Zara Larsson Reveals Her Mount Rushmore of Pop Stars: ‘The People That Raised Me’

NEED TO KNOW

• Zara Larsson revealed her Mount Rushmore of pop stars in an interview with Billboard

• The “Midnight Sun” singer was honored as this year’s Breakthrough Artist at the Billboard Women in Music event

• Larsson is gearing up to release her deluxe album Midnight Sun: Girls Trip featuring collaborations with Shakira, PinkPantheress, Robyn and more

Who’s on Zara Larsson‘s Mount Rushmore of pop stars?

Larsson was honored as this year’s Breakthrough Artist at the Billboard Women in Music event at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles on Wednesday, April 29, and she opened up to the publication about which four pop stars should be cemented in history.

“My four are the people that raised me,” said the “Midnight Sun” singer, who named Christina Aguilera, Céline Dion, Beyoncé and Whitney Houston.

A longtime Beyoncé fan, Larsson’s spoken extensively in the past about her love of the 35-time Grammy winner. In a June 2025 interview with That Grape Juice, she praised Queen Bey’s “power and control over what she does.”

“Looking back at her singles and albums, she’s always been very ahead and unafraid, and I love that — and her work ethic. Like, you’re not doing that if you’re not putting in the work. So, it’s very inspiring,” said the “Lush Life” performer at the time.

Larsson is a fan of many fellow women in pop music. She’s currently gearing up to release Midnight Sun: Girls Trip, a deluxe version of her latest album featuring collaborations with Shakira, PinkPantheress, Robyn and more artists.

Also included on the project is Tyla, whom Larsson recently collaborated with on the duet “She Did It Again.” The song draws inspiration from Britney Spears and even features a lyrical reference to the pop superstar.

“We really wanted to make a music video, and she’s just the pop star,” Larsson told Billboard at the Women in Music event of Spears’ influence on the collaboration. “Me and Tyla, we looked at each other, and we were like, ‘Haha, can you believe this is our life?’ Like, we just show up to set, and we’re like, ‘Let’s be sexy. Let’s be fun.’ And we just had such a good time, and we just enjoyed being with each other.”

She continued, “The whole day was just fun. So, I think I tapped into the Britney of feeling free, feeling sexy. I feel like this was a step in a different direction. I felt very womanly. I felt very sexy.”

Midnight Sun: Girls Trip is set for a May 1 release.

Read the original article on People