06 February 2021
Newsdesk
Zara Larsson's upcoming album, 'Poster Girl', is inspired by Swedish pop legends ABBA.
The 'WOW' singer is set to release her third studio record on March 5, and she's revealed she embraced her Swedish roots and was inspired by the artists she used to listen to for "escapism" growing up.
She said: "I've really been inspired by Swedish pop legends like ABBA, Roxette, Robyn – I’ve definitely been proud of my pop heritage.
“One thing I realised is that, for me, pop has always been a form of escapism. Now we got Tik Tok, we got Instagram, and algorithms that sucks you in and take you away from reality, but, growing up, pop was my form of escapism and it always has been. I would look in the mirror and pretend I was somewhere else, that I was someone else. I think it's very tied to me wanting to entertain people.”
The main theme on the LP - the follow-up to 2017's 'So Good' - is love and the 23-year-old singer admitted she had far more creative control this time.
She said: “I feel a bit more honest. I feel I can resonate more with emotions and it’s mostly about love there. ‘Poster Girl’ - my album - is about what I want to do, what I want to talk about, and I always talk about love, because I feel that’s the most important feeling in the whole world.
“I feel I have way more control creatively over this album, so I allowed it to be way more pop and dancey, because I fucking love pop. It's still the same old me, but I've just taken myself a notch up. If you liked ‘So Good’, I think you will like this album a lot. It's way more fun and if it helps people through these times then I think that is what’s really important.
“I’m always in development mode. I don't think I'll ever be like, 'this is the new me' or, 'I'm a whole new person'. I'm never going to be a finished version of myself – it’s an ongoing process."
The 'Ain't My Fault' hitmaker is dating model Lamin Holmén and gushed that being "happy and in love" has gotten her through the coronavirus pandemic.
She said: “It's going to sound so cheesy, but I am so happy and in love. That is really what's gotten me through all this. I've never really felt love like this before. I don't know how to say this without being super corny, but I am just so in love. I'm like 'I want to have your babies', 'I want us to marry, I want it now' - it's insane! Sometimes I think I can't be this lucky. I know, something bad is gonna happen to me really soon, because it's just not legal to feel this good.”
“You know, no one is strong by themselves and nobody is an island, especially in these times, and it’s really helped me. How are you supposed to be confident in yourself if you don't have people supporting and believing in you? I just don't think it's really possible. I’m just really grateful. I think it's so important to find your community, where people understand you and uplift you – it’s like finding your little tribe in a way.”
