Zara Larsson, O2 Academy, Birmingham - review

With her entourage of backing dancers and a full band, the Swedish star brought the O2 Academy to life, bursting on the scene with unstoppable fierce energy.

If her young fans weren’t feeling her ‘good vibes’ before she strolled on to the stage, the 75-minute set certainly left revellers in high spirits.

Unsurprisingly, the singer was met with roars of applause as she opened with well-known hit Never Forget You before rolling straight into dancehall tune Sundown.

With her infectious smile, coupled with perfectly-polished dance moves and blazing stage lighting, Larsson set the mood for night ahead.

Speaking to her waves of fans for the first time on Wednesday night, the pop star said: “I’m so happy to be here, thank you so much for coming.

“I just want this to be the best show ever. I want us all in here to have a really, really good time, and just dance as hard as we like.

“Don’t be shy. Because no one in here is going to judge you.”

Familiar pop bangers Girls Like and This One’s For You quickly followed before the 19-year-old star got excitable fans bopping along to Don’t Let Me Be Yours, co-written by Ed Sheeran.

Candidly speaking during one of her humble moments connecting with her crowd, Larsson said: “Don’t let anyone just bring you down.

“You are not, not beautiful. Does that make sense? It really, really is that way and I want you all to know. So whatever they say, don’t listen to them.”

Despite a momentarily lapse where she seemed to miss her cue, Larsson managed to flaunt her powerhouse vocals with crowd-pleasers Symphony and Lush Life, also slowing it down for track Uncover.

But it seemed the singer didn’t want booms of cheers to linger for too long, swiftly moving from one song to the next before fans barely had a moment to appreciate her performances.

Maybe it’s Larsson’s modesty which makes her appear so grounded despite early beginnings in the public eye - finding fame on Sweden’s answer to Britain’s Got Talent aged 10 hasn’t sent her into an early pit of doom.

But as she popped her hips, flicked her hands and ran circles around the stage at the end of her set, the pop princess proved she is still young at heart with a string of edgy tunes ahead of her.