Emma Duckett
•April 08, 2024•6 min read
Streaming service On Air has made Zara Larsson’s sold-out ‘Venus Tour’ show from AFAS Live.
Relive the summer with Becky Hill's Ibiza Rocks Residency closing Party
If we know one thing about Zara Larsson, it’s that no matter what era of pop-dance music she’s writing, producing, and performing, she simply can’t be tamed.
Over the last decade, the club-anthem star has reached over 20 million fans on social media, not to mention billions of streams worldwide (who couldn’t resist the boppy notes of ‘Lush Life’?). Zara also earned her name as a collaboration queen, unleashing some of her biggest hits, i.e. ‘Symphony’, ‘Never Forget You’ and ‘Girls Like’, with music royalty (more on that later!).
These days, the Swedish Grammi and MTV EMA award-winner is in the midst of her self-proclaimed era – slaying with her fourth studio album ‘Venus’ (released independently on her label Sommer House) and taking the UK and Europe by storm for Venus Tour (2024).
To celebrate the streaming release of Zara’s upbeat concert (available to watch now on yours truly), we’re looking back at some star-studded singles that the singer has produced or featured on, shaping her mega-career in pop culture.
Following the chart-topping success of ‘Lush Life’, Zara’s pop-house number ‘Never Forget You’ with British vocalist and songwriter MNEK made 2015 her breakout year. The multi-platinum certified single broke international ice, achieving over 200 million streams worldwide and reaching No.1 in Sweden, No.3 in Australia, No.5 in the UK and No.1 on the US Billboard Digital Dance Chart.
In 2016, Zara delivered the sexually empowered hook and tongue-in-cheek interlude on Tinie Tempah’s club anthem ‘Girls Like’. The lust-fuelled track peaked at No.9 on the UK Official Trending Chart, while the same year, Zara (unsurprisingly) featured on Time’s 100 Influential People list.
Zara scored her first No.1 UK single with ‘Symphony’, recorded alongside British classical crossover band Clean Bandit. The boppy, orchestral track also topped the chart in Larsson’s native Sweden and neighbouring Norway. Pleasing pop-lovers on the airwaves, the rising superstar later joined Clean Bandit on their 2017 tour to perform the song live.
Zara released her multi-platinum-certified album ‘So Good’ in 2017, led by the Charlie Puth-penned titular track featuring American rapper Ty Dollar $ign. Its charm dominated the European charts, reaching the top ten in Flanders, The Netherlands, and the top 40 in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway.
Following the release of ‘Poster Girl’ in 2021, Zara’s next feature was with Swedish DJ Alesso for his house-pop anthem ‘Words’. Billboard included the track in their Best Dance Songs of 2022 after reaching No.10 on the US Hot Dance/Electronic chart. Behind the scenes, Larsson, Alesso, Karen Ann Poole and British EDM icon Becky Hill co-wrote the sunset pool party hit.
Dominating the pop scene from January 2023, Zara’s uber-pop banger, ‘Can’t Tame Her,’ was co-penned with MNEK and Swedish producers MTHR. Full of 80s soundscapes and powerhouse vocals, the single climbed the UK Top 40 and earned certifications gold in Denmark, silver in the UK, and platinum in Sweden.
‘On My Love’ marked Zara’s second anthem with French DJ David Guetta, after their record-breaking collaboration on ‘This One’s for You’ for the UEFA EURO 2016. The emotionally charged, disco-style track represents a love letter to her sister, Hanna, with a whopping 100 million streams on Spotify alone.
Oh, and if you’re wondering who Zara’s dream collaboration is? In an interview with Capital FM, the singer named Billie Eilish as someone she’d like to work with in the future.
Feeling the nostalgia creep in? Luckily, you can watch Zara Larsson perform some of these crowd-pleasing hits on her ‘Venus Tour’ here. Perfect for a pop-fuelled party with friends!
