lot about the artist because I definitely do think it trickles down like if you have a good boss she's the boss she's the one employing all of these hundreds of people if you have a good

head that makes the whole experience good and it really was like down to the crew the dancers the drivers like the truck drivers were incredible and I think it's just a classic like also a little bit of misogyny you're like it can't be it can't be two girls being good you know it's so crazy have you had the ability and you don't need to name names to talk to anyone in the industry about this like problem that all of the pop curly's have of just like comparison and everyone

hitting you guys against each other hmm not really because I don't really go out but um like in

we exist in the universe you know we see things that everyone else is seeing on their timeline

“we're just people with phones at the end of the day and I think um everyone can relate to it somehow”

and you know who knows in the future maybe karma comes back around and I have a really great girl opening for me and everyone's like what the fuck like she's you know boo yeah boo like it's just it's just crazy the way it is and I think um I just know that I I love all the girls I really do and I think I think most of the people do I think it's such it's like a cheap shot of um putting someone up by putting someone else down it's like you can't actually

just say wow that was incredible you don't have to put someone else down because of it something I

was thinking about with your album is the girl's girl song that's funny you say that because I have something to say about that too on the remix do you want to say it now yes okay like and shut up I have taken no people actually do my girls go I'm ready funny because I did take that song and I turned it into what happens when a girl's girl like I want to be a girl's girl but what happens when a girl's girl wants spotlight because there's only room for one girl apparently so we all

have to have this light be nice and friendly which is the reality of it all and this is at the end of the day just a song but just to like okay but I it's that weirdness in the industry but

“also like that's how I choose to twist it to make it a little different and fun oh I like that”

it's gonna be really fun because the original is it's about realizing you have feelings for your friends and you said that this was inspired by real events at the time what is the story it was inspired it definitely wasn't like the truth and I think I just love the song I love I love a little story like let's get messy in the story because yes I used to be so messy as a teenager I really I really know I'm a granny but as 16 I just like oh girl we were celebrating new years and yeah my one

of my best friends boyfriend he just like he he was flirting with me all night and I was really interested in his friend so we're at this party and by the end of the night you know I don't know what is like for you guys but in Europe at 16 that's like you've been drinking for about four years at this point so not so but we'll get depends on the US where you grow up but yeah yeah okay so I was like oh I was picking up my jacket everyone was already downstairs we were going somewhere else and yeah

he just kind of like started kissing me and I just kissed him back because I was messy like that and that was 16 and really drunk and like I um the fucked up thing about this though was that the girl who's who we had had the party at she filmed this and I didn't know so before I got the chance to tell my friend what happened the next day she had already got the video sent to her

“yeah so that that was like really messy but then yeah but the truth is I wasn't really like in love”

with him or interested in him it was this weird unforgivable mistake that happened but obviously seeing it it just she just cut me off and all my friends just cut me off and I was just like a floating piece of trash in the universe yes a video yeah what was her reaction I don't know because she didn't speak to me for like four years like she cut me off she meant that shit and I had like clothes you know she had clothes in my place and my mom was like I can come and pick it up and she was

like her mom was like no we can mail it like how far did you guys live from each other like 10

minutes like mail it yeah no yeah did you guys ever finally talk yes yes it says okay and everyone's

like on on good terms and yeah it was one of it was one of my worst mistakes in life like it truly was a 16 I just if I could take it back I I would so so so bad but I also have to like forgive myself for it because again this is more than 10 years ago now and I was just really stupid and

morals and my my just sense of self like it just goes out the window and now I just take to the table I was gonna say and then enter edibles that when you were like we're gonna stick to that yes actually how has your

“idea of girls girl evolved over the years as you've become a woman hmm I think girls girl is”

what I'm trying now when I'm like a boss I feel like I can employ women you know I could build like money in their pockets and I can make sure to uplift and amplify like their voices or again in the studio like I want to ride with other women I want to produce with other women I want to create with other women and I I you know just take women very seriously because I think

we're so amazing and capable there was an interesting article about you recently that I wanted to

get your opinion on this quote they said there's nothing about Zara Larsen's public persona that shows any interest in capturing the validation or attention of straight men is this inaccurate statement

“I think the older I get which I do think comes with age a little bit I think I because I used to”

be heavy male centered even if I didn't want to like admit to it I think even in like having relationships or making sure that I felt like validated and loved by like a man and it didn't have to be like people outside of my relationship but even so that was still important to really fill desired by men I think now maybe it's like you turn 25 and like your brain develop but like hitting status return like grow just growing up just literally your brain develops I think I I focus so

so so little on that right now how have you like really managed to decent or men from your life can you give the girls listening like a little go to guide oh no I only want to impress like the mean 13-year-old girls you know what I mean like that's who I want to impress so real they're looking at your outfit yeah exactly you're like I'm not gonna be able to sleep today no I think it's um I I used to crave that so much I don't know if it's like a classic you know my like my dad

for like my dad like not and my I love my dad and my dad loves me but he was a way a lot like

like you're like we gotta go back to the original story it's always the bad right what's the

relationship that I wanted my dad to tend to yes so I wanted other yeah yeah exactly but I think now also maybe I hate to say it but like in my relationship now I think he has made me realize that I don't need like outside validation because it has to come from within and how do you find that within you just you I'm saying corny things I'm corny things like I was gonna say you have to love yourself but it's 13-year-old you're like yeah they're like hmm yeah yeah no and how do you love

“yourself I think um you have to like have a lot of grace for yourself you have to surround yourself with”

people who are like uplifting and non-judgmental no it's such a good point it's like the amount of times and everyone's timeline is gonna be different but the amount of time you have to take at some point in your life to realize like you're going to keep getting a zero to nothing result when you're looking for other people's approval and you're looking for people to validate

you and the minute that you are able to source that all within yourself it will always be there

of course but it can't be like this forever present no okay back to your album I love it because you write about like kind of taboo no totally topics yes how have fans reacted to some of these topics I think they're pretty chill you know I think um you know at the end of the day it songs but it is a very relatable thing I think and um having a little crush on someone when you're in a relationship it's like uh uh uh bad bad bad but I've had that and I think it comes down to

again like just it's not even really about that other person that I was interested in in just it's just about me wanting to feel desired and wanting to feel like you know well I'm so hot

and I'm like you're not even funny like I'm the funny one like if we look at it with sober eyes now I'm like why am I just like you know what I mean right do you find that in your in the past because I know you're in a relationship about over five years which we get to but in the past have you found that within yourself where you're like still lightly looking for to feel desire

“the minute you're in a relationship does it this spark go? No I think I've always just um it could”

come from anywhere it's not really about the relationship again because like right now and it has been from the star my boyfriend is fantastic like I love him and um I can't I I can't not be honest to him because he also like he will just see right through me and uh he's so patient and he's so understanding and um I think having some sort of crush like we obviously spoke about it and uh he could tell like immediately he's like so what's going on the hearing like what's up with you? How did you handle that?

You just have to talk about it it's actually not that it doesn't have to be dramatic and then you just say how you feel and he knows he knows me better almost than I know myself because he also knows that we call actually saying I'm a woman but this person that craves this validation we call

“her the girl and sometimes the girl pops out and she wants to like roam around town but the girl”

is kind of gone now because you're a woman now Zara yes we enter your boyfriend was like he was okay like he was like I want to say okay I want to say okay but you got through it yeah like it wasn't it wasn't like very dramatic it was just like what I'm saying that he wasn't okay he wasn't like it's fine by me baby but he was just like let's have an honest conversation because that's all

you can have have you ever been cheated on? Yes in previous relationships um like my first relationship

was just that was so weird we were together for from my 14 to 18 19 and uh we were together for three months and then he told me like I'm sorry I slept with someone at a party and then our relationship was kind of just like that for the whole of my teenage years very traumatic like we were both just really bad for each other but we didn't have any sort of reference point to like what love is supposed to be and that like teenage fiery like hormones everywhere

crazy that time you think it's like passion and really it's just trash like so bad it's so crazy at 16 you're like I'm in love yeah this is the love of my life yes I'm in I'll ruin everything this person no literally babe you're not okay man like I went through that same thing where you're like what was I thinking um we and how what initially attracted you to your boyfriend so we were friends for a really long time before it was like a friend's to love a situation it was very cute

it was very cute because I've never really had that I'm a very like yeah we were fucking on the

first date like let's just get it over with you know what I mean and uh I couldn't really do that with him because it it just gradually I mean he he's always kind of been in my friend group like my bigger friend group and I've always been in a relationship so when I work up with my ex we were just like out and about with this big friend group and then we started having like parties at my place and yeah just like the later it got the more people dropped off and like every day every week

it would just be like smaller smaller circle and we would just hang out and then all of a sudden it was just like us there and we were like and he was like oh no I missed the last train I'm like you can take a new bar but you know I mean who made the first move it was so um in sync like he

obviously was very interested and he made sure you know you just know you just know but I've never

looked at him in that way until I did like I've never I was never in the relationship looking at him thinking like hmm he's always been beautiful but he's very friendly and he's very like respectful

“so I think when I got uh out of my relationship it would start to hang in out it was just like one day”

like way yeah like wait a minute and then he stayed over and he stayed over for like a week and we just got like closer and closer every night and it's such a cute story because really

we didn't talk. I'm like let's wait but really I just needed those like I need a couple of seconds yeah I need a second oh my god so um it was really cute it just like made it really beautiful and then when I happen um it's just been us since that day and uh and he's my person like he's my best friend and we just have such a fun time and he's so smart and he gets along really really well with my friends. My sister loves him. My family like that's so important to me

that my my especially my sister and like my friends get along with my man because I didn't really have that before where I felt like you fit into my world and the opposite

“but I think it's so so so important and now I just know like now I feel since the girl is kind”

of gone um I really do feel like it's just like that's my person for life like we're locked in I feel so secure and even now when I'm traveling we don't have to speak every day all the time like that's just lame like why would you have to like I know you're there and I feel so secure and

he knows I'm here and feels so secure and I think it's because we've had just always really

open and honest conversations and I think before him I didn't really have that even with myself like I will tell him like no it's not that I actually feel like this and it's like but is it really like that like what is it really about and it's like let's take it from the start so and then and then we'll talk and then eventually eventually it's like well actually it's not like that and they like is like you know so I think he taught me to be honest with myself which is

“actually the hardest part it's so hard because you have to find that person that balance is you just”

right yeah and I feel like also you guys have gone through a lot I know you posted on TikTok calling out some of the racist comments that we're making towards his boyfriend so he's like elevated he's like he doesn't even live like in his mindset he's so grounded but also at the same time it's like he don't care about anything like that how do you handle that hate though towards some a new love online yeah I think that's worse because in a way when it's about me like I can kind of

handle it but he of course is never fun but I think he just the way he moves through life like

he's so he's a very like interesting character and he just makes me realize too that even the even how many hours a day I spend online like at the end of the day this is real and like he grounds me a lot and I think I have these really big dreams and aspirations and goals and not that he don't have that but his dream is to like have a family he's like my purpose is to be like a dad and be the best dad I can be and to be like the best friend I can be the best partner I

can be and everything else is just like cherry on top and like but his purpose is not to go look for what I'm looking for so we're very different and I think we balance each other a bit like yeah he grounds me and like I inspire him with like goals and dreams because I'm like what the fuck

“you mean like you have to like what do you mean you don't want to take over the world and he's like”

no I mean this this this is it like this is life for me like he will like live on a farm you know like grow his plans like that super ground yeah you're like oh yeah we helicopter a charge yeah yeah I'm who's the funny one in the relationship it's me I was gonna say yeah I was like

I will never forget when you posted your foot in a condom well you're lag actually in a

condom oh yeah what can what happened there I don't know I feel like it wasn't that big of a deal I feel like they seem like so many people do the same thing but they because it was like the tumbler days right and they could only fit like kind of the foot and then that day we had gone to the youth clinic with like me my school as you do I don't know if you guys do that here no but I love it I feel like everyone should more sexual education with the kids and then we got a bag I'm talking

like a bag of condoms and I'm like I'm not gonna use all of this because I do it unprotected I'm kidding no but uh kidding so I had to try it on and they reached all the way up to my knee

if you feel if you say it doesn't fit I don't know how big it is but it's not as big as my leg

“like let's just be honest and it just really was and I find that quite impressive but yeah”

and it just blew up it just blew up it just was so funny too because I was like oh my gosh how she ever had a guy be like I can't do that because like I'm too big and you're just like yes you have

actually no that's a lie okay but like a lot of my girlfriends have had that yes because I've always been

like in a relationship and condom or not my mom as soon as they got in a relationship she was like I am putting you on birth control hello if you didn't really hit your back 15 whatever like you do what you wanted to I did so uh that was okay so are the funny one you're the funny one I would say so I love that I don't think if yeah he would agree okay um I know this song blue moon is about him yes how did you first show that song to him we were actually in Jamaica

together writing it and um where I was with my writing crew and he was there so uh he was just

“kind of in the studio as you were writing it I think written other songs about him yes yeah I have”

it's um it's so fun honestly because I don't really write a lot about I don't know if I I don't make like a conscious decision about not writing specifically only about like romantic love but I think a lot of my songs are about other things as well you know like crush or girls girl which it's about love but like in a different perspective even the night sun that's like it's song about my my country house and I was just like I would need to write a song about what it

feels like on a summer's day in the countryside but the love songs um yeah he's gotten a few of those and he'll get some more I feel like obviously your album was such a success it's been such a success and now we have the deluxe album coming out what can you tell us about it I'm so excited about this I'm so excited we are too it's gonna be a fantastic fantastic I mean just for me I'm just

like I can't believe this is happening because I've always said I wanted to do collabs with girls

and it's so many girls on this so many girls any hints what could be a hint you get that you got that we got that we'll zoom in don't worry perfect thank you internet do your thing can you tell us about any of the new songs yeah I mean they are just reproduced and like reworked a lot of them are really like amazing new songs it's like a new way of listening to the

album and it's really fun I was super inspired by Charlie Xie X how she did her album and I'm like

wait that's so fun because I always think that there's so many way even like when producing the original

song that gets to be put out to the world usually there's just so many versions of it before the never really gets to see the light of day or there's so many there's so many ways you can take a production where like I don't know like it's just so fun to give it another life and I'm so I'm just so excited like some of these people on it I just can't believe it that's really where I felt like wow like I'm a star like I'm like wow you wanted to be a my song it's really

incredible so yeah before you can you share what do you think is your favorite one of my favorites is blue moon it's so nice it's so nice I'm so excited for you and so happy for you and just like getting to know you today it was so lovely I feel like we had such I feel like I've gotten to know you from yes that young girl that was hungry and wanted it but then really I feel like this was about the evolution of you as a woman and coming into your own and yes you've popped off and

so many people are talking about you now but like you've been working at this and it's so well deserved and you've put the work and you've put the time in and it seems in a beautiful way like you're still being so true to yourself and that to me is what is going to like make you

“continue to stand out to people because it feels really awesome it's the only way that could work”

the way like it's just what it's just what has to be it it has to be it and it is and that's what

got to meet and it's really big for me like this is like a really big deal for me well I'm so you're for having me I am so happy we did this yeah thank you for coming to our daddy