Zara Larsson is making it clear that she has no interest in being treated like a newcomer at the Grammy Awards.
The Swedish pop star, 28, recently revealed that her former record label considered putting her forward for the Best New Artist category at the 2027 Grammys following her major career breakthrough — but Larsson was not impressed by the idea.
“I was talking to my former record label about it, and they said, ‘Yeah, let’s see if we can get you into the Best New Artist category at the Grammys.’ And I thought: I don’t even want that,” Larsson said in a recent interview with Perfect Magazine.
“That would diminish the 13 years I’ve spent as an artist. I’m not a new artist.”
And Larsson certainly has a point.
The singer first rose to fame as a child after winning Sweden’s Talang in 2008 before building an international career with hits including “Lush Life,” “Never Forget You” and “Symphony.” Her 2017 album So Good further established her as an international pop star.
While Larsson has been around for years, her latest era has brought a major new level of attention. Her fifth studio album, Midnight Sun, released in 2025, helped push her into an even bigger global spotlight, with the title track earning her her first-ever Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording at the 2026 ceremony.
Larsson described the current moment as a “breakthrough,” explaining that it feels like audiences around the world are finally discovering everything she has been building over the years.
“It feels like the whole world is looking at me at the same time,” she said. “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.”
Interestingly, Larsson may not have had a choice anyway.
Despite her former label considering a Best New Artist submission, she is not eligible for the category because she already received a Grammy nomination as a performer for “Midnight Sun.” Grammy rules exclude artists who have previously received a Grammy nomination as a performer.
For Larsson, however, the biggest measure of success isn’t necessarily trophies.
She has said that seeing fans turn up to her shows, spend their money and share the experience with friends means more to her than awards.
After more than a decade in the music industry, Zara Larsson clearly wants her current success to be seen as a breakthrough — not a beginning.
