Zara Larsson brings Jantelagen, her masters and an arena-tour wish to Popcast
The Swedish singer tells the New York Times show why she chose brightness, why she won't trade her outspokenness for a deal, and why she still wants to find her Max Martin.
Popcast
Story of Why this story? The video opened at a pace of 40,598 views a day, 12 times a normal first day on this channel (3,258).
How Zara Larsson Rebuilt Her Career From Scratch
Things we can learn from the video
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- 0:44Joe Coscarelli traces her path from Sweden's Got Talent to Midnight Sun and the return of "Lush Life."
- 7:03Jantelagen, the Scandinavian rule against standing out, and why she hid studio sessions from classmates.
- 17:42Why Sweden makes so much pop: state funding, safety nets for artists and folk traditions.
- 22:00Treating TikTok as fun, and imagining a crush watching her videos to judge them.
- 27:35The title's promise: she won't drop her political outspokenness for brand deals.
- 35:20Buying back her masters, then signing with RCA Records; lightning round at 53:45, snack test at 59:25.
Sweden has an unwritten rule against standing out, Jantelagen, and Zara Larsson grew up doing the opposite. She won Sweden's Got Talent as a child and ran an outspoken blog at fifteen. She was also, she admits, still embarrassed enough to hide her studio sessions from classmates.
That tension runs through her hourlong conversation with Jon Caramanica and Joe Coscarelli. It drew about 27,000 views in its first 11 hours, while the show's longer videos usually gather around 3,000 in a full day. It follows two weeks in which Karol G filled the channel.
Asked why such a small country exports so much pop, Larsson points to state funding, social safety nets for artists and Swedish folk traditions, and she sings a few lines of an old folk tune to make the point. Swedish music often leans melancholy, she says, but she chose exuberance on purpose: "I take joy seriously, you know?" She also has an unfinished wish: "I want to find my Max Martin," a nod to the Swedish producer behind hits for the Backstreet Boys and Taylor Swift.
She describes her social media habits in practical terms. Posting on TikTok stopped feeling like a chore once she treated it as fun, and she pictures a crush watching each video so she can judge it from the outside.
The self-censorship in the title comes up around the half-hour mark. The conversation covers a People headline about a brand deal she lost over a joke about abortion, and Larsson says she won't sell out: "I hope that I never reach a point where I sort of lose my soul and who I am for a bag." Popcast cut that segment into a separate short clip the same day.
She also goes through the business side: buying back her catalog and masters with help from former label head Ola Håkansson and manager Roger Ames, then signing with RCA Records. Many viewers single out the boat analogy she uses to explain switching labels. And for all the talk of global pop, her American ambition is modest and very specific: "Give me one arena tour. You know? One American arena tour."
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What viewers say
the way Zara turns every interview she walks into into a giggle fest, i love her
@macaoronSee it on YouTubeI didn’t even realize an hour had gone by 😂
@annazully2680See it on YouTubeshe is so articulated. even the switching labels thing with the boat example, it might seem funny at first but it makes a lot of sense and she puts it in a way anyone could understand what she's trying to say.
@mfal12345See it on YouTube
7 more comments
I NEED daily doses of her. Thanks for the 67 min at a time.
@jack7xiwenSee it on YouTubethe way Zara articulates herself scratches my brain in the best way, she's so eloquent I could listen to her all day long
@zofia4334See it on YouTubeWow, such an easy 1 hour podcast to watch, it was just like laughing and chilling with friends! Very entertaining ❤
@JadoreétudierSee it on YouTubeso thankful for RCA and their boat 🙏
@naomisato8366See it on YouTubeI’ve followed Zara since she was 15 and released “Uncover” in 2013. It’s been such a satisfaction as a very, very early international fan to see her recent breakthrough. I’d love to hear so much more about the behind the scenes of all these years. Great podcast!
@SimoneSomeSee it on YouTubeWhat lovely interviewers! 🥰 Wow, I really enjoyed this interview with Zara! Greetings from a Swede! 🐈🐈⬛❤️
@SagaSwedenSee it on YouTubeZara larsson is the best . I loved the blue moon mv 🐚🌝💙
@FamilysAccSee it on YouTube
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- Channel
- Popcast
- Subscribers
- 120,000 ▲ 1,000 this week
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 743,108
- Channel views, pace per day
- 17,556 (on a normal day: 133,452)
- Video published
- October 15, 2026
- Video views so far
- 26,598 (less than a day online)
- Video views, pace per day
- 40,598
The numbers
For a weekly interview show, this opening runs far ahead of what its longer episodes usually manage in a whole day.
💡 Test your knowledge
Max Martin co-wrote "...Baby One More Time" for which singer's debut single?
Max Martin co-wrote and produced "...Baby One More Time," Britney Spears's 1998 debut single.