Netflix’s coming-of-age drama ‘A Part of You‘ delves into the strength of sisterhood through the eyes of Agnes and her older sister Julia, whom the former is envious of because of her popularity. The two strike a chord in their intimate and heartfelt exploration of sibling connection and its importance in constructing a stable and supportive familial structure. Felicia Maxime and Zara Larsson bring untouched humanity and rawness to their performances as Agnes and Julia, capturing the essence of unbridled adolescence and its overwhelming emotions. But outside their thespian roots in the Swedish film, the two also share moments of vocal brilliance as they repeatedly break out into songs in the middle of bustling parties. These scenes convince the viewers that there’s more to know about their singing talent than what the movie depicts!
Zara Larsson is a Swedish Singer and Songwriter
While Felicia Maxime and Zara Larsson have moments to shine on stage in the film, the former does not boast a repertoire of singing abilities or aspirations in the field other than for the demands of a role. On the other hand, Larsson is an established singer and songwriter in real life. Her character, Julia, has only a few scenes of vocal liberation in ‘A Part of You.’ Still, her unrestricted panache for the microphone is seeded from a successful career in the music field over the years. Internationally recognized for her catchy pop songs and striking voice, Larsson has been a dynamic presence in the music industry, attracting massive attention for her work.
Larsson began her music career after winning the 2008 season of ‘Talang,’ a Swedish version of the ‘Got Talent’ franchise. Just ten at the time, she persevered and pushed for her voice to be heard. After appearing on a reality show to amass further fame and success, she was disappointed when she did not get a contract with any of the three big label companies – Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group. She attributed the lack of offers to her age at the time. Her eventual breakthrough happened in 2013 through her debut extended play, ‘Introducing,’ with which she finally succeeded by topping the Scandinavian charts.
After Larsson was established as a global pop star, she received many offers to appear before the cameras. However, she declined them simply because it wasn’t part of her active pursuit, or the roles she got were too close to her pop star image in public. She wanted to get far away from that, as she said to Hits Radio. “Yeah, I’ve always had it in the back of my mind, and I haven’t really actively pursued it. I’ve had some questions, some people contact me and are like, ‘We’d love to have you in this series or this movie,’ but it’s always like, ‘You’re playing a pop star,’ and that’s something I don’t want to do. I want to get kind of far from that, something completely different, or something that hasn’t had anything to do with my profession or my day-to-day life,” the singer said.
Larsson also talked about her decision to star in ‘A Part of You’ and how playing someone like Julia, who is far removed from who she is on an ordinary basis, offered a unique opportunity for her to dip her feet into acting after all these years. “It’s a really beautiful story; it’s quite dark and sad, but it’s also very hopeful and beautiful, and it’s just about life,” she added. “It sounds terrible, but it’s beautiful and I’m so happy with my castmates, and I think it’s going to be really nice. I feel if there were like an acting debut, this is a really good group of people to do it with,” the singer said in the same Hits Radio interview.
Music is an integral part of the Swedish drama film’s coming-of-age narrative. It encapsulates the themes of loss, love, hurt, pain, and growing up, all strung through the soundtrack and the vocals the two sisters deliver at the heart of the story. While Felicia Maxime doesn’t hold the kind of music credentials as Larsson, she still embodies the free-spirit nature of Agnes’ haphazard singing in various scenes throughout the film. Even though Felicia is not a professional singer, she has left a mark on the industry by directing music videos for songs by artists such as Estraden, Ana Diaz, Jireel, and Oscar Zia.
Larsson has attained massive prominence within the music industry, but in ‘A Part of You,’ she showcases her talent and versatility by portraying Julia. Along with her impressive discography containing albums like ‘Poster Girl,’ ‘So Good,’ ‘One,’ and numerous extended plays, it’s another notch on her belt of achievements. Larsson and Felicia offer a brilliant take on a heart-rending story about grief, tragedy, and the unintended consequences of our choices. Still, only one of them has the musical ability portrayed in the film – the Swedish pop star.
Read more: Do Agnes and Noel End Up Together in A Part of You?
