- - Zara Larsson Knows 'Exactly' Where Her Grammy Award Will Go If She Wins: 'I Have a Perfect Spot' (Exclusive)

Jack IrvinJanuary 2, 2026 at 11:02 PM

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Zara Larsson in November 2025 -

Zara Larsson is opening up about earning her first-ever Grammy nomination for "Midnight Sun"

"I have a lot of comments every day from people who say, 'I'm so happy you are finally getting your flowers.' And that's kind of what it feels like," she tells PEOPLE

The Swedish pop star also reacts to her 2015 hit "Lush Life" going viral thanks to an onstage moment in Amsterdam

It's a good time to be Zara Larsson.

The Swedish pop star's career has been on fire for the past year. Her third studio album Midnight Sun earned critical acclaim following its release in September, and its viral title track earned a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording at the upcoming 2026 ceremony — Larsson's first time getting a nod at the prestigious music awards show.

Throughout the Midnight Sun era so far, the 27-year-old artist has showed off her immaculate vocal and dance skills while opening for Tate McRae's Miss Possessive Tour in the U.S. and Canada, headlining her own shows in European arenas and performing on the iHeartRadio Jingle Ball Tour. She'll embark on a full North American tour next month, with several dates already sold out.

While Larsson's career has been active since she won the Swedish version of Got Talent at age 10, her current wave of success was sparked in part by her 2017 hit "Symphony" scoring a viral moment with a Lisa Frank-inspired meme on TikTok in 2024. Since then, she's reached several new career heights.

Larsson recently experienced an additional online resurgence of her single "Lush Life," thanks to a viral onstage moment where a 16-year-old fan surprised the star by acing the choreography. Originally released in 2015, the song recently hit a new peak of No. 15 on the global Spotify chart.

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Zara Larsson on 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026' on Dec. 31, 2025

Ahead of a December performance at Madison Square Garden in N.Y.C. on the Jingle Ball Tour, Larsson got the opportunity to light the Empire State Building in pink and yellow, a.k.a. the colors of the Midnight Sun era. "It just feels big because this is such an iconic city," she tells PEOPLE.

The "Hot & Sexy" performer has come a long way since her start as a child. "I remember first coming here so many years ago, and obviously we were doing all the touristy stuff, including going up in the Empire State Building," she says. "Now, I was a small part of the history of it, which is f---ing crazy."

Larsson sat down with PEOPLE to discuss her first-ever Grammy nomination, where she'd put the award in her home, the success of "Midnight Sun" and more.

PEOPLE: You're nominated for a Grammy. Can you believe it?

ZARA LARSSON: I was just going to say the same thing. It's so incredible. I mean, I can believe it because I had so much faith and confidence in the whole record, but specifically “Midnight Sun.” After we wrote that song, I was like, "Oh yeah, this team I'm working with is the team. I know whatever we make is going to be fire." It was just so fun. But this is my biggest dream. A Grammy, to me, really symbolizes what it means to be recognized by other people in the industry. I think that's actually really nice and something people forget sometimes. It’s voted by people who are in the arena producing, writing, recording, singing.

I just feel very seen. I feel very validated in my artistic direction. I'm so involved in this project, and I'm so involved in the song, the video and the world building. And it feels so me. That's why it feels extra fun that it's my first Grammy [nomination]. I wouldn't want it to not be “Midnight Sun.”

PEOPLE: Where were you when you found out the nomination, and how did you react?

LARSSON: I was going to do the biggest show of my career that night. We were sound-checking in Dublin, Ireland. My band was on stage, all my dancers, the whole crew was there. And my manager called me, like, "The Grammys. The Grammys."

Everyone was just jumping and celebrating with me. It was really, really sweet to have that moment where all of us were together. I got so overwhelmed with emotion. And then I felt really silly, like, "Oh my God, wait, I feel so silly for crying over this." But then I felt really silly for feeling silly because I'm going to just be in my emotions. I called my mom, my sister, my boyfriend, my friends.

I'm so happy it happened during that exact moment. I knew maybe one week before, like, "Oh, the nominations will be up soon." And I just completely forgot about it. I didn't know it was that day. And then, boom.

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Zara Larsson in November 2025

PEOPLE: You've won four Swedish Grammys before. Why does this feel different?

LARSSON: I've always wanted to be international. I've always wanted to be recognized in the big picture of entertainment, which in my world has always been Hollywood. I'm so sucked into the American Hollywood propaganda. I am eating that s--- up since I was a kid. All of my favorite artists I grew up listening to were celebrated there and had their biggest achievements there. I'm super thankful for the Swedish Grammys and the fact that I am loved back home because that's very important for me. But that's also why I sing in English. If you make it here, you make it anywhere.

PEOPLE: You're nominated in the Best Dance Pop Recording category against Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco, Lady Gaga, your friend PinkPantheress and tour mate Tate McRae. How does it feel to be alongside those artists?

LARSSON: I'm in good company because we're talking, like, superstars. I am just very honored to be in that category, honestly. I really am. Of course, I would love to win, and it would be such an amazing moment to really top off this incredible and amazing year that I've had. But whoever wins, I'll be like, "Yeah, I get that." I don't think there's anyone in there that I'm like, "What? I never heard this song." These are all people on my playlist. These are all songs that I have listened to and loved throughout the year.

Amy Sussman/Getty

Zara Larsson in December 2025

PEOPLE: It's a relatively new category. Only Kylie Minogue and Charli xcx have won previously. What would it mean for you to follow in their footsteps?

LARSSON: It would mean I am solidified. Whatever I do from 2026 onward, if I have that to my name, that's like — you know how sometimes in series and stuff when it’s Royals, they come in and blow their little trumpet thing and present them? It’s like, "Zara Larsson, Grammy winner." If I get that to my name, it's like, “Yeah, thank you. That's how you can speak to me.” Even if you just have one, you are a Grammy-winning artist forever. And I have a perfect spot for it on my bookshelf.

PEOPLE: I was going to ask if you had a spot already.

LARSSON: Yes. I do have a plan. I know exactly where it would go.

PEOPLE: In the song “Saturn’s Return,” you sing about thinking you'd reach greater heights of success earlier in your career and ultimately changing your personal deadline. What does it mean for you to see these accomplishments at 27?

LARSSON: I've worked for so long, and I've done this for more than half of my life. I love my job, I love to sing, I love to perform, and I love to create. The more I do it, the more I love it. And that is really the best part — I get to do what I love every single time I walk on stage and get in the studio with people that I love. It brings me a lot of joy. But [the Grammy nomination is] just like the icing on the cake. It's a proof of excellency, I guess, and that's what I want to achieve. I want what I make to connect with people, for people to enjoy it and feel like they can relate somehow, or they just feel good. They want to dance. But let's say I don't win, and I'm nominated [for 2027 or 2028]. I will still have done all the things I've done. I will still have made “Midnight Sun,” which I think is such an incredible song. I love that song. I love my whole project so much. No one can take that away from me.

PEOPLE: You've had a very buzzy and busy year, from opening for Tate to your own headline tour to going viral with “Midnight Sun” and “Lush Life” again. Do you feel like you've had a moment to take it all in?

LARSSON: Yeah, I do all the time. I've been practicing. From the pandemic when I released Poster Girl and then Venus, it was a little uphill battle going from not doing any shows because that's where I thrive. So many moments from this era so far have been anchored my performances, and I'm so, so, so happy I finally could provide that to my fans. That's a very essential part of who I am as an artist. I'm not trying to push anything onto people. I am just creating my world and inviting people into it. And it's really amazing to see. When I look out into the crowd on my shows, I see girls in their flowers wearing the sparkly tops, dolphin outfits, spray-painted shirts and the keychain belts. And it's like, wow, you guys are really a part of this. And they helped me. Even the f---ing “Symphony” meme, it wasn't on any of my mood boards, but naturally I just became the dolphin girl. It felt like my fans were helping me shape my world. They're part of this story, and there's lore to it. I think also people like to see someone who has been working for a long time like finally get their flowers. I have a lot of comments every day from people who say, "I'm so happy you are finally getting your flowers." And that's kind of what it feels like.

PEOPLE: I want to talk about the “Lush Life” dance moment in your shows that’s gone so viral. You’ve been bringing fans on stage, and it really blew up after your Amsterdam show when one girl surprised you by knowing the choreography. How did you feel in that moment?

LARSSON: I f---ing loved it. I was like, "Oh, baby, we got a viral hit on our hands." No, but I could just tell, like, “Wow, what a moment.” I always bring up people on stage for “Lush Life.” Usually we just sing, jump around and have a good time. But she was looking at me from the crowd, and she was like, "I know the dance." She just looked so confident. She killed it. I feel like every time I bring someone up on stage, it's something new. You never actually know what's going to happen. She came up, she f---ing ate. I didn't know it would turn into this dance trend, but I think that's what's so nice. The moments that explode and blow up like that are usually the organic ones. I'm so thankful for Julia. I invited her back to my Stockholm show to close the circle, and she's such a star. She's only 16. She's so confident. I want her to do so well in whatever it is that she does. And ever since she did it, everyone else that I bring up now for “Lush Life,” has to know the dance.

Gilbert Flores/Penske Media via Getty

Zara Larsson on 'Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve with Ryan Seacrest 2026'

PEOPLE: Do you have a Grammys speech prepared?

LARSSON: I haven't really prepared a speech, like, word for word. But I do put myself in the emotional state of what it will be like and how it would look. Maybe it will look nothing like it. I've never been to the Grammys. I don't know what the stage will be. I don't know where I will be sitting. I don't know what I'm going to wear, but I'm imagining walking up on stage and the feeling of how I am experiencing it. If I do prepare a speech, I just want to be sure to thank everyone that has helped me make this possible. It's like a whole village, basically, that makes the dream come true. But I think I will just take it in. The words don’t matter that much. What if I just go up and f---ing laugh for two minutes? People are like, "Should we call someone?" Like, f---. I think it's going to be f---ing crazy if it happens — or when it happens. One day it will happen, period.

on People

Original Article on Source

Source: “AOL Entertainment”