Midnight Sun - Zara Larsson - 2025
Favorite Tracks: Midnight Sun, Blue Moon, Eurosummer, Hot & Sexy,
Growing up in the late 2000’s and 2010’s, I was surrounded by pop music icons like Lady Gaga, Britney Spears, Rihanna, Christina Aguilera, Katy Perry… I mean, the list of talent could go on. In hindsight, we really took their greatness for granted, and though there are some new catchy tunes around today, I feel like we still haven’t really left the dark age of pop. If anything, we traded the bland, uninspired mid-late 2010’s sound for a hellscape of 2-minute algorithmic AI slop optimized for generic Spotify playlists. It done went from worse to worser.
But as with all piles of mediocrity, there are always bound to be diamonds in the rough, especially if you put in the effort to scavenge around. Madison Beer is an example that comes to mind; her songs are catchy, standing out from the crowd, and she definitely has the vocal capacity. Zara Larsson is another one that stood out to me. I had been semi-following her for a while, mostly recognizing her from her radio play, back when I was a teenager, with songs like Ain’t My Fault and Lush Life. Back then, I didn’t want anything to do with this “new music” that everyone else couldn’t get enough of, so I originally didn't pay much attention to her, lumping her in with the likes of Daya and Hailee Steinfeld.
A year or so before writing this, I had gotten onto a nostalgia trip and decided to listen to a couple of playlists from that era. I noticed a few familiar voices, particularly Zara Larsson, and connected it back to the then-recent meme of her song Symphony playing over a Lisa Frank background. I remember thinking about how her voice sounded quite nice, regardless of the meme quality, so I began listening to her more recent catalogue. I then heard the song Can’t Tame Her and immediately, I noticed her talent; her powerful vocals seemed to cut through the noise of the other breathy, talk-singing types of songs of this decade. Before I knew it, I was listening to it on repeat and reacquainting myself with her discography. I had begun developing a newfound respect for Zara and her craft.
Eventually, I heard about how she was releasing a new album and using the Y2K aesthetic of the meme as inspiration for it. With my new curiosity, I wanted to see what the hubbub was about, so I gave it a listen. Next thing you know, the song is on the “Earworm” section of my site, front and center for everyone to hear. Without a doubt, Midnight Sun is probably one of the best pop records to come out of this decade. Full stop.
I like to think that the tracks Midnight Sun and Blue Moon are two sides of the same coin. Midnight Sun is the cheery, frolic in the sun vibe, while Blue Moon is the still fun and energetic, but after-hours type of beat. I really like the Y2K-inspired sound of both of them, but the visuals of the Midnight Sun music video truly take the cake. She took that Symphony meme and really dialed into the Lisa Frank aesthetic. I am glad she took the opportunity for the rebrand; it helps differentiate her from the crowd and stands out in a world of whiny singers and millennial gray.
Pretty Ugly changes things up with a more raw, aggressive-type beat that matches the “messiness” mentioned in the outro of Blue Moon. It’s loud, honest, and fun, but it gets even better with the addition of the Girls Trip remix. She dropped this remix album the following spring, introducing a wide array of female musical talents, reimagining the entire Midnight Sun catalogue. These aren't simple verse additions; they are real remixes, harkening back to the days of when a remix was a true “re-mixing” of the song. They are well put together, and showcase the strengths of each featured musical guest.
Following the messy groundwork just laid down, we move into Girl’s Girl and Crush, both of which sort of foil each other. She asks the age-old question, “what happens when a girl’s girl wants the boy?” Across both songs, she illustrates the internal back-and-forth and mental anguish anybody goes through when dealing with a conflict such as this; other similar songs I usually can’t stand, but I found it delightfully illuminating coming from her perspective. Also, the Girl’s Girl remix with Emilia (another new artist I began to like) has a hard electronica sound that I love.
Then, she takes it back to the days when Romanian pop dominated the airwaves with the song Eurosummer. I listen to this and can’t help but think of the likes of INNA ,Vika Jigulina, and Mia Martina. Just good vibes all around. But I think the song that gagged me the most was Hot & Sexy. At first glance, it seems like just another house-inspired song, but the voice saying “beautiful, fly, hot, and sexy” felt strangely familiar to me; I couldn’t pinpoint the voice, but then I discovered that behind it was none other than the original HBIC herself, Tiffany “New York” Pollard. When I tell you I was utterly gagged… chile, the power that that has, the intelligence that that has, the clearance that that has, the access that that has, the influence that that has, the profile that that has, the international implications that that ha-
Slowing down, we reach the sunset of the album. The Ambition acts as a reflection on her career. It’s honest and vulnerable, which speaks greatly to her character in my eyes. Saturn’s Return feels like a cathartic experience, with the remix layering an ethereal, trance-like state into the farthest corners of your mind. Her voice in the chorus gives me a feeling of calm that penetrates deep into my soul, and reminds me to give myself the credit and grace that I deserve. Puss Puss is the final song of the album. In my heart, I feel like Saturn’s Return should’ve been the end, but then an idea emerged. Puss Puss sounds like that trope in sitcoms where the entire story happens, but then it’s revealed that it was either all made up, or just somebody reminiscing on the past. It ends up fitting the vibe as an epilogue of sorts. (Also, apparently “puss” means “kiss” in Swedish. Just thought I’d share that for clarity.)
Midnight Sun is truly something special. I mean, no other musical album inspired an entire series of artworks out of me, so that’s saying something. But you can tell that this album was something that was born out of passion; Zara really evoked a true artistry from this project that is seldom seen from popular musical artists nowadays. Seeing her interviews and overall social media presence also made me respect her sense of ownership in her craft. She’s provocative yet thoughtful, carefree yet grounded. There’s a feeling of maturity that resonates with me; this is her result of deep, internal work and the understanding she has with herself. It’s emotional, but she feels comfortable with herself and embraces the hardship with an optimism that I find admirable. It fills me with hope, and that impact cannot be appreciated enough.
