Zara Larsson's heel breaks mid-performance on Today, pop star dances 'extra hard' through final song
The Grammy-nominated artist didn’t miss a beat despite missing a chunk of her shimmering shoe.
Zara Larsson’s heel breaks mid-performance on Today, pop star dances ‘extra hard’ through final song
The Grammy-nominated artist didn't miss a beat despite missing a chunk of her shimmering shoe.
By Marina Watts
Marina Watts
Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and Newsweek.
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May 8, 2026 1:23 p.m. ET
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Zara Larsson breaks her heel while performing on 'Today'. Credit:
Debra L Rothenberg/Getty; NBC
- Zara Larsson's heel broke during her *Today *performance.
- Larsson didn't miss a beat, twirling, jumping, and strutting like a pro for the first show in *Today*'s 2026 Summer Concert Series.
- The pop star promised that she would dance "extra hard" through her set's final song.
Zara Larsson danced her heart out — and her heel off! — in a surprise moment during her latest performance.
After the Swedish pop star kicked off *Today*'s 2026 Summer Concert Series on Friday, a chunk of one of her shimmering shoes broke off while she was singing. Despite the wardrobe malfunction, the show did go on, and she made it through her set without missing a beat.
After singing the tracks "Midnight Sun," "Pretty Ugly, "and "Stateside," Larsson treated fans to her 2015 hit "Lush Life." She typically invites a member of the audience to join her on stage for that song, and this time she pulled up *Today*'s Sheinelle Jones, asking the morning show cohost if she'd been practicing the viral dance that accompanies "Lush Life."
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"We gotta dance extra hard because I lost my heel!" Larsson revealed to the audience halfway through the performance, showing off her broken silver shoe. She then delivered on that promise, twirling, jumping, and skipping — all while keeping her balance — like a pro for the entire song.
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Zara Larsson performs on 'Today,' kicking off its 2026 Summer Concert Series.
Debra L Rothenberg/Getty
During her appearance on the morning show's third hour, she spoke about how her perspective on fame and success has changed. "I think when I was younger, like 10 years ago, I wanted everything to happen very quickly for me," she said, "and whenever something did happen, I just wanted the next thing, and the next thing, and the next thing."
She continued, "Now, as I'm older, I really practice to be present and to be in the moment … and I feel really grateful and happy for everything that's happening."
Larsson added that these days she feels like she can "soak it all in, in a different way" than she did at the start of her career.
Zara Larsson on growing up, the perfection of pop music, and new album 'Poster Girl'
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Zara Larsson and Katy Perry react to Justin Bieber's controversial Coachella set: 'What the f---?'
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Larsson released her latest album, *Midnight Sun, *in September 2025, with its title track earning her a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Pop Recording. Its new remix companion album, *Midnight Sun: Girls Trip, *featuring an all-female lineup of collaborators, dropped May 1.**
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Zara Larsson performs in the 2026 Summer Concert Series on 'Today'.
Debra L Rothenberg/Getty
In an interview in December, she said *Midnight Sun* helped her showcase how far she'd come since she entered the music industry as a teenager.
"When I first started releasing music, I never wrote anything," Larsson told *The Hollywood Reporter*. "I started when I was 14, so I just knew I wanted to sing. As I was doing that, I discovered that it's very important to be part of the process, and I don't want to be just a performer. I want to be an artist."
*Midnight Sun *was "the first project that I have been 100 percent a part of and created," she said, adding, "It represents me so well."
Source: “AOL Music”