Zara Goes Shopping

With a pair of songs ensconced in the Spotify global Top 40, Swedish pop queen Zara Larsson, whose term with Epic is ending, is now being shopped for a rich new deal by manager Roger Ames, and several interested parties are said to be in the mix. Indeed, a very large sum is believed to have been offered by a gunslinger at the corporate level.

Though the Stockholm native has gotten considerable traction as the feature on PinkPantheress’ giant “Stateside” (#32 Spotify global, #20 U.S.), Larsson’s big moment is also due in part to the elevation of catalog track “Lush Life” (from 2017’s So Good), which got her resurgence rolling and is now #35 on Spotify’s global chart and #74 U.S. Her 2025 cut “Midnight Sun,” meanwhile, is at #113 global and #73 U.S.

In any case, Sony will retain her catalog, source of 13.8b global streams on Spotify (9.2b as lead artist). L.A. Reid inked Larsson in 2013, when she was 14.

Who will pony up the princely sum required to close this deal, and what’s the plan for the next chapter of Larsson’s fascinating career? Stay tuned.