Zara Larsson Admits She’s Performing at Colleges Despite Recent Success ‘Because I Needed to Pay for My Real Tour’

Jack IrvinWed, April 29, 2026 at 9:45 PM UTC

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Zara Larsson in February 2026Credit: John Shearer/Getty -

Zara Larsson is performing at colleges to fund her larger Midnight Sun Tour due to high touring costs

The singer joked about "attending" Yale after performing at its Spring Fling '26 concert and wearing school merchandise

Larsson is releasing a deluxe version of her album Midnight Sun featuring collaborations with Shakira and PinkPantheress

Zara Larsson went to Yale — not to study, but to perform.

The "Midnight Sun" singer, 28, performed at Yale University's Spring Fling '26 concert on Saturday, April 25 and later took to TikTok to discuss why she's currently touring colleges amid her recent wave of major success.

"Yeah, I went to Yale," joked Larsson in the video, sporting the school's merchandise. "I went there to sing once, so technically I did go to Yale, yes."

The Swedish pop star explained she's "on some kind of college show tour" at the moment. "I signed that s--- a long time ago because I needed to pay for my real tour, because it’s so expensive to tour," she said.

Larsson wrapped the initial North American leg of her Midnight Sun Tour earlier this month, and the string of college performances (which also includes shows at the University of Delaware, Tufts University, Brandeis University and others) comes before a string of global festival performances through August.

She'll then perform two shows at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles in September, followed by a string of concerts in Australia and New Zealand through October.

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Zara Larsson in January 2026Credit: Jon Kopaloff/Getty

Since the tour was announced last year, Larsson's experienced a wave of major success thanks to her singles "Lush Life," "Midnight Sun" and "Stateside" with PinkPantheress. Several venues throughout the North American tour were upgraded due to demand, and she's already teased the possibility of arena shows to come.

Despite the success, Larsson followed through with the college shows. "Once I’ve signed that contract, I’m not pulling out. I don’t do that. I don’t cancel shows," she said in the TikTok video, before joking, "Some people pay to go to college, I get paid to go to college."

Larsson never attended college as a student. "I wish I went to college. Part of me wishes I went to college because I didn’t even finish high school," she said. "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 Larsson in September 2025Credit: Rodin Eckenroth/Getty

Yale provided the "Hot & Sexy" artist with merchandise, and Larsson said she plans to wear it in the future. "So if you see me in this, mind your business please," she said. "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.’"

Larsson is gearing up to release Midnight Sun: Girls Trip, the deluxe version of her latest album, on Friday, May 1. The project will feature collaborations with Shakira, PinkPantheress, Robyn and more artists.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”