Zara Larsson says she has secured her 'retirement fund' by buying masters

Zara Larsson says buying her master recordings has given her her "retirement fund".

The 26-year-old pop star decided to purchase the official original recordings of her work in 2022 when TEN Music Group's CEO Ola Hakansson was planning his retirement and wanted to avoid the "nightmare" scenario that Taylor Swift experienced when her early songs changed hands after label boss Scott Borchetta sold Big Machine records to Scooter Braun.

And Zara admitted buying the rights was an easy decision.

She told Gay Times magazine:" Honestly, it was a no-brainer.

"It's like my retirement fund, you know what I mean? I'm in it for the long run.

The 'Lush Life' hitmaker started writing songs in 2015 but the deal also gives her control over the tracks she recorded but didn't write herself.

She said: "I didn't have a credit on 'Lush Life' but it's such a career-defining song and part of my identity as an artist.

"And now it's up to me if someone wants to sample it or use it in a commercial. Which is the way it should be."

Zara's new album, 'Venus', is her fourth but the first to be released on her own Sommer House label, and she found being the "boss lady" helped her be more assertive in the studio.

Discussing working with producer Rick Nowels, who has previously collaborated with the likes of Madonna and Lana Del Rey, she said: "He said to me: ‘We’re gonna have fun, but this is serious business: I want you to come in with subjects for songs, titles, chords, ideas. That pushed me to be a better writer.

“I wrote a lot and realised the worst that could happen is Rick saying: ‘I don’t like that.’ But I also realised that I don’t care. Obviously I care what his opinion is, but at the end of the day, if there’s something I like that he doesn’t, we’re gonna do it my way. It’s my song, my project.”