Something that has brought me so much joy in recent years is immersing myself into fandoms. Yesterday, in the notoriously dusty Victoria Park, I had my favourite day of the summer seeing Zara Larsson in a sea of her colourful, gem embellished fans.
I’ve always liked Zara, but this year I decided that I really loved her. A few things came together. Sophia Sinot started doing her makeup, and each night I loved seeing which kind of colourful gem constellation they’d go for. Then she started bringing up an audience member each night to do the Lush Life dance with her, and I live for stuff like this! The fun of seeing who’d be chosen and watching them have a ball? I feel like every single person has had a fantasy that somehow they’ll get tapped on the shoulder at a concert and invited backstage because their favourite pop star wants to be besties. (No, just me?) I just love that Zara actually makes it come true and we all get to be part of the adventure.
And then, the most crucial part of the puzzle, I realised my favourite thing about Zara. She’s so funny! There is quite literally no media training in sight with this girl. She opens her phone up after a gig and films a little debrief of the concert like it’s a FaceTime. She shows us her outfits and hair and makeup in all their glory and then the next minute has zero filter, chatting to us when she’s just woken up and is in her joggers.
This is what girlhood really is. These are the sides that you actually see of your girlfriends, being super glam the night before and then getting a maccies in your comfies the next day. For Zara to communicate in this way has fostered such a deep connection, and I could genuinely feel that spirit in the air last night. I go to so many festivals, it’s my favourite thing to do, but there was a completely different current in her crowd. Everyone was more free and more into it, and they felt they were able to be because of the intimacy she has cultivated.
It was kind of like being at a pyjama party but you happened to be in a dusty field. (When I got home, despite wearing trainers and socks, the dust had actually seeped through my layers and was gathered thick between my toes! My whole face was brown with dried dust! And it was so worth it.)
Unfortunately I didn’t get to stay for Djo, Pink Pantheress or Lorde which I am so gutted about. I live in Birmingham, and for the past few months I have truly had nightmare after nightmare on the trains. If I’m not delayed I’m diverted, and I travel a lot for work so it’s been stressful and tiring. Two of my favourite songs this year have been Midnight Sun and Stateside, and so you can’t even imagine my joy when Zara announced that for the first time ever, Pink Pantheress was going to be joining her to sing! The crowd all went berserk and everyone danced and had fun. It was such a special moment and I’m so glad I got to be there for it.
In terms of the show itself, her set was truly unbelievable. It’s been years since I’ve seen such a true pop-star, dancing in unison with her ensemble and all looking incredible. She’s like a real-life Barbie and everything about her is so captivating. Her voice was so powerful, and I truly can’t get my head around how strenuously she danced without missing a beat or note. She was an incredible performer, as were her whole crew, and hearing Midnight Sun live was one of my favourite ever live music experiences.
It was truly the girlie pop day of dreams. We started at Nell Mescal’s show. I’ve seen her several times over the years, from tiny venues in Birmingham to supporting the Haim sisters, and she is just a total sweetheart. Nell shared that she has found love and everyone was thrilled for her because so many of her songs are about heartbreak. Two new artists to me were Esha Tewari and Audrey Hobert, both cute and catchy and fun to listen to with a tinnie in the sunshine. Then, just before Zara, we saw Sienna Spiro. What an incredible voice. It was amazing how quickly she took the vibe from being fun and playful to tender and gentle. She felt too special to be of this time, and listening to her made me feel happy that so many talented musicians like her, Raye and Olivia Dean are having their moment right now.
Do you know what I loved most about seeing Zara yesterday? She’s given me the push I needed to keep going. I’ve had a weird few months. This year, I’ve had some of the best and most exciting work opportunities come my way, and yet I’ve had some of the most frequent rejection of my career so far. It’s been quite mentally challenging to juggle the highs of finally reaching places I’ve been wanting to reach, and simultaneously feeling like I am banging my head against a brick wall when I pitch feature ideas and get completely ignored. (Being ignored is actually why I set up this Substack, so it’s been a blessing in a way because I love writing this now.)
Zara isn’t an overnight success. She’s worked away for years and years, always doing well, breaking records, and releasing some of the best-loved songs in modern music. But somehow, in the blink of an eye, something shifted this year and she just found herself in an explosion of success. We live in an age where the goal is to go viral and generate sudden and massive attention. I love that Zara has done the opposite of that, gently building a world, brick by brick, that celebrates her passions and engages her fans. Seeing the joy she inspired in that park yesterday has made me want to keep laying my own bricks, even on the days when I am tired, self-doubting and ready to exit the building site.
If you are working towards something at the moment and it feels like it’s not quite happening, stick on a bit of Zara Larsson each morning. Her fun, light heartedness and unapologetic self-love are all things that every girl needs in her toolkit on the days that feel like a struggle. And maybe, by soaking in a bit of her magic, we can all make our own ta-dah moments happen too.
Here are some of the beautiful Zara fans I met yesterday at All Points East. Thank you so much for stopping to chat to me and letting me take your picture! <3
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