Zara Larsson Clarifies Chart Comments After Taylor Swift Fan Backlash

Zara Larsson shared a statement on Instagram on April 3, following criticism from fans after an interview with The Guardian, in which she discussed music charts and Taylor Swift supporters. The Swedish pop star explained she mentioned the "Bejeweled" singer because "no one plays the chart game like Taylor Swift lol."

"She's literally the best at it and everyone knows that," Larsson wrote, according to The Express Tribune. "It's not the read you guys think it is."

The "Lush Life" singer told The Guardian that "playing the chart game is so dead to me." She added that "no one's looking at the charts but industry people and maybe Taylor Swift fans."

In an Instagram post, per Deadline, Larsson revealed she believes she has "some cultural value in pop music, something I've never had to this level, but I'm not in a position to influence charts." The 28-year-old musician admitted that chart performance still matters to her despite what she said before.

"I still think you can be an amazing artist and not chart," she wrote. "Those things are not mutually equal to me and shouldn't be to any fans either."

She plans to use chart strategies when releasing new music. Larsson confirmed she'll put out at least two different covers for physical editions of her next project after Midnight Sun.

Larsson ended her statement by asking fans to help her achieve chart success. "I still want number one! Please make Midnight Sun #1 please!!!!!!!!!!! That would be so mega plzzzz!!!!!" she wrote.

Larsson dropped her fifth studio album, Midnight Sun, in September 2025. Singles from the project include "Pretty Ugly," "Midnight Sun," and "Crush."

Her collaboration with PinkPantheress, "Stateside," hit No. 1 on both the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts in early 2026. She scored a 2026 GRAMMY nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording for the title track from Midnight Sun.