Zara Larsson is having one of the biggest global moments of her career with Midnight Sun, but she has no interest in letting that success turn her into a “new artist” in the eyes of the GRAMMYs. The Swedish singer recently revealed that she pushed back when her former label considered submitting her for Best New Artist.
Larsson’s objection is less about the award itself and more about what the category would suggest about her career. At 28, she has already spent years releasing music, touring and building an international audience, even if Midnight Sun has brought her greater attention in markets where she was previously less established.
Zara Larsson Doesn’t Want Her Career Reduced To A Breakthrough
Larsson discussed the GRAMMY idea in an interview with Perfect Magazine, explaining that the suggestion came from her former label.
“I was speaking to my former label about this, and they were like, ‘Yeah, we’re going to see if we can put you in Best New Artist for the Grammys.’ And I’m like, I don’t even want that. That would downplay the 13 years of me being an artist. I’m not a new artist.”
Her reaction reflects a career that began long before Midnight Sun. Larsson first gained widespread attention in Sweden after winning Talang as a child and went on to establish herself internationally with songs including “Lush Life,” “Never Forget You” and “Symphony” with Clean Bandit.
And it is exactly why the Best New Artist label does not sit comfortably with her. A nomination would frame her current success as a beginning when she sees it as the latest stage of a career that has already lasted more than a decade.
Larsson is not rejecting the idea that Midnight Sun represents a major breakthrough. She simply sees a difference between breaking through to a wider audience and being new to the music industry.
“It feels like the whole world is looking at me at the same time,” she explained. “Before, this song was successful over here, and another song a year later was successful over there. Now it feels like it’s all coming together quite nicely.”
That distinction is important to Larsson because the current attention is finally connecting the different parts of a career that has already been underway for years. Her songs may be reaching more listeners simultaneously than ever before, but that does not erase everything that came before Midnight Sun.
There is also a practical question around GRAMMY eligibility, since Best New Artist has specific Recording Academy rules concerning an artist’s previous releases and nominations. But Larsson’s comments make her personal position much clearer than any category rule could: she does not see herself as someone who is just arriving.
Midnight Sun may have given Larsson a bigger spotlight, particularly in the U.S., but she would rather have that success recognized as the payoff from years of work than as a first introduction to her career.