Zara Larsson has revealed that she is still performing at US colleges, despite her recent breakthrough success. The Swedish pop star, whose latest album includes the viral single “Midnight Sun”, shared the news in a TikTok video filmed in a hotel room while wearing a Yale University hoodie.
Larsson, 28, explained that she had booked the college shows before her star ascended, in order to raise money for her own headline tour. “I signed that s*** a long time ago because I needed to pay for my real tour, because it’s so expensive to tour,” she said. “And once I’ve signed that contract, I’m not pulling out. I don’t do that. I don’t cancel shows.”
The singer clarified that she had performed at two different colleges that day, with one show two days earlier and another the following day. Joking about her lack of a high school diploma, she said: “Someone has to entertain the educated. And that’s my job, and I take that seriously.”
Larsson, who first found fame in Sweden at age 10 and had her first UK top five single in 2015, acknowledged in an earlier interview with The Independent that she had to be realistic about her touring ambitions. “Obviously in a dream world, of course, I am ready to be the headliner,” she said. “But you just have to be realistic, a little bit. I would be silly to announce a worldwide arena tour right now.”
Despite her growing popularity, Larsson said translating social media buzz into ticket sales remained a challenge. “You’ve just gotta keep shoving it down people’s throat until they’re like, OK I’ll have a listen, I’ll go and buy the ticket,” she added. The singer is set to play festival dates across Europe and the US, followed by a tour in Australia and New Zealand.
