'Bongga' Zara Larsson brings summer heat to Manila, eyes stadium for next return

MANILA, Philippines — Halfway through the -ber months but as Zara Larsson said, summer isn't over yet.

The Swedish pop star returned to the Philippines for her first solo concert, bringing her “Midnight Sun” tour to the Araneta Coliseum last October 30.

Dubbed the "Queen of Summer," Larsson danced to local classic "Bongga Ka Day!" backstage before facing her fans, exciting everyone ahead of the show.

She then let the Filipino crowd experience a never-ending midnight sun as she performed the tour's titular song.

Beyond the music and performances, Larsson also shared her ambitions and expressed hopes of returning to the Philippines for a stadium show.

"My ambition is the reason why I'm here today in Manila, on a sold-out show. But the ambition is a blessing and a curse 'cause you always want more," she told the audience. "Next time when I come back, I want to be in a stadium. I have a lot of ambition and you should too 'cause you can do anything."

The singer also took a moment to reflect on how far she had come in her music career before performing "Saturn's Return," which she described as one of her favorite songs she has ever written.

"I've been doing this for a very long time. I released my first song when I was 15 and now I'm 28, and this right here, this is my dream," Larsson shared. "You guys are making my dream come true. So thank you so, so much."

The Filipino crowd also finally got to experience "Lush Life" as Larsson invited a fan named Louise onstage to dance and perform the song's iconic choreography.

Louise then revealed that they had taught the singer the word "bakla," the Tagalog word for "gay," during her South Korea stop in early October. They also asked the pop star to write the word on a custom T-shirt.

"I love that. I love bakla... I will be nothing without my baklas," Larsson — a vocal ally of the queer community — exclaimed, drawing loud screams from the crowd.

The interaction did not end there, as the singer offered Louise a chance to drink from her personal tumbler, making the fan experience even more memorable.

Larsson also treated attendees to a mix of nostalgic hits and newer collaborations. Among the songs on the setlist were "I Would Like," "Ain't My Fault," "Ruin My Life," and "Symphony," as well as "She Did It Again" and "Stateside."

The artist closed the show with another performance of "Midnight Sun," with fans joining the "dolphin lift" trend — one of her concert traditions in which attendees lift one another into the air, recreating the song's choreography.

The singer first performed in the country at the "In the Mix" music festival in 2017 at the Mall of Asia Arena, alongside other international artists including Dua Lipa and 5 Seconds of Summer.

The "Midnight Sun" tour marks the singer's fifth concert tour, which kicked off in Germany a year ago. The pop star will next head to Thailand for the final stop of the tour's Asia leg.

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