Pop icon Zara Larsson tells all about gender equality in the music industry

A few weeks ago, Zara Larsson rocked the world when she announced that she had been given back her masters. In an industry that has been ruled by men at record labels, producers, and every level of power, this was quite extraordinary.

Larsson is a modern day feminist, using her platform to advocate for 21st century ideals. From dressing how you want to posting what you want, she has been on the forefront of challenging stereotypes in the pop world since day one.

So, when I met Larsson at Spotify's annual EQUAL dinner, it was time to start talking about the big issues in music, especially timely since women's rights across the globe had just backtracked around 50 years.

Spotify's EQUAL project began in 2017, as an initiative to drive gender equality in the music industry through networking and relationship building. As they say, the numbers do not lie. Even though, on stage, women dominate the music industry, the behind-the-scenes look very different. With studies focusing on the Nordics, Spotify has found that of the 50 most-played songs, the statistics showed only 10.9% female songwriters and an embarrassing 1.2% female producers in Sweden 2020.

As a region that considers itself to be ahead of the curve on every aspect of diversity and equality, the music industry is in need of serious progress. The EQUAL initiative focuses on creating a network of women to help and inspire each other in a male-dominated business. This is where Larsson's expertise comes in.

"I'm defined by being a woman in all aspects of life," Larsson says when I ask her if she's felt defined by her womanhood in the music industry. "I've just always kind of surrounded myself with so many women, and I also think they protect me a lot."

Larsson got her start in the business in 2008 when she won Sweden’s Got Talent at only 10 years old. Since then, she’s released three albums, amassed billions of streams, and toured the world. Working with the creme de la creme of the music elite, but after thirteen years in the industry, Larsson reveals that she worked with her first-ever female producer only last year. This was Elvira Anderfjärd (who's also worked with the likes of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran).

Even though this was her female-empowerment dreams come true, it was a self-reflective experience for Larsson, exposing her own subconscious: "Like, me, a feminist. I believe that women should be in all fields of work. I always root for women in male-dominated fields. I had to catch myself when we were going to record. Elvira was, like, setting up the levels or whatever. And I thought to myself, 'do you know how to do that?'" she says, putting her hands up to her mouth in shock as she tells me this secret. Shaking her head she says, "You know what I mean? Like, I don't want to think like that. And I caught myself being, like, internalised misogyny,” she says. “Like, do you actually know how to do this? Because I've never seen a woman do it. So my first thought was like, maybe you're not as good," she says, with the honesty in her tone ringing throughout the living room.

“It's so fucking important to just have people that you really trust,” she says, when I ask her about navigating the treacherous tropes of the music industry as a young woman. “There are so many artists out there, and maybe they have a TikTok sound that blew up and then a record label comes along and they're like, ‘sign this!’ And you don't really know what you're signing and then you're stuck in a lame deal for, like, two albums. Like, wait, what do I do now, you know?” she says. “I've been really, really lucky in that sense,” she says while smiling at me, crediting her female managers and of course the legendary Sylvia Rhone, one of the most influential black and female record label executives, who is head of Larsson’s label Epic Records.

Larsson feels that she has found the way forward though, and that is advocating for every woman to believe in herself, especially in a creative setting. Why do I doubt myself so much? I think just create more. Like Prince. How many albums did he make? Like 100. Create more and believe that you have good taste," she says, with a hearty smile.

With those wise words still echoing, we begin to walk down the stairs at Stockholm’s boutique hotel Ett Hem, towards the group of other artists, songwriters, and first and foremost, upcoming creatives looking towards people like Larsson to help clear the path. As they sit down to enjoy their dinner, I bid my goodbyes and start walking toward the gate.

I look back once at Larsson and the rest of the young women at the table as they start their conversations about how we can make the world a more open, inclusive space. I have a gut feeling that change is about to come.

Listen to Zara Larsson on Spotify: