Zara Larsson discusses new album, her Ty Dolla $ign obsession, and summer festival plans

Released last week Larsson’s latest track offers a slight change of pace following previous singles “I Would Like” and “Ain’t My Fault”. “So Good” is just that, so good, it’s a slow jam and while sticking to Larsson’s definitively pop roots it shows a different side to the artist and hint at the diverse range of musical styles that will feature on the singer-songwriter’s full length record.

In Sweden, Larsson’s “Lush Life” was the song of the summer hitting number one and going six times platinum, released originally in June 2015 they took their sweet time before giving it a proper launch in the UK.

Follow up single “Ain’t My Fault” reignited the hype and once again Larsson was everywhere in the UK, including a stellar performance at VEVO’s annual Halloween party dressed as Maleficent. Towards the end of the year Larsson was back with a bang, no album news, but another new song “I Would Like” which became her highest charting track in the UK peaking at number two – partly thanks to a performance at the BBC Music Awards where she stood out at the most exciting entertainer on the bill.

As Larsson’s single campaigns continued questions about the album and its release date were answered with the word “soon”. “Soon” took of a life of its own within Larsson’s fan community: memes, memes and more memes, some of which were retweeted by Larsson, kept coming as release day announcements were pushed back. With the full length, which is her international debut album, So Good confirmed for release 17 March this year, we called Zara in LA to chat about the album and the new single of the same name.

Are you excited to share the “So Good” music video?

Yeah it’s very glamorous, fun and there’s a lot of personality. I think it looks rich. I had a lot of fun making it. I had a lot of fun on set, it was a really smooth day it went by no problem. Ty was is the best mood, he was really funny, everyone just had a great time, I loved that day. I had a really fun time. It has this pretty pearly filter on it and that makes things shine and everything just looks so smooth.

You’ve just dropped the album cover, the pre-order’s going to be up at midnight and the album is out 17 March, exciting times, how’s everything going?

I know! I feel so bad, because I’ve been say “soon”, “soon”, “soon”, “soon” and I’m basically the one person who wants to release it, no-one is as excited as I am. So I’m really happy that it’s finally happening, that people can finally pre-order it and they can see the album cover.

I love the artwork, did you have any input with its design?

We changed it back and forth, back and forth and I feel so bad for people working with me, because I change my mind last minute. I’m like “NO NO NO STOP! THAT’S NOT WHAT I WANTED.” I wanted this picture instead, we had another one, but it wasn’t it was as good. My single cover is a behinds the scene photo [from the “So Good” music video], which I loved and I wanted it as my cover. [The album cover’s photo] is actually from a photoshoot with a magazine and I just liked the picture.

Do you put a lot of thought into the branding and artwork, as well as the music?

I wish I did more than I do. I’m kind of a messy person, I usually just got to the studio trying to write as many good songs as possible and sing them as well as I can, because that’s basically what I do. I don’t really know what I want, but I’m very sure what I don’t want.

For a lot of people So Good is your first album, do you feel the pressure to deliver it?

Absolutely, especially because I’ve been pushing it for so long and the singles I’ve been releasing have been really successful. I just hope that the album’s going to be as successful as “Lush Life” has been in Europe or “I Would Like”, which was a really big hit in the UK, or “Never Forget You”. It’s been going really really well for me, so of course I’m nervous. I want it to live up to the expectations, because I think people have really high expectations.

In terms of 1 [Larsson’s first album released in Sweden] and So Good what do you think are the main differences?

I feel like this album is still pop, it’s very pop, but it has a little bit of everything. In my opinion “Lush Life” is very different from “Never Forget You” and “Never Forget You is very different from “So Good” which is very different from “Ain’t My Fault”, so I feel like there’s a bit of everything, but most of the songs that people have heard and the songs I’ve been releasing are more upbeat and fun, but there’s definitely some heavier, darker songs on the album, ballads and stuff. Like [in a sad voice] “oh! Heartbreak!” all that. I feel like I have that on the Swedish one too, although I would like to say that this one is just better in general. It’s better melodies, better production, better lyrics, everything is just levelled up.

Do you think part of that improvement has come from you being part of the writing process?

I think so, even though I didn’t write “So Good” I’d worked with Lunchmoney Lewis before, I’ve worked with J Cash a lot, Charlie Puth too. That’s usually what it is with the songs I haven’t been writing myself, people have written with me and worked with me before, and they’ll think “maybe we should give this to Zara, this sounds like a Zara song.” It’s going to be an even bigger part of the next album, the writing part.

The track list for the album is still to be unveiled, we saw you at Way Out West festival in Gothenburg last year and you played a song called “Permission”, which we love, and are wondering if it’s going to be on the album?

I’m not even sure anymore, I’m pretty positive, I think it might just be a bonus track – so if you’re streaming the album you’ll be able to hear that.

You’ll have written and worked on song many songs for the album since it has been a work-in-progress for so long, how do you decide what makes the cut?

It’s just something you feel inside of you, I don’t know what it is, it’s not like I’m listening out something in particular, like a certain progress in this chorus with this chord. I don’t really listen to music like that. A good song is a good song and it makes you feel something or it makes you dance or happy, it makes you whatever it is and that’s just what I go for. I compromise a bit with my label with the songs that I like, let’s say if I pick out twelve songs that I love, they might say well let’s put six of these on the album. I’m fine with that, but if you like a song you just like a song, you don’t really know why, it just makes you feel good, even if it makes you feel sad. It’s that little thing you can’t put your finger on. I don’t really have a vision or a concept for this album, the only vision I have is to have a really great pop album. There are definitely songs on the album that I know will never be number one, that won’t ever be played on radio, but some of them just have this vibe, they’re a tune and I love it. You want to put those songs on there, but you don’t really know why you like it. I just want to make a good pop album. For example there’s a song called “Make That Money Girl”, I know that will never be successful on radio, but it has a really cool message and it just adds something else to the album.

When you’re travelling and doing all the press tours for the singles and now the album, do you miss home and Sweden?

Of course I do, I miss my family and I miss my friends, it’s hard sometimes, but I really like L.A. I feel like this is my second home almost. Whenever I spent time here I’m pretty good, but I do miss my family and friends a lot.

What’s the first thing you always do when you get to home?

I’m really bad at unpacking, so I leave my bags for as long as I can and just repack it before I leave again. I try to spend time with my sister and my best friend, we usually go to the movies. I’m just chilling when I’m at home in my pyjamas or at my best friend’s house, in my pyjamas.

Sweden has a rich heritage of pop music, have bands like ABBA influenced you in any way?

Not really, I wasn’t really listening to those kind of bands when I was growing up. I’m a bit too young for that, no Swedish teenagers listen to ABBA or The Cardigans, but I do feel like I’m super lucky thanks to this great history of musicians, producers and writers that have come from Sweden because people look at me differently. It’s having the proof and seeing that Swedish people can make it. I feel like they’ve kind of paved the way for coming to America, I feel thankful and really lucky because of that.

Here at The Line Of Best Fit we cover a lot of new and emerging artists from Sweden and the rest of Scandinavia, so in terms of more current Swedish artists, who are you listening to?

I love Seinabo Sey. I love Sabina Ddumba, she’s great, there’s some great pop artists. Obviously Tove Lo. Tove Styrke. Icona Pop, I love them, we’ve got some good pop girls definitely. I listen to a lot of hip-hop. I like J Cole or like Chance The Rapper, but it’s not like I know every single one of their songs, but I do know pretty much all of Ty Dolla $ign’s songs. I’m obsessed, I love him, and I don’t think people know how much I love him. I’m just listening to the “Get Turnt” list on Spotify which has like Migos and Drake. Kehlani though, I love the new album.

Do you listen to any Swedish hip-hop?

I do actually when I’m not Sweden because I feel like I miss it. Although I’m not really into music in Swedish because there’s such a fine line between it being good or corny. I feel like I can say a lot more stuff or I can listen to more stuff [in English], it sounds better, because it’s not so close to me. If I sing something in Swedish it just sounds like I’m trying so hard and if I’m listening to something in Swedish I’m like “oh my gosh, calm down”, but if you’re listening to something or writing something in English I can be a bit more dramatic and not feel funny about it because it’s not my first language. Swedish hip-hop is cool, but I like the new school hip-hop, like the Atlanta hip-hop, but we don’t have that in Sweden.

You’re coming over to the UK this summer to play some festivals; do you have any plans for your own shows yet, as you haven’t played a headline show here yet?

I’m really excited, I can’t wait to come out and do the festivals, because I feel like even though 2016 was a great year for me, I feel like I wasn’t on stage enough. After the festivals and stuff I’m definitely going to do my own tour whether it’s opening up for somebody or do my own headlining tour, at least in Europe. I think that would be really awesome, because I love my band and I know we would have a great time if not a great show. Live is life. If I’m playing at a festival and I’m doing an hour I want to include my band and not just make it sound like the record. I love to rearrange the songs and make them longer, make them shorter, or do a medley, or whatever. That’s the nice part about doing things live, that you can do a bit of whatever you want.