by Meghan Breitberg
In 2008 when Zara Larsson was 10-years-old, she won the televised Swedish talent show Talang. Little did she know, but that was just her first step into the world of music for her.
After her run on Talang, she signed to the recording label TEN at just 14-years-old. By the mid-2010’s, she’d put out a variety of songs which included “Lush Life” and “Never Forget You” which charted in Europe. Although the songs charted in the U.S., they didn’t gain as much traction.
Since it was the mid-2010’s, Twitter was the hottest app around with people sharing their commentary on life. With that came people’s opinions of Zara Larsson and her music on something called “stan Twitter.” Many people said her music lacked soul and inspiration; others called her career fake. Stan Twitter put her in what they called the “Khia Asylum” a.k.a. a repertoire of artists who found success at some point yet continued to flop.
Even though Larsson was constantly criticized on Twitter, she continued to make music. By 2022, she’d gotten out of her contract with TEN and bought all her music back from them. Now owning all the rights to her music, she started Sommar House, her own production label.
While Twitter had deemed Larsson a flop, her music was still being used in memes that circulated the internet. However, in 2024, a meme started to circulate on TikTok. It consisted of a picture of a very whimsical dolphin, and the song “Symphony” by Clean Bandit and Zara Larsson playing in the background. People on TikTok would add sarcastic and witty captions on top of the picture, which helped the meme become viral.
Larsson, who was on tour at the time of the meme becoming viral, decided to incorporate it into her show. In a video posted to TikTok from the concert, Larsson used dolphin graphics alongside with her singing the song. She leaned into the meme, and it helped catapult her even further into the spotlight.
In a way, the meme helped her find an aesthetic and style. Now, she dresses very beachy and tropically. Breaking away from her record label has also allowed her to write more personally. By leaning into the meme, it also showed fans that she’s someone who’s very much with the joke.
With this combination, she released an album titled Midnight Sun this past September, and it’s done incredibly well. She was nominated for her first ever Grammy for the Best Dance Pop Recording for the single “Midnight Sun.” Since then, she and PinkPantheress have collaborated on the song “Stateside” and recorded a music video for it, and both were well-received.
Many people might be asking what Larsson’s next move is. She’s set to start her U.S. tour in a couple of weeks and has announced a shake-up in her set list for the U.S. She’s yet to announce any new music, but just know she isn’t done yet.
