Zara Larsson Until The "End of Time"
For the first time since her one and only United States “Don’t Worry Bout Me” tour in 2019, Swedish artist Zara Larsson took the headline stage in Orlando’s House of Blues this past Wednesday, October 30th. With songs from her most recent, fourth studio album, Venus, the “Venus” tour maintained the self-loving, heartbreaking, and high energy Larsson is known for. Her opening act, Sam Short, started the night off strong with a crowd-interactive setlist, featuring her newly released song “puppy.” As a new listener, I strongly recommend my favorites, “Naked” and “Aphrodite.”
At around 9:00 pm, Larsson came on, which was very different from the concerts I’ve been to that typically start a bit earlier. This just added to the late-night party aesthetic our favorite “Zlut” is most definitely going for. She opened up with her lead-off track, “Venus,” and immediately transitioned into “I Would Like,” a popular song from the previously mentioned tour and her second album, So Good. Almost all of her songs were accompanied by top-tier choreography. And yes, this girl can DANCE!
Despite her tour only consisting of seven shows, fans went the extra mile (literally) to attend her limited schedule. A few concert neighbors had even come all the way from Texas to see their favorite Swedish pop artist. I am unafraid to admit that I would have done the same.
As a big fan who luckily got her hands on barricade, I was happy when the dedicated Zara Larsson enthusiasts knew a majority, if not all, of her discography. Because of Larsson’s powerhouse of a voice, her involvement in varying songs from other popular artists made her overall setlist a melting pot of features, which made for an overly interactive crowd. Songs not a part of her mainstream albums, Venus, So Good, and Poster Girl, were performed, including “Words,” featuring Alesso, “Girls Like,” featuring Tinie Tempah, and the now trending “Symphony,” with Clean Bandit (2017). Even David Guetta’s “On My Love” made the cut, much to the dismay of my absolutely destroyed vocal cords from how much I was screaming the lyrics.
Though her presence in the States is not as prevalent as I would like it to be, Zara Larsson deserves every arena venue and more. Some of my favorite songs ever are hers— “Escape,” “End of Time,” and “Ain’t My Fault,” the latter being one of the songs when she looked straight at me as she sang.
With only four shows left in her Venus tour, send her off with more streams and more hype. She has the energy, she has the incredible dance moves, and she has the voice. Do yourself a favor and bless your ears with it!
Strike Out,
Orlando
Writer & Editor: Nina Rueda
All Images Courtesy: Estephanie Oritz
Nina Rueda is the writing director and a content writer for Strike Magazine Orlando. An undeniable Capricorn and Sabrina Carpenter superfan, Nina enjoys thrifting, writing ‘in her feels’ poetry, and doing impulsive photoshoots. Her love for words has developed into a passion of worldbuilding, and she hopes to soon publish adult fantasy romance novels. You can reach her at writing.strike.orlando@gmail.com, ninaroody22@gmail.com or @ninaruedaa on Instagram!
