Lush Life

Album: So Good (2015)
Charted: 3 40
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Zara Larsson sings here about breaking up with her former boyfriend in order to enjoy being single. She feels much better off without the cuffs of being in a relationship and is now loving the "lush life."
  • Larsson debuted the tune during a concert at the Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm, on May 8, 2015. The song topped the charts in Sweden for five weeks, becoming Larsson's second #1 single in her home country. It also reached the Top 5 in numerous other European territories.
  • The song was written by a sextet of Swedish songwriters and producers: Emanuel Abrahamsson, Linnea Södahl, Iman Hultén, Markus Sepehrmanesh, Christoph Bauss and Fridolin Walcher. It came together at a writing camp in Stockholm. Larsson explained to Genius:

    "A writing camp works like this: A lot of people - producers, writers, top liners—they come in. Let's say 25 people, 30 people. We have a studio complex in Stockholm, so we've got a lot of studios. We just put a little group in every room. That's the way we do it.

    By the end of the week, we all play the songs for each other. 'Lush Life' was really the only song that stood out that I was like, 'Whoa. What is this?' It just had a really nice vibe to it, and I love it so much. We were approaching summer, and it's a very good summer song."
  • A clubbier reworking of the track featuring British rapper Tinie Tempah was released on February 26, 2016.
  • Cosmetics company Clinique used acoustic, dance, country, and pop versions of the track to promote four new makeup lines.
  • The song is about having fun and living a lavish life. Larsson explained: "It has a really nice message: live my day as if it was the last. Basically, just do everything you want to do with no past. Have no regrets. Live in the moment and try to enjoy it as much as possible. When I perform, it's really what I'm doing on stage. I enjoy it so much. It's my favorite place in the whole world."
  • "Lush Life" went viral on TikTok during Larsson's 2025 Midnight Sun Tour. The resurgence stemmed from a specific concert moment during her tour stop in Amsterdam on November 12, 2025. As part of the show's interactive segment, Larsson invited 16-year-old fan Julia Sophie Coster onstage to perform "Lush Life" alongside her. Coster nailed every beat of the "Lush Life" choreography, matching Larsson's backup dancers' step-for-step. An audience member, @samanthafeeke, caught the whole moment on video and posted it to TikTok, where it exploded.

    Within days, "Lush Life" had become homework. Fans across Europe started learning the choreography before attending shows, hopeful they might be the next lucky person called onstage. Every tour stop turned into a kind of unofficial audition, with Larsson gamely continuing the ritual. Concertgoers were now arriving fully prepared, warmed up, and possibly stretching in the queue like they were about to take the floor at the Olympics.

    Meanwhile, Julia Sophie Coster became a social media phenomenon. Her TikTok dance tutorial explaining the "Lush Life" routine racked up millions of views, spawning a tidal wave of imitators.

Comments: 2

  • St*r from EnglandM from LA's comment could be interpreted as them saying that Songfacts have described the song badly, but (to avoid any confusion), Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life" is a very different song in everything but title. Zara Larsson's song definitely isn't a jazz standard, and is a lot more recent.
  • M from Los AngelesLush Life was written between 1933 and 1936 by Billy Strayhorn and released in 1948; and it is a jazz standard. It is not about fun and a lavish life. Rather, it is about the the loss of a love and the downward spiral into alcohol and the dive bar scene.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Gary Brooker of Procol Harum

Gary Brooker of Procol HarumSongwriter Interviews

The lead singer and pianist for Procol Harum, Gary talks about finding the musical ideas to match the words.

Don Felder

Don FelderSongwriter Interviews

Don breaks down "Hotel California" and other songs he wrote as a member of the Eagles. Now we know where the "warm smell of colitas" came from.

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)

Donnie Iris (Ah! Leah!, The Rapper)Songwriter Interviews

Before "Rap" was a form of music, it was something guys did to pick up girls in nightclubs. Donnie talks about "The Rapper" and reveals the identity of Leah.

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.