Zara Larsson has spent more than a decade proving she is anything but a newcomer, so when the idea of competing for Best New Artist at the Grammys came up, she wanted no part of it. The Swedish pop star revealed that her former label had considered putting her forward for the category, but Larsson felt the title would erase years of work that began long before her latest rise.
Now enjoying one of the biggest waves of attention of her career in 2026, Larsson is happy to call the moment a 'breakthrough', but she draws the line at being treated like a discovery. 'That would downplay the 13 years of me being an artist,' she said, making clear that her current success may feel fresh to some listeners, but her career certainly is not.
She Is 'Not a New Artist'
Larsson, 28, spoke about the new attention around her career and why she is comfortable calling this period a 'breakthrough'. She said her former label had discussed whether she could be put forward for Best New Artist at the Grammys. Her answer made it clear that she had no interest in being presented as someone who had just arrived.
'I don't even want that,' Larsson said when recalling the conversation. 'That would downplay the 13 years of me being an artist. I'm not a new artist.' Her point is backed by a career that started long before her current rise.
Larsson became famous in Sweden as a child after winning the talent show Talang at age 10 in 2008. She later signed a record deal as a young teenager and went on to score international hits including 'Lush Life', 'Never Forget You' and 'Symphony'. She said she had just turned 13 when she signed her record deal, showing why the idea of being called 'new' does not fit how she sees her career.
Zara Larsson Prefers the Word 'Breakthrough'
While Zara Larsson rejected the 'new artist' label, she does believe something has changed in her career. She said her earlier hits often felt separate from each other, with one song taking off in one place and another finding success somewhere else. In 2026, she feels those pieces are finally coming together at the same time.
That change has been driven in part by Midnight Sun, her fifth studio album, released in September 2025. The project gave Larsson a stronger role in shaping her music and image, with the singer saying she wrote all the songs and chose the people she wanted around her. The album also brought her first Grammy nomination when its title track was nominated for Best Dance Pop Recording at the 2026 awards.
Her older music has also found a fresh audience during this new chapter. 'Lush Life', first released more than a decade ago, returned to attention while her PinkPantheress collaboration 'Stateside' became another major hit. 'Midnight Sun' also climbed the US charts in 2026, giving Larsson the kind of wider moment she said was missing during earlier parts of her career.
Grammy Rules for Best New Artist
Another twist to the Best New Artist discussion is that Larsson would not be eligible for the category at the 2027 Grammys. Current rules say an artist with a previous Grammy nomination as a performer cannot compete for Best New Artist, apart from limited exceptions for certain early-career nominations. Larsson's 2026 Best Dance Pop Recording nomination means she has already been recognised as a performer by the Grammys.
The rules also say an artist can be ruled out if they already achieved a breakthrough before the current eligibility period. That could create another hurdle for Larsson given the international success she had years before Midnight Sun. Her songs 'Lush Life' and 'Never Forget You' were already major hits in the mid-2010s, long before her current career surge.
That makes Larsson's reaction more than a simple fight over a label. Her career shows how the word 'new' can become difficult when an established singer suddenly reaches another level of fame years after first finding success. For Larsson, the better word is 'breakthrough', because it recognises that 2026 feels different without erasing everything that came before.
