It takes even more guts to go on national television and sing two ofthe most iconic, hard-to-nail ballads in the pop music canon, but that’sexactly what Zara Larsson did as a contestant on Sweden’s Got Talent in 2008. She was 10 years old. It neveroccurred to her to do anything less.



An angelic-faced, blue-eyed blonde, Larsson won the showhandily with her self-assured renditions of Whitney Houston’s “The GreatestLove of All” and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” decimating hercompetition with a killer combo of talent, charm, and fresh-faced beauty.



Now 17, Larsson still radiates boldness, not to mention apowerhouse voice, which will certainly help as she launches her career in theU.S. with her debut single “Uncover” for TEN / Epic / Kemosabe. Larsson isalready a bonafide superstar in Scandinavia, where she has released two EPs, Introducing and Allow Me To Reintroduce Myself, and an album, 1, on the Swedish label Ten Records (also home to Icona Pop andErik Hassle). “Uncover,” which Larsson first posted on YouTube, was herbreakthrough hit, topping the charts in Sweden and Norway and earning3x-Platinum certification (as did Introducing).Her follow-up singles, “She’s Not Me Pt 1 & 2” and “Bad Boys,” alsogarnered success on the Scandinavian charts, as did 2014’s Top 10 hits “CarryYou Home” and “Rooftop.”



Many of those tracks have been collected on Larsson’ssix-song Uncover EP, an R&B-flavoredpop confection filled with relatable lyrics, catchy hooks, and melodies designedto show off Larsson’s impressive vocal range. Larsson says she chose them forher U.S. debut because “they were the ones that we knew people liked the bestand that I liked the best.” Taken together, the songs sketch out the many sidesof love, whether it’s hidden (“Uncover”), jealous (“She’s Not Me”), supportive(“Carry You Home”), heartbreaking (“Never Gonna Die”), wistful (“Rooftop”), ordownright joyful (“Wanna Be Your Baby”). “The songs are about love because loveis pretty much the key to everything,” Larsson says.



“’Uncover’ is about two people who want to be together, butcan’t let anyone know. As soon as they’re alone, they can finally ‘uncover,’”Larsson says. “I don’t think of it as a cute love song, it’s more about peoplewho can’t be seen together because society tells them it isn’t okay, like peoplein same-sex relationships.”



Such thoughtful declarations are not unusual from Larsson,who grew up in the socially progressive Swedish capital of Stockholm. She mayhave favored big-voiced mainstream songbirds like Whitney and Celine growingup, but now her music taste leans toward R&B and hip-hop and she cites Beyoncé,Eminem, and Nicki Minaj as favorites. Her father, an officer in the SwedishNavy, loved AC/DC, Metallica, The Sex Pistols, and Queen and he passed on hislove for the latter’s theatrical swagger to his daughter. Larsson can’tremember a time when she wasn’t singing. “We had no furniture in front of thetable because that was my stage,” she recalls. “I had this special area markedout where I could dance and sing. My younger sister and I would put on showsfor my parents and their guests.”



In 2008, she decided to try out for Sweden’s Got Talent, encouraged by the second-place finish of afriend of hers the previous year. Of her winning performance, Larsson says thatshe barely remembers her time on stage. “Watching myself that young is veryweird, but I’m very proud of what I did.” The win led to her signing with independentmusic company TEN Music Group in 2012, followed by posting a video for“Uncover” to YouTube in 2013. “I thought maybe I’d get 20,000 hits, maybe 100,000.”The official version has now racked up over nine million views.



Larsson’s success in Scandinavia has led to other significantmoments in her burgeoning career, including supporting Cher Lloyd on theBritish singer’s 2013 North American “I Wish” Tour (“The American audiencesdidn’t know my name, I didn’t have any songs out, and still people werescreaming and shouting, it was so crazy,” she says), and performing “Uncover”at the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo backed by an orchestra and choir.In April 2013, Larsson was signed by L.A. Reid to Epic Records and Dr. Luke tohis Kemosabe Records label.



With guidance from two of the music industry’s biggestplayers, Larsson is looking forward to releasing her music in America, whichshe calls “the center of the entertainment universe. People in Sweden areobsessed with America.” Establishing herself in the U.S. will also give her theopportunity to do what she loves best: perform live for as many people aspossible. “My dream is to stand in front of 60,000 people in an arena and knowthat everyone came because they wanted to make memories with me,” she says. “That’sa beautiful thing. The more successful you are, the more people are going to comeand be a part of the music.”