So Good (Zara Larsson album)

In a late 2015 interview with Idolator, Larsson had stated that she wanted to work with Swedish producer Max Martin. During an interview with Billboard in 2016, Larsson confirmed that she collaborated with members of Martin's production circle on the project, clarifying that while she did not work with Martin himself, she recorded with his "really good" team. She highlighted her repeated collaborations with MNEK and expressed particular enthusiasm for the Monsters & Strangerz. Larsson also cited contributors such as R. City and Justin Tranter. In Entertainment Weekly, Larsson explained that decisions regarding producers, specific tracks, and even the album title were still unresolved, describing them as "the last thing" she intended to finalise. She admitted that she did not actively seek out well-known producers, saying she was "so bad at that" and cared less about a collaborator's résumé than their personal chemistry, emphasising she prioritised a "nice vibe" over past chart success. In November 2016, she revealed that the album had been finished. ==Release==

After several delays, Larsson released the cover artwork of the album alongside the title via her social media in February 2017. So Good was made available for pre-order that day; marking as the first album to be released internationally. At the same time, the release date of 17 March 2017 was confirmed, and Larsson revealed that Nigerian singer Wizkid would appear as a featured artist on a "dance-friendly" track. ==Composition==

So Good is a pop album, In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Larsson reiterated her broad definition of pop music and described the genre as encompassing artists ranging from the Weeknd and Taylor Swift to Beyoncé and Rihanna. According to her, the album reflects this expansive view, combining "very soulful songs", "electric dance songs", and "pure pop"; alongside darker material influenced by trap. Individual tracks on So Good were noted for drawing on distinct stylistic influences, including a fusion of Swedish pop and Afropop on "Sundown", golden-era R&B pop filtered through modern production in "So Good", and bittersweet dance-pop on the MNEK collaboration "Never Forget You". Artistic direction Larsson suggested that So Good was less about adhering to a fixed style than following her instincts. The record's eclecticism reflects her wide-ranging listening habits, while collaborations, particularly with MNEK, naturally shaped its palette, resulting in material she characterised as "mysterious and a little sexy", while remaining firmly rooted in pop. The diversity of dancers she worked with for the music videos was partly intentional, as she explained that it would be "boring if everybody would look like me onstage" and that representation matters. She was involved in the album's visual direction, though the process was marked by frequent last-minute changes. The album cover photograph was taken from an existing magazine photoshoot, which she selected because she "liked the picture". About the album's title, she stated that she was easy to name it as So Good because for the album was literally "so good". ==Singles==

at Skansen, Stockholm|alt=Larsson in 2015 "Lush Life" was released as the lead single of So Good on 4 June 2015 in Sweden, and on 9 June internationally. Three music videos were released for the song; the first was directed by Måns Nyman, while the second and third were both directed by Mary Clerté. It was an international success, peaking within the top 10 in several countries including the United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, and Spain. On 22 July, "Never Forget You" featuring MNEK was released digitally in the United Kingdom. Its music video, directed by Richard Paris Wilson, was released on 17 September 2015. The song peaked within the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. The single also became both Larsson and MNEK's first US entry, managing to peak at number 13 in May 2016 on the Hot 100. The single was certified 4× Platinum in Sweden and 5× Platinum in the US. On 2 September 2016, "Ain't My Fault" was released as the third single from the album. Its official music video, directed by Emil Nava, was premiered via Larsson's Vevo account on 30 September. It reached the top 20 in Australia, United Kingdom, Finland and Denmark among others, peaking at number one in Sweden. On 11 November, "I Would Like" was released as the fourth single. Larsson performed the song on the thirteenth series of The X Factor UK on 4 December. The song reached the top 10 in several countries, including the United Kingdom and Ireland. On 27 January 2017, the title track, "So Good" featuring Ty Dolla $ign, was released as the fifth single from the album. Larsson co-wrote the song with Charlie Puth, and its music video, directed by Sarah McColgan, premiered on 3 February on Larsson's Vevo channel. The singers performed the song in The Ellen DeGeneres Show on 7 February and in The Wendy Williams Show on 23 March. It reached number seven in Sweden, where it was certified Gold. as well as the second single from their second album, What Is Love? (2018). The music video, directed by Clean Bandit members, Grace Chatto and Jack Patterson, premiered the same day. The song reached the top 10 of countries like Australia, Finland, Germany, and Ireland as well as reached the number one position in Norway, the United Kingdom, Scotland, and Sweden, becoming Larsson's fifth number one in her home country. It also gave Larsson her first number one single in the UK. On 12 May, "Don't Let Me Be Yours", co-written with Ed Sheeran, was released as the sixth single alongside the music video. It reached the top 40 in her home country of Sweden during the week of her album's debut on the chart. On 11 August, "Only You" was released as the seventh and final single from the album; along with remixes from Canadian singer Olivier Dion and German singer Nena commissioned. The song reached number 5 in Sweden. ==Critical reception==

So Good was met with generally positive reviews from music critics upon its release. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional publications, the album received an average score of 76, based on four reviews. The Times offered a more restrained assessment, praising the "dry, clean" production for its "arid beauty" and Larsson's technically assured vocals, though it criticised moments such as the "horrible" cod-Jamaican dancehall track "Sundown" as undermining the album's cohesion. Several critics felt that So Good relied heavily on its strongest singles. The Line of Best Fit writer John Bell observed that So Good had "played its best cards early", and argued that many of its highlights arrived before release and that, at fifteen tracks, the record proved "a little cocksure". While acknowledging Larsson's personality and "fun but hard-headed attitude", the review suggested that the album's pacing weakened its overall impact. Nick Levine of NME awarded the album four stars and described the "big hits you know" as "obviously brilliant", while still finding some of the later ballads comparatively "dull". Neil Z. Young of AllMusic praised Larsson's confident delivery and commercial instincts, describing So Good as "fun and engaging" and citing its polished, R&B-influenced pop songs as among the stronger releases of 2017. He positioned Larsson alongside artists such as Rihanna, Sia, and Tove Lo, noting her "undeniable bounce" and modern pop sensibility. ==Track listing==

Notes • signifies an additional producer. • signifies a co-producer. • "I Would Like" contains a portion of the composition of "Dat Sexy Body", written by Sasha and Anthony Kelly. ==Credits and personnel==

Credits were adapted from liner notes and AllMusic. ;Recording locations • Windmark Recording; Santa Monica, California (1, 4, 8) • RBD Studios; North Hollywood, California (3) • Eccentric Studios; Oslo, Norway (5) • Basecamp Studios; Stockholm, Sweden (6) • Rodeo Recording; Santa Monica, California (10) • Major Toms Studio; London, United Kingdom (11) • Fred's Sheo; London, United Kingdom (12) • TEN Studios; Stockholm, Sweden (14) ;Personnel • James Abrahart – backing vocals • Astma & Rocwell – engineering, production • Chris Athens – mastering • Fred Ball – engineering, instrumentation, production • Andy Barnes – vocal engineering • Stephanie Benedetti – violin • Joakim Berg – guitar • Ajay Bhattacharyya – drum programming, keyboard programming, vocals • Anita Marisa Boriboon – creative direction • James Boyd – viola • Grace Chatto – cello • Clean Bandit – production • Rob Cohen – engineering • Matt Colton – mastering • DannyBoyStyles – production • Björn Engelmann – mastering • Tom Fuller – engineering assistance • Brian "Peoples" Garcia – production • Serban Ghenea – mixing • Jason Gill – engineering, instrumentation, production, programming • Ola Håkansson – executive production • John Hanes – mix engineering • Jerker Hansson – backing vocals • Maria Hazell – backing vocals • John Hill – drum programming, keyboard programming, production, vocals • Garrett Hilliker – art direction, design • Dave Huffman – mastering • Stefan Johnson – engineering • Kid Joki – production • Kirsten Joy – backing vocals • Rob Kinelski – mixing • Zara Larsson – vocals, backing vocals • Chris Laws – drums, engineering • Marcus Lomax – backing vocals • M-Phazes – piano, synthesizer • Steve Mac – keyboards, piano, production • Erik Madrid – mixing • Emerson Mancini – mastering • Maria P. Marulanda – art direction • MNEK – drums, engineer, keyboards, production, vocals • The Monsters & Strangerz – engineering, production • Liam Nolan – string engineering • Jesper Nordenström – grand piano • Jack Patterson – mixing, piano, synthesizer • Luke Patterson – percussion • Phil Paul – production • Beatrice Philips – violin • Dann Pursey – engineering • Charlie Puth – production • Mark Ralph – mixing • Marc Regas – photography • Bart Schoudel – vocal engineering, vocal production • Ed Sheeran – backing vocals, guitar • Shuko – mixing, production • Drew Smith – engineering assistance • Linnea Sodahl – backing vocals • Mike Spencer – additional production, mixing, programming • Phil Tan – mixing • Tross – bass, backing vocals, engineering, keyboards, percussion, piano, production, programming, vocal engineering, vocal production • Ty Dolla $ign – vocals • Wizkid – vocals • Bill Zimmerman – engineering • Marcus Sepehrmanesh – A&R • Henrik Larsson – A&R ==Charts==

Weekly charts Year-end charts ==Certifications==