Zara Larsson is making one thing crystal clear: she may be experiencing a major career breakthrough but she does not self-define as a “new artist.”
While reflecting on her long-awaited global moment, Larsson revealed that her former label considered submitting her for Best New Artist at the GRAMMY’s – a move she wasn’t exactly excited about.
Speaking to Perfect Magazine, she explained:
“I don’t even want that,”
Arguing that the category would overlook the decade-plus-some she has already spent building her career, she stressed:
“That would downplay the 13 years of me being an artist. I’m not a new artist.”
And she has a point.
Larsson has been releasing music since she was a teenager, with former hits like ‘Lush Life,’ ‘Never Forget You‘ and ‘Symphony‘ already cementing her pop credentials.
Instead, the ‘Midnight Sun‘ singer says she prefers the word “breakthrough,” saying:
“It feels like the whole world is looking at me at the same time.”
Honestly? We can’t argue with that, even though the Recording Academy – the governing body that votes for GRAMMY nominations, winners, and categories – could.
According to their definiton, the term “new” is subjective, applies to acts who have never been nominated as a lead performer, and those who “achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape during the year’s eligibility period” – even if the nominated material is not the nominee’s inaugural work.
By that measure, Larsson could easily qualify to be a Best New Artist nominee for the 2027 GRAMMYs.
