For Zara Larsson, 2026 has been her breakout year. From collaborations with PinkPantheress on “Stateside” to playing her biggest headline tour in the United States to date, Larsson has taken the world by storm.
To put it in perspective: For more than a decade, Larsson has always been on the world’s radar; even if the public didn’t know her name, they were humming her tunes. The Swedish artist has experienced hit songs, radio and commercial success from her songwriting, features and performances galore, but up until this past year, she wasn’t a top mainstream name. As many know, the iconic dolphin meme from her hit 2017 collaboration “Symphony” with Clean Bandit brought about a resurgence, a rebrand and a whirlwind of new listeners.
Now, her transformation has everyone talking, complete with out-of-this-world makeup looks, bedazzled costumes and iconic background dancers. Proof of this success, Larsson’s Midnight Sun Tour was sold out within minutes of going on sale.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Zara Larsson made her debut at The Rave playing to a sold-out crowd of 4,000 people, her largest U.S. show to date. Within this show, it felt like a “greatest hits” tour, playing renditions of her biggest songs and features, as well as new songs of her recent release Midnight Sun.
Opening up the night was the incredibly captivating, vocal powerhouse Ameilia Moore (aka the brilliantly named @icryatwork on Instagram). She opened up the night with vocal riffs that won the crowd over, in a similar fashion to an inspiration of hers, Ariana Grande. To honor her, she performed a short rendition of “7 rings” which made the crowd go wild. Moore’s infectious presence and undeniable talent won over the hearts of everyone in the crowd and certainly warmed them up. Following her theme of a working woman (re: her instagram handle) her posts following each show are screaming “corporate baddie” as she promises each city to circle back with her the next time she performs in their town.
As the night continued, the stage began to be revealed for the headlining act. Lighting designers, stagehands and guitar techs prepped the stage for the girl taking the world by storm; the biggest stateside tour of her career.
As the lights dimmed, I watched as almost everyone’s phone shot up into the air, eager to capture the first glimpse of the Swedish icon on stage. Larsson’s aura simply began gushing through the stage and into the room. Fans entered the venue wearing pink frilly skirts, flowers in their hair and bedazzled or glittery eyeshadow to emulate the singer. With a brand as iconic as hers, it has become an aesthetic for her fanbase to recreate. After all, how often does one really get to wear beach waves and mini skirts in March in Wisconsin?
The Eagles Ballroom, the largest room at the top floor of The Rave, was packed shoulder to shoulder — definitely proving her worthiness to return, or upgrade, in the near future.
Photos via Robin Bøe
Kicking of the night with “Midnight Sun” was an impeccable choice and a unique take, too. So often, we see major artists wait until the encore to play their last song, but Larsson uniquely both opened and closed the set with “Midnight Sun” (peaked at No.39 on the Billboard Hot 100).
This built up momentum into the artist’s highly anticipated 2016 hit “Lush Life” where Larsson brought the Lisa Frank dolphin artwork to the big screen. Bubble guns and flying inflatable dolphins were another part of the world building and transportation that this tour took the fans on, from start to finish.
Larsson brought a fan on stage to dance during “Lush Life,” something she does at all of her shows. This fan hyped up the crowd by effortlessly doing the addicting, viral choreography, as if she knew it all her life. Sporting a shirt that read “FUCK CANCER,” this fan was a highlight of the show, and this moment was certainly an even bigger pinch-me moment for the fan.
Not to mention, Larsson’s entire dance crew deserves a spotlight as they literally carry the artist through extreme lifts and tricks on a large stage. The choreography was super interesting and entrancing to watch, flowing from section to section and making the performance look effortless. I watched from the balcony and saw the moments where everyone lost their minds from a bird’s eye view — a very unique and rewarding perspective.
Larsson also knows how to spruce things up, with the songs by her that we’ve known and loved for years were brought to life in a new fashion. Through the third act, she implemented elements of “Looking for the Hoes (Ain’t My Fault)” by Sexyy Red and “Gimme More” by Brittany Spears into the set seamlessly. Almost as if nodding to her own inspirations and who has made her into the performer she is today.
Photos via Robin Bøe
The colors and y2k energy have had a resurgence, and Zara Larsson seemed to come up right in the middle of it all and is truly proving that it can take 10 years of hardwork to become an “overnight” success — and boy, are we glad she did.
Larsson is still on tour, so get tickets now.
Keep up with Zara Larsson:
Instagram / TikTok / YouTube / Spotify / Website
