Swedish pop star Zara Larsson used her Instagram story to urge Swedes to vote for the left bloc ahead of Sweden’s parliamentary election on September 13. The post was quickly shared by the Left Party, Vänsterpartiet.
DR reports that Larsson wrote a short message on her Instagram story telling followers that they would of course be voting left this fall. The post referred to the Swedish parliamentary election, scheduled for September 13, 2026.
Shortly afterward, Vänsterpartiet, the party furthest to the left in the Swedish parliament, shared the story on TikTok. According to DR, the party paired the screenshot with an image of its leader, Nooshi Dadgostar, and the caption “you heard her.” Larsson herself named no specific party in the post.
The Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter reported the endorsement on August 25 under the headline “Zara Larsson uppmanar rösta vänster.” Larsson, one of Sweden’s best known pop exports, played Orange Stage at this year’s Roskilde Festival in July.
Researcher: no automatic effect
Helle Kannik Haastrup, an associate professor at the University of Copenhagen who researches celebrity culture, told DR that the post may reflect a wish to be open about political views. She said a left endorsement fits Larsson’s artistic project of being inclusive and diverse.
Haastrup also told DR that public political statements can put celebrities in a box, and are not always strategically smart. What famous people can do, she said, is create identification and present complex views in a relatable way. Per Haastrup, that gives fans a sense of shared values, but there is no automatic electoral effect to count on.
According to DR, open political endorsements from celebrities are far more common in the United States than in Denmark and Europe. The broadcaster points to 2024, when Taylor Swift publicly backed Democrat Kamala Harris and Elon Musk backed Republican Donald Trump.
Timing during early voting
Sweden’s election authority, Valmyndigheten, lists September 13, 2026, as the date for the elections to the Riksdag and to regional and municipal councils. The authority states that advance voting runs from August 26 to September 13, 2026. Larsson’s post therefore landed in the opening days of the voting period.
DR also lists earlier European examples of celebrities taking political sides. Among them are Danish businessman Lars Seier Christensen, who lent Liberal Alliance 1.5 million kroner for its 2019 general election campaign, as reported by TV2. British rapper Stormzy backed Labour in 2019, actor Michael Caine told BBC in 2016 that he leaned toward leaving the European Union, and French rock star Johnny Hallyday supported Nicolas Sarkozy in 2007.
