Zara joins CHANNEL Q's Corey Crockett
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00:00Hey, it's Kory from Channel Q at the Odyssey Soundspace at the Hard Rock Hotel in New York
00:04with Zara Larson. We are so excited to spend some time with you.
00:08Me too. I'm happy to be here.
00:09This is the first time that we've met, but you've been a friend of Channel Q for a long time.
00:12Absolutely.
00:13I just found out that when our station launched back in 2018, Symphony was our sort of theme song.
00:18I know.
00:19And it makes sense, right? The music video is so powerful and so beautiful.
00:22What's it like for you? Flash forward like six years, you're scrolling on TikTok,
00:26and you see the song pop up again.
00:28But yes, like a lot. I don't know how it happened. I don't know what happened.
00:33I don't know who came up with it. But it was this really, really huge dolphin trend.
00:39And now I feel like I own all the dolphins in the universe. Like they're all mine.
00:44Do you go out and buy like a dolphin poster or dolphin memorabilia?
00:50Actually, whenever I do see a dolphin, I feel like I am emotionally attached to it.
00:54And it honestly is an amazing thing that like a song, which was already like big and so amazing.
01:04Like I love that song. It's one of my favorite songs that it could still get like a breath of like second life into it
01:14and have its moment again.
01:18And introduce it to a new audience, perhaps.
01:20Exactly. Like the younger audience, too.
01:22Because it was still a good, you know, seven years or something ago since it came out.
01:26Right.
01:26So, and that might, I mean, that is a long time. But for someone who's like grown, it might not be that much.
01:33But for someone who's 14, that's like half their life.
01:37Yeah.
01:37So for them to rediscover that and to like maybe discover me, I thought it was so random and so fun that that whole thing happened.
01:48It was like, what is going on?
01:50It's so cool.
01:51Yeah.
01:51Since then, you know, the music industry has changed a lot.
01:54Do you ever feel any pressure to like create music for TikTok?
02:00I feel like maybe a couple of years ago, maybe two, three, four years ago, it was more of a thing that was talked about like in the sessions.
02:12More, I would say that people were like, isn't that crazy that people make music for TikTok?
02:16Right.
02:17But I understand why they would do that.
02:21I want my songs to do well on TikTok because it's such a huge platform.
02:27And like, I mean, I spend a lot of time on there.
02:30But I think you're doing yourself a disservice if you're only thinking about that.
02:36I think whatever happens, happens.
02:38And you can make a song for TikTok and still nobody uses the sound.
02:42So I might as well just make like a really good song because I think it's an amazing song.
02:48And then however it does on other platforms, it's like not really up to me in a way.
02:55All I can do is post it and like use it and love it and promote it.
02:59So I think I've learned actually that on making this project that I will stop looking for like outside validation or thinking,
03:12oh, will radio like this?
03:15Will this person like this?
03:18Will, you know, my mom like this?
03:20Or like even it's like, well, do I like this?
03:24Because if I like it and then radio also likes it, then that's like, yes, you know, we're winning.
03:32But if I make my art for other people, then it's hard to win, even if it's a success.
03:41You know, that's the only time you can win.
03:43Yeah, if it's like validated by other people.
03:45But if you validate yourself and what you make, then you can't really truly flop.
03:51As an artist, does that change for you?
03:53Is that something you can only develop with with time in the chair, with experience in the studio?
03:58No, it was for me.
04:00I mean, growing up, growing older, also feel like more secure in yourself outside of music, too.
04:06But like in my life, knowing who I am, what I want, what I don't want.
04:12And I feel like I've always kind of known that.
04:15But it just gets more and more defined the longer you do it.
04:18And also the people you do it with who can really allow you to like get there and like be yourself.
04:26I think that's important, too, to surround yourself with people who encourages that.
04:30We're so excited about the new song, Pretty Ugly.
04:32We've seen the teaser video.
04:34Looks like such a fun time shooting that music video.
04:37You've sonically done so much in your career.
04:40Tell us about the vibe of this song and this project and why you decided to go there.
04:46It's definitely different than my last two albums, I would say.
04:50It does kind of bring me back to like my really, really early work of like my EPs, like my Swedish EPs.
04:58So like my first album that was only released in Scandinavia.
05:01Yeah, because it has the sense of like carefreeness to it.
05:05And I don't care like whatever.
05:09Like this is how I feel.
05:10And what about it?
05:11And I really enjoy that.
05:13And I like it.
05:14And it has it has.
05:15But more than that, it has like the experience of being in the industry and like the passion and kind of the aggressiveness or like it has me in it.
05:27And I feel like that wouldn't be possible before because now I write my own stuff like now I write it all.
05:33So it's just like very, it's a lot of contained like energy that just needs to be like released.
05:43That's what it feels like, the song.
05:44Just speaking with you, it sounds like you are so comfortable in your career at this moment.
05:49Do you feel that way?
05:50Yeah.
05:50I feel like I'm really enjoying it.
05:52And that's also very nice.
05:55Yeah.
05:55Because when I was younger and I was on like Sweden's Got Talent at 10, I was so stressed.
06:01Like I was really stressed.
06:04And I was like, oh, my God, am I going to make it?
06:06Am I going to be like a pop star?
06:07And now I just feel like, yeah, I just feel like I just I don't know.
06:16I just feel like really happy.
06:20And I'm really proud of this work and these songs.
06:24And there's like a sense of whatever happens, like I'll feel good because I love I love this project so much.
06:34And if people don't get it, it's like you're fucking so sorry.
06:38You're stupid.
06:39What a blessing to be in that place.
06:41I love that.
06:42We're so excited for the tour as well.
06:45Yes, me too.
06:45You're going on tour with Tate McRae.
06:47Is that someone that you had a relationship with before you?
06:51No, I met her for the first time like a couple of months back.
06:53And I think it was one of those like her people talk to my people.
06:56But obviously she would have said, yes, I would love to have her on tour.
07:01At least that's how I work.
07:03And I would expect her to like know what's going on, you know, because I feel like she's very much in control over what she makes and does.
07:10So I think it's a perfect combination of two pop girls who love who loves to put on the show.
07:17And we love the combination of the two of you.
07:20And I feel like it's representative of over the past couple of years.
07:24We've seen this kind of moment for the pop girly, right?
07:27Like getting their due.
07:28Do you feel that when you're putting music out?
07:30Pop music is so back.
07:33Yes.
07:33You know, it never left for me.
07:36But like I feel like it's really being celebrated now.
07:40And one thing I love about pop music is that it's one of the genres that is very heavily dominated by the girls, you know, like we really shine in that genre.
07:54And I was watching the Grammys this year and I was just like, hello, wasn't this like the best show in a very, very long time?
08:03Basically, because it was only girls performing.
08:05Right, right, right.
08:06And I'm like, they bring the show.
08:08Yeah.
08:09They bring the production.
08:10They bring like the rehearsing.
08:12They bring the, I don't know.
08:13I'm just so happy to see how I think everything kind of goes in cycles.
08:19Yeah.
08:19Um, but now I'm, I'm enjoying the pop moment.
08:23We're so excited to celebrate that with you.
08:26I know that the girls and the gays will be in the crowd very much, very excited for the show and for, for the music to come out.
08:32You have been, um, never shy to speak your mind, uh, especially even not as an American about what's going on in America, American politics.
08:40There's a moment right now where maybe some of your, your gay fans are, are stressed.
08:44You know, do you have anything to say to them?
08:46Oh, honestly, I think it's again, like you, the community you built and the people you surround yourself with, because no matter where you live, honestly, on the planet, there will be a community for you.
09:01And, um, you are never alone, even if it might feel that way.
09:06And like, you might live in a very small town, you know, where it feels like you're the, the odd one out.
09:13But there's so many people out there who see you.
09:17And that's nice about internet.
09:18I feel like you can reach out to people and like find a community and knowing that you are worthy, like you don't have to change.
09:28The weird people are the people who try to alienate others and like create these differences between each other.
09:35Um, so just knowing that you are so deserving of love and you are exactly who you need to be and to not change and find people who appreciate you for that.
09:52And you have created that community for so many people and so many of your fans.
09:55So thank you for doing that.
09:57We're so excited for you.
09:58So excited for the project.
10:00So excited for pretty ugly in the tour.
10:01Thank you for hanging out with channel Q.
10:03Thank you guys.
10:04I love you.