Zara Larsson on opening for Tate McRae: ‘I didn’t expect it to make waves the way it did’

Exclusive: Swedish pop singer says the support slot was ‘such a good opportunity’ to introduce herself to ‘the perfect crowd’ of McRae’s fans

Pop star Zara Larsson has admitted that she wasn’t expecting the reaction to her performances opening for Tate McRae during her Miss Possessive tour.

The Swedish artist, known for hit singles including “Lush Life” and “Ain’t My Fault”, was the subject of a number of viral TikToks as fans attending the shows expressed their astonishment at her live vocals.

Some fans went so far as to jokingly suggest that Larsson should have been the one headlining, or question why she wasn’t headlining her own arena tour.

Larsson has now reflected on the success of the tour, saying she feels she still has “a lot of work to do” in building her live audience and explaining the McRae tour was a great opportunity to do that.

“I feel that was the whole idea and the point of doing the tour,” she told the Good Vibrations podcast.

“I’m not oblivious to the fact that I feel like I have a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to touring in America, just to build my live audience. And I feel like [the Tate McRae tour] was such a good opportunity for me, to put myself in front of the perfect crowd.”

Larsson said she felt it was the “most amazing match” to perform for McRae’s fans, who she said really appreciated the shows she put on with her four dancers.

“I don’t know if I expected it to make waves the way it did on social media, but I knew it was an amazing opportunity, and I got really excited when I was booked for it,” she said.

She continued: “Obviously in a dream world, of course, I am ready to be the headliner – I will go out and headline my own show here in Europe. You just have to be realistic, a little bit.

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“I would be silly to announce a worldwide arena tour right now… I have yet to achieve that [outside Europe], but I wish and I hope to do it in the very near future.”

Zara Larsson received widespread praise for her performances on the Tate McRae tour (Getty Images for MTV)

Larsson pointed out that there was a vast difference between an artist getting a positive reaction on social media and that translating into ticket or album sales.

“You’ve just gotta keep shoving it down people’s throat until they’re like, OK I’ll have a listen, I’ll go and buy the ticket,” she said. “But it’s a good first step and it’s amazing to feel like people are excited about it, and I feel like I’m really trying to live in the moment and savour that feeling.”

Zara Larsson is the latest guest on Roisin O'Connor's Good Vibrations podcast (Press/The Independent)

Larsson released her fifth studio album, Midnight Sun, to positive reviews on 26 September. The record marked her fourth No 1 in Sweden and also charted in the top 40 in the UK and other countries around the world.

She will perform at Wembley Arena in London on 5 November before embarking on the European leg of her Midnight Sun tour.

The full episode of ‘Roisin O’Connor’s Good Vibrations’ with Zara Larsson is available now on all streaming platforms.