"Ruin My Life" is a song by Swedish singer

Zara Larsson Zara Maria Larsson (, ; born 16 December 1997) is a Swedish pop singer. In 2008, at the age of 10, she won the second season of the talent show '' Talang'', the Swedish version of the ''Got Talent'' format. Since then she has received recogni ...

, released as a single on 18 October 2018. Initially released as a standalone single, the song was later included on Larsson's third studio album, '' Poster Girl''. The single reached number two in Sweden, number five in Ireland, and number nine in the United Kingdom and Israel. It is

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Gold or higher in ten countries.

Composition

"Ruin My Life" is a

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

song, that has a

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track backed by an electric guitar and

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backed by

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. ''

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'' described the song as "Larsson at her dreamiest with pensive piano breakdowns and cinematic sing-a-long choruses that roll into stadium-sized emotional crescendo after emotional crescendo. Larsson unearths a darker side of herself lyrically, diving into the dynamics of a toxic relationship. With a self-annihilating fatalism, Larsson's refrain of 'I want you to ruin my life/ruin my life/ruin my life' may seem naively reckless but, as the singer explains, taps into a more universal sentiment."

Promotion

Larsson announced the release of the song on

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in September 2018, also sharing the cover art. Larsson later appeared on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

to talk about the song with

Greg James Gregory James Alan Milward (born 17 December 1985) is an English radio and television presenter, comedian and author. He is the host of BBC Radio 1's breakfast show, co-presenter on the cricket podcast '' Tailenders'' alongside Felix White and ...

Critical reception

Natasha Azarmi of ''

Aftonbladet ''Aftonbladet'' (, lit. "The evening paper") is a Swedish daily newspaper published in Stockholm, Sweden. It is one of the largest daily newspapers in the Nordic countries. History and profile The newspaper was founded by Lars Johan H ...

'' called the song a mix between the two moods of Larsson's previous album '' So Good'', in that it is "quiet in the verses" and then picks up the pace for the chorus. Despite complimenting Larsson's "strong" voice and noting the song's "distinct beats" and "dreamy" sound, Azarmi said that the track "lacks enough sorrow and desperation" to be effective, and said that she hopes Larsson will show more "vulnerability" on her upcoming album.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

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Release history

References

{{Authority control 2018 singles 2018 songs Zara Larsson songs Song recordings produced by the Monsters & Strangerz Songs written by Stefan Johnson Songs written by Jordan Johnson (songwriter) Songs written by Sermstyle Songs written by Zara Larsson Songs written by Michael Pollack (musician)