Zara Larsson is performing at colleges to fund her “real” tour.
Zara Larsson needs the money from US college gigs
The 28-year-old singer may have enjoyed global success in recent years but she admitted she has had to take on extra work in order to cover the huge costs of putting on her own live shows.
After performing at Yale University’s spring Fling ’26 concert on Saturday (25.04.26), Zara joked in a video shared to TikTok: “Yeah, I went to Yale.
“I went there to sing once, so technically I did go to Yale, yes.”
The Midnight Sun hitmaker is taking part in a string of college shows, including performances at the University of Delaware, Tufts University, Brandeis University, following her North American tour and before her upcoming global festival performances and a tour of Australia and New Zealand later this year.
Explaining why she is “on some kind of college show tour”, she said: “I signed that s*** a long time ago because I needed to pay for my real tour, because it’s so expensive to tour…
“Once I’ve signed that contract, I’m not pulling out. I don’t do that. I don’t cancel shows.
“Some people pay to go to college, I get paid to go to college.”
Zara regrets never completing her own education, but for now, she is happy to “entertain the educated”.
She said: “I wish I went to college. Part of me wishes I went to college because I didn’t even finish high school.
“I hate saying that because it doesn’t match my brain. Like, I’m a smart girl. But someone has to entertain the educated, and that’s my job.
“And I take that seriously. But it’s been really fun. It’s actually been so fun, and everyone’s having a good time. It seems like everyone is excited.”
Zara was given Yale-branded merchandise when she performed at the prestigious college and she plans to wear it in the future.
She quipped: “So if you see me in this, mind your business please.
“Or just be like, ‘Wow, that’s so amazing. What year did you graduate?’ And I’ll be like, ‘I’ll graduate in two years.’”
Zara recently expressed her frustration at fans for pitting her against Tate McRae after she supported the 21-year-old hitmaker on her Miss Progressive Tour in 2025, leading to some of her devotees to question why she wasn’t the headliner for the arena shows.
She told the Call Her Daddy podcast: “I think it’s just the nature of how people speak about girls in pop.
“We are similar in the sense that we both dance, although she’s a way better dancer. And I do pop, she does pop.
“I think it’s easier to root for someone who’s an underdog, you know?”
Zara heaped praise on Tate during the podcast appearance, calling her “incredible” and describing the tour as a “perfect match”.
When it comes to people pitting them against each other, she wondered if it was because she’s “been doing this for longer”.
She added: “I’m older. And maybe some people felt like I deserved to be in the arena.”
However, she had a simple response to fans thinking she should be in those spots instead.
She said: “I’m like, ‘Well, buy the ticket then’. That’s not Tate’s fault.”
