Zara Larsson, the Swedish pop star whose career is experiencing a small moment of glory thanks to the virality of ‘Lush Life’, her 2015 hit, current top 7 on Spotify globally, and the virality of ‘Midnight Sun’ and ‘Stateside’, her collaboration with PinkPantheress, has once again made the news for not holding her tongue.
Specifically, the ‘Ain’t My Fault’ singer has used Instagram stories to claim the rights of groups that are frequently singled out or discriminated against, such as immigrants, trans people or women who have abortions. He has said that he loves all of them, including the “criminals”: “I love criminals” has been his phrase, picked up by sensational media such as TMZ.
Before any media or leader distorts her words, Zara Larsson has explained that she speaks from her own experience, since her partner, with whom she has been with for almost six years, is prohibited from entering the United States – where Zara resides – due to having a criminal record. He was arrested for smoking marijuana and, since then, he has not been able to visit her in his country of residence. Larsson reports that she and her partner go months without seeing each other “because of a joint they smoked six years ago.”
Larsson, who has highlighted that “thousands and thousands of people (in the United States) go to prison every year for non-violent drug-related crimes”, mostly “black and brown people”, because of the “racist policies of Ronald Reagan in the eighties”, has vindicated the humanity of criminals and their right to reintegration: “Just because someone has been convicted of a crime does not mean that they are a bad person,” he indicates in a second post. On the contrary, “many bad people leave rositas”, referring to those who are never punished by justice.
Zara gives as an example men who abuse or rape their partners, and also Donald Trump, noting: “Trump fans are angry at me for saying I love criminals, but Trump has been convicted of 34 felonies and they still made him president.” The singer, who claims the legality of marijuana, also criticizes the actions of ICE: “I’d rather have someone smoking crack on my couch than an ICE agent in my house.” Regarding ICE operators, he has said that they are “violent criminals, who murder and kidnap people.”
In a third post, the singer, who once completely covered one of her legs with a condom to point out men who avoid using it, saying it doesn’t fit, supports socialism, although she qualifies: “Having corrupt governors makes it impossible for the dream of socialism to come true.” The singer highlights Sweden’s social democratic system, but regrets that “the welfare state is collapsing because of a right-wing party.”
