Zara Larsson Won’t Censor Herself or Dim Her Joy in Revealing Popcast Interview

A Pop Princess, One Titanic-Sized Declaration and No Dimmer Switch

Pop princess Zara Larsson is declaring to the world, just like Jack in Titanic, that she refuses to censor herself or dim her joy. And really, why should she? The Swedish singer has spent a rather extraordinary year reminding everybody that joy, ambition and a little bit of nerve can belong in the same pop package.

Miss Larsson visited Popcast for an extra revealing side of herself. As if there were another side we didn’t already know. And yet that’s the beauty of evolution: the more an artist comes into her own, the more there is to talk about. This time, she chit-chatters with Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica about her meteoric past year, the business decisions behind the sparkle, and why being loud about the things that matter to her is not up for negotiation.

More from INYIM: Zara Larsson Named The Trevor Project’s 2026 Mental Health Champion of the Year

The interview, published on October 15, covers the unlikely second life of her 2015 single “Lush Life,” which found a fresh audience through TikTok, and the pop deliciousness of her “Stateside” remix with PinkPantheress. That collaboration made another cultural appearance when Olympic gold medalist Alysa Liu skated to the track at the 2026 Winter Games. A song can travel plenty of miles, but this one found a route straight onto the ice.

A Second Life for “Lush Life,” Without Losing the Original Zara

What makes the conversation interesting is that this is hardly the story of an overnight sensation. Zara has been making records and navigating fame since she was a teenager. “Lush Life” may be getting another glorious turn in the sun, but the song first arrived in 2015. The renewed enthusiasm belongs to a much longer career, one in which the hits sometimes became more recognizable than the young woman singing them.

In the discussion, Zara reflects on growing up in Sweden, being considered a polarizing personality and learning to embrace the odd business of self-promotion. It’s one thing to write a chorus that refuses to leave your head. It’s another to let the audience see the person responsible for it. By the time her Midnight Sun chapter came around, she was clearly willing to do both.

Owning the Music, Owning the Conversation

Beyond the renewed chart attention, Popcast gets into something every artist eventually has to confront: who gets to make the decisions? Zara speaks about buying back her master recordings, taking greater control of her career and moving into a new label chapter with RCA Records. Those subjects might sound less glamorous than a knockout pop hook, but they determine what freedom actually looks like once the music is out in the world.

There is also the question of whether the prospect of losing money or opportunities should convince an artist to keep quiet. Zara discusses why she has no intention of censoring her opinions for a brand deal or a bigger payday. Whatever the industry expects from its pop princesses, she isn’t signing up to become a blank canvas. There’s a difference between building a business and allowing that business to decide who you are.

And, importantly, the conversation doesn’t treat fun as some disposable extra. Zara and the hosts get into the value of taking joyful music seriously. Behind the dancing, the candy-colored pop visuals and those gloriously direct choruses is an entertainer who clearly understands the work required to make the whole thing appear effortless.

Here are more moments from Zara’s sit-down with Popcast. Like the images above, these are taken from the interview itself—not a separate photo session.

Image: Popcast / The New York Times, via the official Popcast YouTube video.

What remains most appealing is that Zara seems perfectly comfortable with a little contradiction. She wants serious respect for her music, but not at the expense of enjoying it. She wants the reach that comes with superstardom, without editing herself into something easier to sell. And she wants the audience to meet the artist behind those songs that have been living in our heads for years.

From a decade-old hit finding another audience to new collaborations and a larger conversation about artistic freedom, Miss Larsson has plenty to unpack. So settle in for a proper pop conversation—and yes, there’s even a lightning round and a snack test near the end.

Zara Larsson on Popcast: The Year Zara Figured It All Out (2026)

The full October 15, 2026 video interview features Zara with hosts Joe Coscarelli and Jon Caramanica on The New York Times’ Popcast.

Sources: Popcast / The New York Times, Zara Larsson interview (October 15, 2026); Popcast episode description (October 16, 2026).