Zara Larsson at Electric Picnic 2026: Expect banging anthems and a dazzling show

Headlining Electric Picnic is one more tick on the bucketlist for Swedish pop star Zara Larsson, who clocked up her first global number one this year with her PinkPantheress collaboration, ‘Stateside’.

Such dizzying success has been a long time coming for Larsson, whose adventures in pop began nearly 20 years ago when she won the 2008 season of Sweden’s equivalent of America’s Got Talent aged just 10.

Childhood stardom was followed by many years of toil, as she built her fanbase one listener at a time through devoted touring and a sense that mainstream success would come in its own good time — and that she didn’t have to rush things. She achieved new heights of critical and commercial appeal with 2021’s Poster Girl. Then she broke into the top tier of stardom via 2025’s Midnight Sun, the first album in pop history inspired by the folk horror staple that is the Swedish Midsommar.

She has described the record as a love letter to the concept of partying through the night and chasing the sunset away. As with everything she does, it is fuelled by a powerful feeling of make-believe. To Larsson, pop is the ultimate fantasy, the eternal Narnia, where the grooves are always epic and the fashion outrageously glamorous.

“Pop for me is a form of escapism,” she told me in 2021. “It puts you in a world where everything is possible, just for a moment. People like Ed Sheeran, the man with a guitar. They do something else for you. People connect with that rawness. I’m more drawn to the fantasy of it.”

Larsson has always been upfront about her desire to perform, something that has been important to her since she first stood before an audience as a kid.

“I crave outside validation,” she said. “It goes hand-in-hand with why I chose my career path. I don’t know where it comes from. Maybe it is because I got so much attention growing up from my parents. They loved me and gave me so much support. I’ve always been a big people pleaser. I want everyone to have a really good time. I value myself out of how much fun everyone is having.”

Yet for all that ambition, her biggest breakthrough was largely a matter of happenstance. Nobody expected all that much from a remix of PinkPantheress’ ‘Stateside’ featuring a spanking new vocal from Larsson: a remix is just a remix. However, the duo’s shared sense of fun and natural chemistry gave the song a magical zing, and it rocketed to the top of the US charts, handing Larsson her first American number one.

The track had become a mega-smash after featuring in an exhibition gala routine by US skater Alysa Liu at the 2026 Winter Olympics, days after she’d won gold in the free skate. Liu revealed that ‘Stateside’ was one of her favourites – explaining she related to Larsson’s lyrics about the toil of trying to make it – and the price that goes with that, particularly when it comes to personal relationships (“All those years I put in for the American dream / Is it worth all the work if you can’t be here with me”).

Larsson was born in the Stockholm suburb of Solna in 1997. Her mother was a nurse, her father an agent in the Swedish secret service. She fell in love with pop while studying ballet and had a life-changing moment attending a Celine Dion concert (who hasn’t?).

Part of becoming a star is learning not to sweat the details. It’s a lesson Larsson has had to pick up the difficult way, having once lived a terminally online lifestyle. Sometimes it is better to step back and be less of a fixture in the online lives of her fans or the inevitable detractors women in pop attract.

Zara Larsson at 3Arena on November 7th, 2025. Copyright Abigail Ring/ hotpress.com

“I’ve been a very opinionated lady since I was a little girl, ”she said. “It’s just part of who I am. The moment I say something it turns into a really big thing. I put myself in people’s business all the time. I’ve learned not to do that. I don’t want drama. A few years ago I used to really argue with people in my comments. Now when I see some weird shit I block and delete.”

Now, Electric Picnic beckons. What can fans expect? Banging anthems and a dazzling show for starters.

“I love the glitter and the glamour,” she once said. “On a regular day I’m not super done-up. I’m chill. I don’t care too much. I’m a fly person without it. When I put on a show, I want the dancing and the lighting and all of that.”

• Zara Larsson plays Electric Picnic's Main Stage stage at 7.30pm on Friday, August 28.