The singer transforms into the goddess of love in a provocative cover for her new musical project
Zara Larsson has published a new album called “Venus“, in which we find 12 songs that add up to almost 40 minutes in a row of the singer’s virtuoso voice. This project is an ode to love directed by the Roman goddess in which Zara presents a new style, a new personal facet and, above all, evolution as an artist.
The singer spoke about the album in a recent interview for Billboard: “I think there’s something for everyone in there, but what I hope this album’s gonna do is just tie everything together a bit more. I wanna create like an experience. And I want them to be like ‘Ah, she’s so good.”
Zara also acquired her musical catalog so she now owns her songs. According to what he says, it was Ola Håkansson herself, owner of the previous record label where Zara was a member called TEN, who offered him the possibility. For her part, Zara created her own company “Summer House” to give them a place, which gives the singer much more freedom as an artist and creator.
Returning to “Venus”, the first single from the album was released a year ago with “Can’t tame her”. The album combines Rick Nowells‘ classic songwriting tradition with Danja‘s maximalist rhythms, and collaborates with friends like MNEK or the Swedish duo MTHR, delivering pure, surprising chemistry on every track.
The first song is “Can’t tame her”, an upbeat pop song written by Zara Larsson, MNEK, Karl Ivert & Kian Sang. About working frequently with MNEK, the singer has said: “I think MNEK is one of my absolute favorite people to work with, we have amazing chemistry in the studio.”
The song includes a liberating and partly feminist message. Zara is reflected in a free, empowered woman who cannot be tamed. She defines it as: “It’s very much like she’s doing whatever she wants, she’s carefree, she’s that girl who is a good representation of how I felt about making this album.”
The second song on the album, “More than this was” talks about a relationship that has ended and you thought that that person was the one and you consider everything you could have done to save the relationship and then realize that in the end it was not person. In this song Zara shows off her full vocal range with impressive beltings and runs in the last chorus.
Returning to recurring collaborations, in “On my love” Zara collaborates again with David Guetta and the DJ’s electronic rhythms fit Larsson’s voice like a glove. Without a doubt a duo that knows how to make pop anthems like “This one’s for you”.
In this case the song changes the romantic love that Zara has for her sister Hanna. “She’s the biggest love in my life, my oldest friend. We’re so close and we have been our whole lives. I’ve written a lot of songs about her, actually. Love doesn’t have to be romantic.”
Following with the album we found one of Zara’s favorites. On “Ammunition” Zara finds herself in a relationship-going-cold, and tries to ask this person for love and attention. The main character on the song is the production, but specially the percussion work from Danja, that creates a nostalgic but new sound.
Next is “None of these guys”, a song that makes you feel like you’re going to a club, free, dancing around and having fun. On the lyrics Zara sings about how much she loves her boyfriend and how every other man has defects compared to him.
“You love who you love” is a deeper one. On the song Zara talks about helping a friend to see the reality of her toxic boyfriend. Zara admitted to Apple Music: “I’ve been in so many situations where I’ve talked to a friend and I’m just like, ‘Get up. What are you doing? You deserve so much better!” It’s a pretty relatable song.
“End Of Time” was the second single, we heard it for the first time in May 2023, and shows what it feels like when the emotions are too much and you can’t manage them, leading you to “sink into oblivion”. The hit has a beat that makes you dance automatically and talks about when you feel so much love to someone o something that you’d change your life in order to get that forever.
On “Nothing” the singer talks about the importance of communication in a romantic relationship and how by saying nothing sometimes you can know what happens to the other person. Zara said: “It talks about that very relatable feeling, when you just know like, ‘Are we coming to an end? I feel like it’s slipping away from me a little bit. We could sort it out if we would just talk with each other, but you have very low communication skills! It’s an eerie feeling.”
The ninth song on the album “Escape” talks about having a little time with that person and being able to escape from all obligations and problems for a moment. In the end, Zara talks about how a person becomes your refuge or your escape and how with them everything makes sense.
For Apple music she said: “I think this is just a vibe. It’s very dreamy. I think my personal heaven would just be a very comfortable bed. I live my life horizontally when I’m not working. That’s just how I exist-being cozy, a cute little cuddle with my boyfriend. It’s the perfect escape for me. And you don’t actually have to go anywhere.”
“Soundtrack” is an intimate and delicate ballad in which Zara pours herself and creates a magical atmosphere worthy of a wedding song. The subtle percussion gives a moving touch to the piano and Zara’s weak voice that remains small with the harmonies of the choirs.
The penultimate song is the one that gives the album its title, “Venus“. In it we find hope, a hymn to the goddess of love, to falling in love and how to live a relationship from the most romantic side, in which “all the skies are blue.” The romantic lyrics go unnoticed among the moving rhythm that transports you to dance in your room late at night and enjoy the song like a child for the first time. Zara’s voice is beautiful with the production and creates an incredible hit for the radio.
Finally “The healing” is, according to Zara, “a very soft but very important goodbye”. The beautiful ballad talks about getting out of a murky relationship and finding a wonderful person who you are not yet ready to love. In the lyrics, Zara asks, please, to wait for her to finish curing her love sickness so they can be together.
Without a doubt the album is an experience worth enjoying. Zara‘s voice makes you laugh, cry and, above all, dance. After the success of “So Good!” years ago, this album does not disappoint and maintains the essence of the singer that her fans love so much.
CREDITS: Text by Gabriel Sánchez
