Zara Larsson facts: Get to know more about the Swedish singer
There's so much to know about her!
Zara Larsson is well-known for her summer bangers 'Lush Life', 'Ain't My Fault', 'Ruin My Life' and 'Don't Worry Bout Me' as well as her smash-hit collab with Clean Bandit, 'Symphony'. Although she's now an established pop sensation at 28-years-old, Zara actually started out aged 10 — winning the Swedish version of Britain's Got Talent!
With Zara having so many amazing songs, along with her latest album 'Midnight Sun', and a new collab on the way called 'She Did It Again', let's get to know her a bit more — from facts about her biggest hits to how the singer reached her success...
1) Did Zara Larsson win Britain's Got Talent?
If you want to know how Zara Larsson got famous, it's all thanks to her appearance on the Swedish version of Britain's Got Talent, when she was just 10-years-old! It's actually called Talang, instead of Sweden's Got Talent. Zara sang Whitney Houston’s ‘The Greatest Love of All’, and won the show, going home with 500,000 SEK - that’s around £45,000.
Many people wonder whether Zara won The X Factor too — she didn't take part in that particular competition, however, she did perform her song 'Ruin My Life' on the 2018 series of The X Factor.
It would also be easy to mistake Zara for Louisa Johnson, who became the youngest-ever winner of The X Factor at the age of 17 in 2015!
WATCH: Louisa Johnson - 'So Good' (Official Video)
2) Zara's debut single was a cover of Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On'
Zara sang the song on the show, and released it as her debut single - which went to Number 7 in the Swedish charts. It was reported that she was re-recording it for an upcoming album, but this has yet to materialise.
3) Zara signed to her first music label when she was just 14-years-old
Just four years later, Zara signed to major label TEN Music Group and put out her debut EP 'Introducing' in January 2013, before releasing her debut album '1' in October 2014, achieving Number 1 status in Sweden.
Her debut album '1' is only available in Scandinavian countries.
4) How many albums does she have now?
Zara now has five albums, four of which were released in the UK. Zara's second album (serving as her first international album), 'So Good', was released in March 2017 and reached Number 1 once again in Sweden, as well as Number 7 in the UK. It spawned singles 'Lush Life', 'I Would Like', 'So Good' and 'Ain't My Fault', and is now certified Platinum in the UK.
She released her third album 'Poster Girl' in 2021. It included hit tracks such as 'Ruin My Life' - and Top 10 hit in the UK - 'Talk About Love' and 'Love Me Land'.
Zara released her fourth album (third international) called 'Venus' in February 2024. In January 2023, she released her first single from the record called 'Can't Tame Her' - which was certified Gold by the BPI in June 2024. Hitting the Number 25 spot in the UK, the track gained a Number 1 title in the US in the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart.
She then released 'End Of Time' on 19th May 2023. Speaking to Uproxx, she described the album as "super fun", with "some highs and some lows in there – some beautiful ballads, some dancey songs. I feel like it’s just a collection of really good music."
The third single released from Zara's fourth album was her collaboration with superstar DJ David Guetta 'On My Love' in September 2023. The track peaked at Number 15 in the UK and was accompanied by an adorable music video, showing Zara and her sister Hanna Christina as kids performing in their childhood home.
'You Love Who You Love' was the fourth single to be released from Zara's album 'Venus', on January 2024. It peaked at Number 16 in the UK chart.
The singer told us in an interview just before the album's release that many of the songs are inspired by her friends' love lives. Zara, who had been with her boyfriend Lamin Holmen for four years at the time, explained: "I really get super inspired by my friends, because my own (love) life is so boring!
"I just feel like everything's great, maybe I should do more songs like that 'everything's great, everything's amazing, I'm super happy, I'm super in love', but yeah it's boring in the best, best way possible. No drama!"
Zara Larsson - 'Can't Tame Her' official music video:
Zara's fifth album 'Midnight Sun' was released on 26th September 2025, featuring singles 'Pretty Ugly', 'Crush' and the album's title track, the latter of which was nominated at the GRAMMY Awards 2026 for Best Dance Pop Recording.
5) Zara is a Sagittarius
Wondering how old Zara Larsson is now? She was born on 16th December 1997, making her currently 28-years-old and a Sagittarius.
6) Her UK debut single was a collaboration
Zara has become well-known for her collaborations with other artists, and her debut single in the UK was a 2015 collaboration with MNEK on the track 'Never Forget You'. The track is now certified 3x Platinum in the UK, hitting Number 5 in the UK Singles Chart.
7) Zara sang on the official song for the EUROs 2016
She teamed up with David Guetta for the official song for EUROS 2016, 'This One's For You'. It was a Top 20 hit in the UK, gaining a Gold certification from the BPI.
8) She studied at The Royal Swedish Ballet School as a child
She moved to the school in third grade, and studied there until the age of 15, later studying at Kulturama, an art school in Stockholm.
9) Zara's first UK Number 1 was 'Symphony'
Zara sang on 'Symphony' a collaboration with Clean Bandit, which reached Number 1 in the UK charts. The song has proven its enduring popularity over the years, being certified 5x Platinum in October 2025 with a whopping 3 million UK sales!
Zara is no stranger to a chart hit in the UK, winning a Number 2 spot with 'I Would Like', a Number 3 with 'Lush Life' and peaking at Number 5 with both 'Girls Like', a collaboration with Tinie Tempah, and 'Never Forget You' - her first UK single and a collaboration with MNEK.
10) Her sister is also a singer
Zara Larsson's sister Hanna Larsson is also a singer! Although the pair look very similar, they aren't twins - Hanna is two years younger than the 'Lush Life' singer.
Hanna stars in Zara's music video for 'On My Love' with David Guetta. The singer told us that she really loves her sister and wanted her to be involved. She said: "I've written songs about my sister and I just love her so much. Like we are two peas in a pod.
"Growing up, we shared everything, we shared clothes, shoes, friends, we are so similar, but very different. We operate very differently, like she's a planner, I'm very spontaneous, and she's my oldest friend and she's hopefully you know, going to be my best friend for the rest of my life."
11) She wrote songs with Ed Sheeran and Ariana Grande... But scrapped them!
In 2020 Zara revealed she'd scrapped some songs she's recorded with Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran for her album! Zara told Daily Star newspaper's Wired column in 2020 that she might include a song that features Ariana Grande singing in a choir: "We did these full-on choir back-up vocals in the staircase.
"I might release that song, but you won't be able to hear that it is her in all of these vocals in that song. I don't know if I'll put it on the album, it's not on there right now. Also, sorry to say to Ariana fans, you can't really hear her on there anyway because we did a gang vocal thing, so there's like 10 people singing at the same time. But she's so sweet."
12) She tried being vegetarian for a while
In 2017, Zara revealed that she'd previously been vegetarian, but had to give it up as she enjoyed eating fish too much: "I used to be vegetarian but I love eating fish so much that I had to quit. It’s too delicious."
13) Where is she from?
She's from Solna, an area of Sweden's capital city, Stockholm.
14) Is Zara Larsson an actress?
Zara had her acting debut in a Swedish Netflix film called A Part of You. The film was released in May 2024 and featured Zara in the lead role of Julia, the older sister of Agnes, who appears to have everything.
We spoke to Zara about the film and she told us: "I'm actually very down to venture out into the acting world I think, my really good friend wrote the script (for A Part of You).
"She was like, I want you to be in this! And it went well, I got it, it was such a fun experience, I also think the director was amazing. The other actors in it are absolutely brilliant, and it's so beautiful, and it's really, really, really, it's sad, but it's hopeful, and it's really raw, it's more like an indie vibe? It's not what you would think a Netflix movie would be."
You can hear Zara Larsson's biggest hits on Hits Radio.
Take a look through Zara Larsson's incredible career:
2008: Zara won the Swedish version of Britain's Got Talent
The singer-songwriter achieved national fame after winning the Swedish version of Britains Got Talent, called Talang. Aged 10, Zara wowed judges on the show. As a huge Whitney Houston fan since she was a little girl, she won the hearts of the Swedish nation by singing 'Greatest Love Of All' and took home 500,000 SEK which is around £45,000.
Destined to be a star, alongside her budding music career, the songstress also trained at the Royal Swedish Ballet School, which explains her killer dance moves in her upbeat videos now.
2008: Zara Larsson released a cover of Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On'
Young Zara released a super-cute rendition of Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On', the song she sang in the finale of the talent show. It charted on the Swedish singles chart for six consecutive weeks, it peaked at Number 7 on the charts.
2010: Made her break into TV, Zara starred in reality series for budding teen pop stars
The Swedish show was called I Shall Become A Star and Zara certainly did! Starring in the show gave her the opportunity to build a fanbase and become visible in the music industry, allowing her to secure a record deal at such a young age.
2012: The singer-songwriter signed to the label TEN Music Group
At age 14, the super-talented singer signed to the major label TEN Music Group, landing herself a record deal secured her destined future fame.
2013: Zara Larsson's Nobel Peace Prize Awards performance
The singer-songwriter gave an awe-inspiring performance at the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize Awards in Oslo.
Zara also released her debut EP 'Introducing', aged only 16, in January 2013. 'Uncover', the lead single of the track went on to be a huge success. As well as topping the charts in Sweden and Norway, it became a big hit in Scandinavian countries as it became certified Platinum in Norway and 6x Platinum in Sweden.
2014: Cher Lloyd and 'I Wish' tour
2014 got off to an exciting start for the songstress as she supported Cher Lloyd on her 'I Wish' tour. Also made famous by talent show success, it is no surprise that Cher picked Zara to support her.
2015: Breakthrough single 'Lush Life' released
Zara Larsson had her big break beyond her home country Sweden in 2015. The rest of the world was captivated by Zara and her hit song 'Lush Life'. The song became her second Number 1 single and was certified 4× Platinum in Sweden. The song reached the Top 5 in 18 countries and got certified Platinum in 16 countries. It was released in 2015, becoming one of the big tracks of that summer, with its catchy lyrics and upbeat pop beat gaining Zara international recognition as one to watch in the music business - topping the charts in 24 countries.
2015: Released MNEK collaboration 'Never Forget You'
Zara has become well-known for her collaborations with other amazing artists, and only one month after 'Lush Life', Zara released what would be her second international hit track - a 2015 collaboration with MNEK on the track 'Never Forget You', which was just the first of a flurry of collaborations. She broke the worldwide market with the track as it reached Number 1 in Sweden, Number 3 in Australia, and Number 5 in the United Kingdom. Also, the song was certified Platinum in Sweden after two weeks.
2016: 'Girls Like' collaboration with Tinie Tempah released
At a time when Tinie Tempah was dominating the UK music chart, the Zara and Tinie collaboration 'Girls Like Us' received critical acclaim globally.
Zara was also named as one of Time's 100 Influential People - to be named in the Top 100 of Influential People (in the world) is a massive achievement for anyone, but to do this at the young age of 19 is an astonishing achievement.
2016: Zara Larsson and David Guetta collaboration for the official Euros 2016 song
2016 was the year that saw Zara Larsson branch out into big opportunities, including the official song for the Euros 2016. She teamed up with David Guetta for 'This One's For You'. She also performed at the opening and closing ceremonies for UEFA Euro in France. Also in 2016, Zara received recognition at the MTV Europe Music Awards, deservedly winning both Best New Act and Best Worldwide Act.
2017: Collab with Clean Bandit on 'Symphony' and second album 'So Good'
Zara scored her first UK Number 1 with 'Symphony', a collaboration with Clean Bandit which also became her fifth Number 1 single in her home country of Sweden. Following the great success of the track, Zara went on Clean Bandit's 2017 tour as of the support acts.
Her second album 'So Good' was released in March 2017 and received great critical acclaim. It featured collaborations with music legends such as Wizkid and Ty Dolla Sign, hitting Number 7 in the UK and being certified Platinum.
The songstress performed a show-stopping performance at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2017 with John Legend.
2018: 'So Good' wins Album of the Year at Grammies
Zara Larsson scooped the Album of the Year Prize for her amazing 'So Good' album at Swedish Music Awards, The Grammis. The award show is considered to most as the Swedish equivalent of The GRAMMY Awards.
She also released 'Ruin My Life' in 2018, which was commercially successful worldwide. It was even certified Gold in both the US and the UK. To top off the year, Zara was also included in the renowned Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in the entertainment category.
2018: Activism work, including fronting AIDS campaign
Known for being vocal in her activism, Zara used her Instagram platform to speak out about mental health, beauty industry standards and championing charity causes. In 2018, she continued her activism work by fronting the 2018 AIDS campaign. She became the face of a new campaign by Durex and Aids charity RED, ahead of World Aids Day, in efforts to help the AIDS crisis.
2019: Zara Larsson supported Ed Sheeran on his '÷' tour
Being chosen to support Ed Sheeran on his massive '÷' world tour was surely a highlight of the songstresses' career.
Also in 2019, Zara lent her vocals to the first original intimated feature film released on Netflix – Klaus – in the form of her song 'Invisible'. What a Christmas treat!
2020: Surprise song drop via Instagram
Zara Larsson dropped 'Love Me Land' to fans via Instagram. She released the music video and song together, which her shocked fans went crazy for.
Her second album, 'So Good' was certified Platinum in the US, which is a massive achievement for the star, with her even taking to Instagram to express her excitement about it.
2021: The possibilities are endless for this Swedish pop star!
Zara's highly anticipated third album 'POSTERGIRL' was released in March 2021, with the singer taking to Instagram to share her excitement: 'I'm so proud of this baby, so thankful for every single producer and writer who helped me craft my international sophomore project. I hope you will love it just as much as I do'. (sic)
2023: Zara released her comeback song 'Can't Tame Her'
After a couple of years away, Zara Larsson made her comeback to the charts with the release of her song 'Can't Tame Her' in 2023, which was co-written by long-time collaborator MNEK and was followed by the release of 'End Of Time' in May 2023.
2024: Zara appeared in Netflix film A Part of You
Zara was confirmed to appear in a Netflix film called A Part of You in her acting debut. Playing Julia, the older sister of character Agnes, her character was described as "the coolest person in school, the centre of every party, and she's dating Noel" according to Netflix - but "something goes devastatingly wrong". The film was released globally on Netflix in 2024.
2024: Zara's fourth album 'Venus' was released, along with plans for a tour
In February 2024, Zara released her fourth studio album 'Venus'. Zara also excitingly revealed details of 'The Venus Tour', which saw her perform in Manchester, Glasgow, Birmingham and London in February 2024.
2025: Zara released her fifth album 'Midnight Sun'
Zara Larsson released her fifth album 'Midnight Sun' in September 2025. The title track was released earlier the same year, on 13th June 2025, and was nominated for Best Dance Pop Recording at the GRAMMY Awards 2026. She went up against Lady Gaga for 'Abracadabra', Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco for 'Bluest Flame', Tate McRae for 'Just Keep Watching' and PinkPantheress for 'Illegal' - with Lady G taking the gong.
2026: Zara Larsson and Tyla announced collab
In April 2026, Zara Larsson along with South African singer Tyla announced a collab called 'She Did It Again'. The song marks the first time the pair have released a song together. 'She Did It Again' will be released on 17th April 2026.
Now read:
Tyla and Zara Larsson announce new single 'She Did It Again'
Zara Larsson releases new single 'Midnight Sun'
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