This interview appeared in the March 2024 issue of GAY TIMES.

Words Nick Levine
Photography Ninja Hanna
Creative Direction & Fashion Umar Sarwar
Art Direction Jack Rowe
Creative & Art Production Anisa Cleaver
Makeup Ignacio Alonso
Nails Danielle Lundgren
Hair Kasper Andersen
Photography Assistant Alma Bengtsson

When Zara Larsson calls herself "a little boss lady", there's only one thing we could possibly quibble with. Really, there's nothing "little" about everything the Swedish pop queen has achieved in her already substantial music career. At 26, Larsson has been racking up international hits for the best part of a decade. In her homeland, she shot to fame even earlier when she entered the TV talent show Talang as a 10-year-old. She sang Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' in the final – brilliantly; you can find it on YouTube – and won the whole thing. 

Since then, Larsson has swapped power ballads for bombastic pop bangers that show off her full-throttle vocal style – even as a teenager, she sang like a grown woman – and sassy, self-aware personality. Powerful but playful, she's always been given her flowers by queer pop fans who call her "Mother Larsson" even if they're the same age as she is. Her signature hits 'Lush Life' (2015), 'Symphony' with Clean Bandit (2017), 'Ruin My Life' (2018), 'Don't Worry Bout Me' (2020) and 'Words' with Alesso (2022) fill dance floors at LGBTQIA+ venues from Malmö to Manchester. 'Can't Tame Her', the lead single from Larsson's gleaming new album Venus, features her quintessentially fun brand of strength and empowerment. "Club is closin', but she ain't goin' home," Larsson sings with a hair flick in the video. It’s a campy lyric to quote on your next big night out. 

Another of Larsson's pop glitter-bombs, her flawless but slightly underperforming 2019 single 'All the Time', has become a staple at queer pre-drinks and afters – something that hasn't escaped her attention. "The mainstream [audience] wasn't really hopping onto that song, but the gays, they loved it!" Larsson says with a smile. "I was like, 'Hey, I see you on my timeline!' But I also saw it when I performed that song live. Even though 'All the Time' didn't break any records or chart super-high, I still felt that really strong support."