Zara Larsson Is Doing It for the Ladies

Zara Larsson is having quite the moment. Take a scroll through the pop music-obsessed side of Twitter and you’ll quickly find an onslaught of clips from her recently concluded gig opening for Tate McRae’s North American tour. There’s praise for Larsson’s vocals and dancing skills, and a fair amount of appreciation for her wardrobe of ab-bearing, brightly colored crop tops and mini skirts that twirl and twinkle as she moves her hips. “I really have felt love,” she tells W over Zoom. She’s not on Twitter, but her friends send through the positive stuff. The rest she sees herself on TikTok. “It's interesting, though, because I feel like this album, so far streaming-wise, is not doing as well as my last album. But culturally, I feel like it's way different.”

The album she’s referring to is Midnight Sun, ten tracks of glistening dance pop released just last week. The album’s three singles have pleased existing fans, and made new ones out of pop’s current Mount Rushmore (Sabrina Carpenter, Raye, Doechii, and Tyla are among those who have reached out to Larsson). Though, the 27-year-old has been in the industry since she won a Swedish singing competition at the age of 10, this does feel like a turning point in her career.

Perhaps that’s why it is also the perfect time to expand her empire. Over the past decade, numerous celebrities have parlayed their fame into businesses, but Larsson always remained on the music track. Until now. On October 15, Larsson launches Main Rose, a new intimates brand inspired by her Scandinavian heritage. “If you know me, you know the first thing I do when I get home is take off all my clothes,” she explains. “I just walk around in my underwear. That's my natural state. So I wanted to turn the basic layer of underwear into something elevated and fun.” Below, Larsson talks Main Rose, Midnight Sun, and how her style has helped shape this new era of her work.

This is your first endeavor outside of music. Why did you decide to branch out now?

I've done the music thing for a long time, and that's something I feel very confident and comfortable in. And I've done brand deals with other brands, but I haven't truly been a part of creating something and felt like it's mine. Something recently woke up inside me where I have so much creativity and a vision for myself, and I want to put that out into the world. I didn’t have the confidence to express myself before. I needed to find myself.

And why an intimates brand?

My music is, of course, for whoever wants to listen, but I usually picture it as me talking to women. I only have women on stage, and I try to employ as many backstage, too. It's just something I care about. I care about women's pleasure and intimacy. I wanted to make a brand and build a world around something that felt true to me, and I just felt like underwear and intimates were perfect.

What can people expect from this first drop?

I love when you’re like, “Is it a bra or a top? Is it loungewear or a club dress?” The pieces look good, they’re comfortable and modern, they’re made from great materials. The collection is very Scandinavian in its simplicity, but it's also edgy and fun. Everyone can wear it, but there’s some pizzazz. There’s something for everyone. It's a nice, solid introduction.

You’re just finished opening up for Tate McRae on her Miss Possessive Tour. What was that like?

Amazing. It was so fun and really nice to introduce myself to a new audience. I'm just really happy I got to be in front of her crowd because those are the people I envision when I think about my crowd. It is so many girls and women in the audience every night. Those young girls scream at a frequency that is deafening. Of course, my music's for everyone, but when I think about who I'm speaking to, it's like myself, a younger version of myself, or even an older version of myself. And it has made me even more excited to go on my tour next month.

Speaking of Midnight Sun, how would you describe the overall look you’ve been going for with this album?

It's definitely a vibe of a never-ending summer vacation. My friends and I always joke that we’re island girls because Sweden has the most islands of any country in the world, so there’s water everywhere. It’s so beautiful. So we’re going with a “European Hawaii” look. There’s a tropical sense to it, there’s some fantasy, there are vivid colors. It’s like Scandinavian core blended with tropical fantasy. I want it to feel fun, colorful, and effortless. And I think I'm just having so much fun with it, and I love what it feels like so far.

Lastly, I want to talk about your tour looks. They’ve been a lot of fun. What do you look for when it comes to your stagewear?

It’s all custom. We worked with so many different designers, and a lot of them are up-and-coming. I want to be comfy on stage, of course. I dance a lot, so I don’t want things that are going to get in the way. We’re going for a vibe of very summery, very glittery, fun, and colorful. It's kind of stepping into a bit of Barbie world.

It feels very Y2K Malibu Barbie.

Yes, absolutely. It’s Versace 2003 and spring/summer 2004, a lot of Dior 2005. It’s a lot of chiffon, light materials that blow in the wind. There's this beautiful, shiny chain skirt covered in stars. It's from a designer named Alvaro [Machero]. I like the way it moves and shines. There’s also some 2010s in there, not really the swag era, but kind of the neon vibes. My dream is to have people dressing up as me for Halloween. I want my brand identity to be so strong that there is a look or silhouette that people see and think, “That’s Zara Larsson.” That’s my dream.