Zara Larsson's Recent Comments About Taylor Swift Have Caused a Firestorm

Most people who have been in the world of entertainment for a minute know that it's best to keep Taylor Swift's name out of your mouth. Although Taylor doesn't seem to be doing much feuding with other celebrities at the moment, her fans remain pretty fervent in defending the woman they have loved for well over a decade.

Recently, Zara Larsson stepped in it a little when she made a comment about Taylor, and more specifically, about her fans. Here's what we know about the controversy and how it started.

The controversy appears to date back to an interview that Zara gave with The Guardian in which she explained why she doesn't want to release a single from an album before she releases the whole thing. She explained, “[My record label wants] me to release a new song before it drops to tease it. And I’m like: It ruins the project and the specific rollout that I have planned."

“Playing the chart game is so dead to me. No one’s looking at the charts but industry people and maybe Taylor Swift fans,” she added.

It's that second comment that got Zara into a bit of hot water. Taylor's fans immediately ran with the comment, and a few took to Zara's comments to let her know how they were feeling.

"They call us Swifties dramatic, while she is literally the one using Taylor Swift's name to get more attention😂" one person wrote on her Instagram.

"Taylor Swift fans r proving her point," another person added.

"The girls aren’t girling in these comments ... She spoke no ill ... neither should you," a third wrote.

Clearly, then, the comments were pretty divided about whether Zara had done anything wrong and whether Taylor's fans actually had anything to react to. It's worth noting, though, that Zara's comments were more directed at Taylor Swift's fans than at Taylor herself.

Zara's underlying point, which is that Taylor Swift has been very good at releasing singles, is definitely true, although what's also true is that Taylor is just an immensely popular artist. She might be gaming her rollouts a little, but people are also just typically quite excited to have new music from Taylor.

Although Zara has found great success, she has not yet had the kind of long-lasting success that Taylor has managed.

In a post on Instagram (per Deadline), Zara tried to clarify her comments to make it clear that she was not throwing shade at Taylor.

“She’s literally the best at it and everyone knows that,” she explained. “It’s not the read you guys think it is. And also … I care!!! Best believe I will try to release at least two different covers for my physical on my next project after Midnight Sun.”

She explained that she thinks she has “some cultural value in pop music, something [she has] never had to this level, but [she's] not in a position to influence charts.”

“I still think you can be an amazing artist and not chart. Those things are not mutually equal to me and shouldn’t be to any fans either,” she added.