Zara Larsson hopes 'Midnight Sun' helps complete her pop superstar puzzle

NEW YORK (AP) — Zara Larsson is no stranger to packing dance floors around the world, boasting a catalog with several songs that have earned more than a billion streams. But despite possessing all the individual pieces a superstar career requires, her jigsaw has yet to be fully completed in the way she’s hoped.

“I feel like it’s been a disconnect between what I’ve released and who I am,” said the 27-year-old. “I feel finally people are starting to piece the puzzle together.”

Larsson is betting that the image becomes more formed with her new album, “Midnight Sun,” out Friday. Serving as love letter to her native Sweden where summer sunlight can extend until midnight, her 10-track, fourth studio project follows up 2024’s “Venus.”

Larsson, who entered the entertainment world when she was just 10, has never been shy about her desire to become the biggest pop star in the world. But her journey has taught her expectations may have to be tempered.

“Maybe my perspectives of life has changed, too, just growing older. And now, I’m at a point where it’s like maybe I want a family. … That, in a way, feels more important than just being amazing in front of people I don’t know,” said the artist, whose 2017 “Symphony” collaboration with Clean Bandit — already a megahit — recently went viral on TikTok. “It’s maturity, but also actively — like really actively — having to say … I am good enough as I am.”

The “Lush Life” singer, who recently opened on Tate McRae’s tour, will headline her own dates starting next month in Europe before launching a North American leg in February. Larsson spoke with The Associated Press about “Midnight Sun,” the pressure to create more big hits, and becoming a “better person.” This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

LARSSON: The older I get, I just wanna make what I put out, and just make it feel like it’s coming from me. Because I’ve had great songs and great projects and really real and heartfelt stuff, but it’s different when it’s my words.

LARSSON: What was so fun about making this album is that, this time around, I felt no pressure. And it was kind of like coming back to when I first started making music, like my first EPs that I released only in Scandinavia. We were just having fun and trying things.

I felt a lot of pressure after my first album, “So Good,” just to keep that huge mainstream success going, which led to me kind of like not be able to do anything for four years.

LARSSON: I’ve just had to actively work on how I view myself and life because I do still want to be the best, but I think life’s about the journey. … Even though I’ve been doing it for a long time, I just really, really feel like I am just at the beginning.

LARSSON: A lot of people that I play that song to, they’re like, “I feel that.” And especially in an industry where … it’s like how other people are seeing you and how much they like you. And you’re chasing this thing that you will never really reach. … A lot of my success that I had so early on, it’s sad that I can’t go back and really enjoy what I got to experience.

I romanticized just moving out to the countryside and not caring about any of this, and just maybe record some music on my laptop. But then, it’s like I know I don’t want that.

LARSSON: People say “Saturn’s return” is when the planet Saturn returns to where it was when you were born, which is approximately 27 years. And that’s when you enter real adulthood. And I really felt that shift. I felt like, “Oh, I’ve always been quite reckless, irresponsible — done weird decisions.” And now I can look back and be like — not hard on myself — but I’d be like “What happened there?” I just grew so much.

I have more empathy. … I feel I’m a better person now than I was when I was younger, which hopefully is the evolution of life.

Follow Associated Press entertainment journalist Gary Gerard Hamilton at @GaryGHamilton on all his social media platforms.

Zara Larsson poses for a portrait on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Zara Larsson poses for a portrait on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Zara Larsson poses for a portrait on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

Zara Larsson poses for a portrait on Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025, in New York. (Photo by Andy Kropa/Invision/AP)

CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — Kyle Busch died after severe pneumonia progressed into sepsis, resulting in rapid and overwhelming associated complications, according to a statement released by his family.

Dakota Hunter, vice president of Kyle Busch Companies, said in a news release the family received the medical evaluation on Saturday.

Busch, a two-time NASCAR champion, died at 41 on Thursday, a day after passing out in a Chevrolet simulator.

Sepsis is considered a life-threatening medical emergency that occurs when the body has an extreme, overactive response to an infection, causing the immune system to damage its own tissues and organs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Typically the immune system releases chemicals to fight off pathogens like bacteria, viruses or fungi, but with sepsis the response goes into overdrive. The results can cause widespread inflammation, form microscopic blood clots and make blood vessels leak.

Busch was thought to have had a sinus cold while racing at Watkins Glen on May 10 and radioed in to his team saying that he needed a “shot” from a doctor after the race.

However, he bounced back to win the Trucks Series race at Dover last weekend, and then he finished 17th in the All-Star race on Sunday.

Busch, who was preparing to race Sunday at the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, was testing in the Chevrolet racing simulator in Concord on Wednesday when he became unresponsive and was transported to a hospital in Charlotte, several people familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.

During the emergency call placed late that afternoon, an unidentified caller calmly told the dispatch: “I’ve got an individual that’s (got) shortness of breath, very hot, thinks he’s going to pass out, and is producing a little bit of blood, coughing up some blood.”

The caller said Busch was lying on the bathroom floor inside the complex and told dispatch “he is awake,” according to audio provided by the Cabarrus County Sheriff’s Office. The man then gave directions on where emergency responders should go and asked that they turn off any sirens upon arrival.

NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski said he knew Busch wasn’t feeling well recently.

“Yes, but I won’t go into any specifics," Keselowski said. “But then when he ran the Truck race last week, those (thoughts) were honestly kind of erased in my mind.”

Keselowski said running multiple races on the same weekend can be difficult on a driver's health — but most don't want to miss a race for fear of being replaced.

“There’s no shortage of drivers that would love to take my seat or anybody else’s seat if we weren’t feeling well, and I think every driver feels that pressure,” Keselowski said. “All athletes do. It’s not unique to NASCAR in that sense. We’re all thinking to ourselves, ‘I don’t wanna be replaced.’ ... So you try to power through it the best you can."

Busch won 234 races across NASCAR’s top three series over his two-decade career, more than any driver in history.

All 39 drivers in the field for Sunday’s race will race with a black No. 8 decal on their car to honor Busch.

AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing

An in memoriam photo of former driver Kyle Busch is displayed on the video board of the backstretch at Charlotte Motor Speedway, Friday, May 22, 2026, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Matt Kelley)

FILE - Kyle Busch waits for the start of a NASCAR Xfinity Series auto race Saturday, June 19, 2021, in Lebanon, Tenn. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)