"Crush" is a song by Swedish singer and songwriter Zara Larsson from her fifth studio album, Midnight Sun (2025). It was released as the album's third single on 15 August 2025, through Sommer House and Epic Records. The song was produced by Zhone and Margo XS; the latter wrote it along with Larsson, Helena Gao and Uzoechi Emenike. A pop track, "Crush" was sent to US radio station after four days of its official release.
Background and recording Larsson released the single "Crush" as the latest preview of her fifth studio album, Midnight Sun. Recorded at Just for the Record, the track was written with Helena Gao and produced by Margo XS alongside Larsson's longtime collaborator MNEK. "Crush" follows the album's title track, "Midnight Sun", which came with a Charlotte Rutherford-directed Y2K-inspired video.
Released as Larsson continued her North American run with Tate McRae, the single also preceded her upcoming European headline tour and further Australasian dates with OneRepublic. Larsson released the track along with "Hot & Sexy" in 7" vinyl single on 13 February 2026, exclusively through Urban Outfitters.
Composition Lyrically, "Crush" explores the conflict of developing feelings for someone new while already being in a stable relationship. In the percussive pop track, Larsson sings about experiencing a new infatuation that she describes as a "fantasy" interfering with her existing relationship. The lyrics reflect the tension between excitement and the recognition that it could disrupt what she already has, while also acknowledging the emotional impact of the situation. According to Contactmusic.com, the song starts with subdued instrumentation and a "shuffling" beat before developing into a more insistent rhythmic drive, while the lyrics address the singer's conflict between temptation and loyalty.
Commercial performance "Crush" peaked at number 32 in Sweden and number 56 in Norway, while also reaching number 34 on the New Zealand Hot Singles chart. In the United States, the song topped the Dance/Mix Show Airplay chart, reaching number 11 on the Hot Dance/Pop Songs and number 17 on the Pop Airplay.
Personnel Credits were adapted from Tidal.
Zara Larsson – lead vocal, songwriter, associated performer, background vocal Zhone – producer, drums, keyboards, programmer Helena Gao – songwriter Kevin Hickey – songwriter Margo Wildman – songwriter, producer Uzoechi Osisioma Emenike – songwriter Kaelen Russel – engineer Randy Merrill – mastering engineer Tom Norris – mixing engineer Troy Taylor – vocal producer
Charts
Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance Chart (2025) Peakposition New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ) 34
Monthly charts + Monthly chart performance Chart (2025) Peakposition Estonia Airplay (TopHit) 28 Latvia Airplay (TopHit) 15 Lithuania Airplay (TopHit) 18
Year-end charts + 2025 year-end chart performance Chart (2025) Position Latvia Airplay (TopHit) 163
Release history + List of release dates and formats Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Various 15 August 2025 United States 19 August 2025 Contemporary hit radio Epic 13 February 2026 7-inch vinyl
References