Zara Larsson gives an update on her new album: “It’s pretty much done”

Zara Larsson has given an update on her third international album, telling NME that it’s “pretty much done”.

Speaking backstage at Mad Cool Festival 2022, the Swedish artist explained that she only had “some production stuff left” to take care of on the follow-up to 2021’s ‘Poster Girl’. “I shouldn’t say that [it’s almost done] because now people will expect [new music]; but it is,” she said. Watch our interview with Larsson above.

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Having previously told fans that she was back in the studio writing on her third album following the release of ‘Poster Girl’, Larsson explained that she has worked on the majority of the record with Rick Nowels (Lana Del Rey, Dua Lipa) “who is just a legend”, alongside super-producer Danja (Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake).

“The fact that I’m in the studio with them [and am] working with them long term, it’s something that I’ve appreciated a lot,” Larsson said of her collaborators. “I’ve been really lucky to be in the studio with great writers, but it’s been kind of like speed dating a little bit.” Working with just Nowels, for the most part, gave the sessions a new feeling. “It’s like ‘it’s you and me’; like ‘you’re looking into my eyes, and we’re writing this song’, which is great. I feel like it’s authentic and brings out something else.”

Larsson also said that sonically this album is “a little harder”. “The drums are a little harder, the vocals are vocalling a little bit more. I would just say I’ve been taking it up a notch, which is hopefully what I would like to do for every album, just step it up; but this one is really fucking good.”

Last month Larsson announced the launch of her new record label, Sommer House, as well as the acquisition of her entire back catalogue, in an agreement made with TEN Music Group CEO Ola Håkansson.

When asked how long the move has been planned for, Larsson explained: “It takes time, it’s been going on for like two and a half years, but I’m so happy that Ola Håkansson who owns TEN records wanted to sell it to me. He was the first person who asked me and of course I said yes.”

She continued: “Not every artist gets the opportunity to own their masters, sadly, so he could have gone another route, but he really didn’t want another Taylor Swift situation. He was like ‘that would be my nightmare’, and he cares about me, and I think he cares about his legacy and what he stands for more than grabbing some extra cash from an investor or someone who’s not really even caring about the songs and the music.”

Now head of her own label, Larsson explained that while she doesn’t have any initial plans to start signing artists, it could be something she looks at in the future.

“I don’t feel like I’m there right now, I don’t have the capacity for it, my time, my schedule, and my interests to be honest, I’m focussing on me, but when I’m like 40, 50, maybe my interest are elsewhere, and I would always be open to that and [to finding] new talents.”

Check back here at NME for the latest news, interviews, photos and more from Mad Cool 2022.

NME is an official media partner of Mad Cool Festival 2022