Zara Larsson

Zara Maria Larsson (Swedish: [ˈsɑ̂ːra ˈlɑ̌ːʂɔn] ^ⓘ; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish singer and songwriter. She first rose to prominence in 2008 after winning the second season of Talang, the Swedish version of the Got Talent format. She later attained international recognition with singles including "Lush Life" (2015), "Never Forget You" (2015), and "Ruin My Life" (2018).

In 2012, Larsson signed with the record label TEN Music Group and subsequently released her debut extended play, Introducing, in January 2013. The EP was supported by Larsson's first original single, "Uncover", which charted at number one in Sweden and Norway, being certified 6× Platinum in the former. Her debut studio album, 1, followed in 2014.

Following her early success in Scandinavia, Larsson signed a three-year contract with Epic Records in the United States. Her debut international album and second overall, So Good, was commercially successful and was released in March 2017. Larsson's third studio album, Poster Girl, followed four years later in March 2021. Her fourth studio album, Venus, was released on 9 February 2024. Larsson's fifth studio album, Midnight Sun, was released on 26 September 2025.

Zara Maria Larsson was born on 16 December 1997 in Solna, Stockholm, to Agnetha and Anders Larsson. In an interview with Svenska Dagbladet, she said that she was born "dead" due to a lack of oxygen from a nuchal cord. Larsson grew up in Tallkrogen in Enskede, south of Stockholm. Her mother is a nursing assistant and her father is an officer. She has a sister, Hanna, who is three years younger and is a singer and member of the band Lennix.

Her first primary school was the Gubbängsskolan; she transferred to the Royal Swedish Ballet School in third grade. She attended the secondary school Kulturama, an art school in Stockholm. She has cited Carola Häggkvist and Whitney Houston as early inspirations. She has said that since the age of five she knew that she wanted to become "immortal" like Elvis Presley.

Larsson won the 2008 season of Talang, the Swedish adaptation of Got Talent, at the age of 10, winning 500,000 kronor. "My Heart Will Go On", the song she sang in the final, originally sung by Celine Dion, was later released that year as Larsson's debut single, charting at the official Swedish Singles Chart, Sverigetopplistan, for six consecutive weeks and peaking there at number seven for one week. She started singing on Sommarkrysset ("The Summer Cross"), another Swedish TV program.

Between December 2009 and January 2010, Larsson participated in a reality TV series called Jag ska bli stjärna (English: "I shall become a star") where she and other young Swedish talents got help on the difficult road to international fame and success. She was managed by Laila Bagge, and they flew to Los Angeles in the United States where they visited and talked with Disney and the three big record label companies - Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group - but she did not get a contract offer anywhere, which Larsson later attributed to her age at that time.

Larsson signed with TEN Music Group in 2012 to record her debut compilation recording. The recording, the extended play (EP) Introducing, was leaked on 9 December 2012 through an unofficial music video of "Uncover" on YouTube, a static-view video featuring her singing the whole song in the recording studio in one whole continuous take. The five-song EP was released in Scandinavia on 21 January 2013, consisting exclusively of original songs. "Uncover" was released as the EP's lead single. It peaked at number one on both the Sverigetopplistan and DigiListan charts, as well as reaching number one in Norway and peaking at number three in Denmark, and by 25 February 2013, the song was certified platinum in Sweden by Universal Music Sweden as a result of the song having received over five million streams. The song entered the Svensktoppen track lists. In July 2013, at Sommarkrysset in Gröna Lund, she received a 3× platinum award for Introducing for selling over 120,000 copies in Sweden.