He recalls that the foundation for his career as a pop star was laid when he saw Michael Jackson at Ullevi in Gothenburg as a ten-year-old.
It feels incredible to play where I saw my first concert with my idol, says Darin.
In 2004, he broke through as a 17-year-old in "Idol" and then more or less grew up in the spotlight. His music has topped sales charts in both Sweden and abroad. Now Darin promises a big party in Gothenburg that goes through several of his different periods as an artist.
Now that I think about it, it feels incredibly cool to see the whole picture, it's not often I do that. At the same time, I try not to take anything for granted, says Darin.
"Took a big risk"
The concert at Ullevi will offer a lot of dance, guests, and obvious hits, but also lesser-known songs that have meant a lot to fans who have been there since day one.
Darin's career has many milestones, from the "Idol" era to collaborations with Red One, participation in "Så mycket bättre" and international launches in Asia, Latin America, and Europe.
Darin recalls that 2015 was an important year, when he started his own record label and wrote all his songs in Swedish.
I took a very big risk and put everything I had into it, and I could have lost everything, says Darin. It turned out to be worth the risk. The album "Fjärilar i magen" with the single "Ta mig tillbaka" topped the Swedish charts the following year.
After the successes of recent years in both Italy and Brazil, Darin has decided to focus on Sweden. At least for the time being.
Manifests the summer
It was a lot of fun, but after a few years, I felt like now I'm here, and it's more fun to write in Swedish. And to be honest, I was tired of running around so much.
The upcoming album "Sommarland" was created during a particularly dark February when Darin longed for summer in Palma and the west coast of Ireland.
The album, and the newly released single with the same title, refers a lot to Stockholm. A kind of manifestation of what Darin wishes for the summer: a mix of new and old memories and the feeling of strolling around in Stockholm or in the countryside and enjoying the small things.
Like buying a fruit and sitting by the water for a whole day.
It's nice to go from a fairly deep album like the last one was, with "Starkare" and all the songs that deal with a tough time, to this time when it feels like I'm in a good place, says Darin.
Full name: Darin Zanyar
Born: 1987 in Botkyrka, Stockholm
Occupation: Singer, songwriter, producer.
Awards (selection): Several Rockbjörn awards, including male artist of the year. Several Grammis awards, including song of the year for "Ta mig tillbaka". Awards at the QX Gay Gala, for example song of the year and artist of the year. HBTQ person of the year 2021.
Discography (selection): "The anthem" (2005), "Darin" (2005), "Break the news" (2006), "Flashback" (2008), "Lovekiller" (2010), "Exit" (2013), "Fjärilar i magen" (2015), "Tvillingen" (2017), "En annan jag" (2023).
Currently with: Celebrates 20 years as an artist with a concert at Ullevi on July 19. Also releases his new album "Sommarland" on August 22.
