Put me on aux

A video of a bride dancing on her wedding day to “Midnight Sun” by Zara Larsson landed on my TikTok For You Page the other day. She was hitting every beat of the dance choreography for the popular song with her bridesmaids. 

One of the biggest and most joyous days in one’s life, and this bride chose to remember her special day dancing with her girls to “Midnight Sun.” That video illuminates the power Zara Larsson has recently accumulated. Not just an artist people stream, but one that people want to move to. 

“Midnight Sun” debuted in the top ten in multiple countries, and the title track alone has surpassed hundreds of millions of streams globally. On TikTok, videos set to her songs have accumulated billions of views, with fans recreating her choreography in gyms, homes and wedding receptions.

Zara Larsson is not a new name. The Swedish singer has been in pop music since her breakout, racking up hits like “Lush Life,” “Never Forget You” and “Symphony.” She was always talented, always present. But there is something different happening now with “Midnight Sun,” her fifth studio album released in September 2025. The cultural moment surrounding it is less like a comeback and more like an arrival.

The album is dance-pop, the kind that makes people want to sing along and move, inspired by the endless light of Swedish summers. It also carries the DNA of her 2010s hits. That nostalgia had been building before the record dropped; in 2024, a dolphin meme set to “Symphony” went viral, and Larsson did not shy away from it. She embraced it.  

That energy carried into her aesthetic too — eccentric, vibrant, unapologetically maximalist. She has a bright look that can be spotted miles away. Her signature colorful charm belts may seem like a small detail until you notice how many fans have started wearing them or making their own. That is the mark of an artist who has built not just a sound but a world, one people genuinely want to be a part of. 

The sense of belonging doesn’t stop at the screen. Larsson has been pulling fans on stage to dance with her during her Midnight Sun Tour, and the footage of these moments has spread all over social media. 

She chooses random people to come up, showing no signs of bias. Her inclusion of members of the audience has even allowed many of them to find their own moment of fame, gaining millions of views and some even being interviewed about their magical experience for news shows like ABC.

She shares an inside look at her world, thanking the people who made it possible for her to be where she is while celebrating with them. An artist who does not just perform at an audience but invites them into the show itself, turns a concert into a shared experience, and it speaks to why her fan base feels so connected to her right now. 

Beyond sharing her platform with her fans, she also shares her sparkling moments with her dancers on stage. Every performance she invites her backup dancers to have their own introduction moments, letting them be more than just the background. They have a small dance while a song with lyrics about themselves plays. She is known to be a “girl’s girl,” someone who supports and uplifts other women. And that spirit is visible in everything she does.

What is perhaps the most inspiring is the variety of people she connects with. Her music isn’t unique to one demographic. Kids are into it. Young adults are into it. Brides are dancing to it at their weddings. There is an energy Larsson brings, the joy and the physicality that transcends the limitation of certain ages. 

She is an inspiration that you can choose to not be written off after a few hit-songs. A lesson that when the moment comes, you don’t let it pass. You turn it into something new. Larsson caught the wave of motion from a silly dolphin-meme that many people would have dismissed and rode it to unseen heights. Proof that it is never too late to become the star you’ve always dreamed of.   

But saturation has a cost. Her music has reached every corner of the world. Locally, I hear it in the stores, on the social media apps, in advertisements and from my friends. I’ve got to be real. I think it is overplayed. 

While I did enjoy the song the first few times I heard it, and the videos of her fans dancing are sweet, Larsson’s “Midnight Sun” has begun to annoy me. It is catchy in a similar way to when your siblings sing the same verse over and over. I never seem to be able to get it out of my head. However, that is the power of a truly infectious song. 

The song being overplayed is in itself proof of something clicking with people. In this day and age it is very hard to create something that is trending longer than a minute. And Larsson produced something beyond a trend. She has started her own era. And one that others can be a part of.

That bride on my For You Page was not just picking a wedding song. She was choosing a feeling — joy, movement, a dance to bond with her friends for her special moment. A moment she will cherish for the rest of her life. That is what Zara Larsson has given people with this era. It is not something you can manufacture. A feeling, a community and a genuine culture. That is what separates a pop star from a cultural moment.

Siobhan believes everyone deserves their own dolphin-meme moment in life.