Okay, so maybe it is over. Maybe fall is already starting to feel like winter. That’s not the point. The point is we can always channel summer, and what summer truly feels like, when we not only listen to, but embrace Zara Larsson’s newest album “Midnight Sun”. Bright colors, upbeat music, catchy dances, this album is fun and the perfect listen for a good moodlifting feel. You may have already heard the title track single over the summer as it went massively viral (and well deserved), however, Zara isn’t new to this game. She first started gaining traction back in 2017, with her popular hits like “Lush Life”, “Never Forget You” and recently “Symphony”. She is not new to the music industry and being successful in it, and this new album has only boosted her career and further highlighted her talent. To me, she is one of the most talented vocalists in the industry at the moment, and was a marketing genius tapping into the y2k aesthetic for this album and her music. I feel like nostalgia is a recurring and powerful theme in trends and media at the moment, which helped fans attract towards her music as she’s not just creating nostalgia to the 2000’s, but also just summer.
When listening to this album, I immediately just want to sing out loud and dance. Other songs like “Blue Moon”, “Puss Puss” and “Hot & Sexy” just bring fun vibes all around to the album. One thing I love about this album is that all the songs are cohesive. They aren’t too different from each other, staying true to the aesthetic and theme of the album, yet all have their own unique individuality. The album to me is fully immersive. There will always be a vibe when playing this album. Not only a vibe, but good vocals. As aforementioned, Zara is one of the best vocalists at the moment in my opinion, and she doesn’t hide it on this album. On the title track, Midnight Sun, she belts during the chorus that is nearly impossible to reenact, nor understand how someone can hold such a hard note for so long. Although she has been successful before, she hasn’t really been mainstream. However, since opening recently for Tate McRae’s “Miss Possessive” Tour North American Leg, and following the viral sensation of Midnight Sun, she has now earned mainstream status and it’s showing. Not only did she reach Sweden’s number 1 most listened to artist at the time of her album release, but she also announced a World Tour in which multiple locations had to get added dates due to high demand. One of which being New York City where I am so excited to be seeing her in the spring. Other than her amazing talent and album, Zara brings back the fun, uplifting feeling in music that often goes brushed over in today’s music. Music tends to lack individuality. Today, we see a rapid uprise in musicians building or starting their careers off of platforms like TikTok and not based on raw emotions or actual talent, and rather what is trending at the time. Although I give credit to the artists who stay true to making their own individual music, I feel that it lacks in current music. However, Zara made her comeback fun and out there, and made a missed style and aesthetic her own and made it fit for her. And I love that! I love that although she’s taking a not original concept, reminiscing off of 2000esq music, she turns it into her own style where fans can feel nostalgia with the album rollout, aesthetic, and musical vibe, but also associate her music with her and her style, rather than the constant comparison game that can ultimately downplay an artist’s talent when they familiarize their music with other artists too much. Similarly, another artist PinkPantheress does this just as well, which is perfect because Zara recently featured on PinkPantheress’ “Fancy Some More?”, which I also feel is Pink’s best work and was the perfect collaboration. Both of their vibes throw the audience back to an older but memorable style of music that is different, unique, and fits their current persona’s. When I listen to Midnight Sun, I’m thrown back. Not only to the intended era of music that is the 2000’s, but simply to summer. During summer, times feel so light, the sun shines so bright, and the vibes are just right- even without a rhyme, these are all synonymous to the feeling you get and flashback to when listening to Midnight Sun. I never thought that in 2025, I would be such a big fan girl of the Lush Life singer. But here I am, and I hope that how strongly I feel about this album and this era of her music interests you into checking her out!