Swedish singer Zara Larsson is the latest pop star to cause a stir for wearing a clothing item that borrows from metal imagery. Except this time the controversy isn't merely that a supposed non-metalhead rocked a metal shirt, it's that Larsson wore a dress that featured pieces of Burzum's Filosofem album art.
The bizarre dress also sported the logos of death-metal bands Cannibal Corpse and Behemoth, but the Burzum nod is what landed Larsson under fire. Arguably the most controversial metal band of all time, the now-defunct black-metal project was helmed by Norwegian musician Varg Vikernes, who served time for murdering Mayhem guitarist Euronymous in 1993, and is suspected of lighting various churches on fire in the early Nineties. Beyond his violent crimes, Vikernes is equally notorious for his extreme right-wing political views, including his open embrace of white supremacy and antisemitic beliefs.
Metalheads know that rocking Burzum merchandise or signaling any sympathetic views toward Vikernes will likely be met with backlash, so it was especially strange to see a popstar like Larsson — who has no known ties to the metal community — flashing a smile with her Burzum-emblazened outfit in a January 27th TikTok video.
As Blabbermouth reports, Larsson was sporting the dress at the P3 Guld event, which is an annual awards show put on by Swedish radio. In a comment provided to Sweden's Aftonbladet after she began catching flack online, Larsson proclaimed that she was unaware of her outfit's controversial associations, and was sporting that design simply because the images looked cool.
"Oopsie, had no idea. I just thought my clothes looked cool," the 25-year-old said. "It was unfortunate ... "To clarify, I wasn't wearing their merchandise, I was wearing Raf Simons (with a print of them, I suppose)," she added, referencing the Belgian fashion designer who allegedly designed the controversial dress in question.
Below, see Larsson's TikTok video showing off the Burzum dress.
@zaralarsson Dress on short short #canttameher Can't Tame Her - Zara Larsson
