Cliche as it sounds, authenticity in art goes a long way. I was recently reminded of this by Zara Larsson’s new release. I’d kept up with Zara on occasion, listening to So Good and Poster Girl when they first came out, but not much since then. This time around, the Midnight Sun title caught my attention before it even came out – I was intrigued by what I assumed was a nod to her native Sweden. Fast forward to release week, and I was amazed by how creatively cohesive the project is. Zara has since been open that this is her most personal album to date, and the first one for which she co-writes all the songs. By leaning into what makes her unique and delivering what could be a career-best as a result, this album serves a lesson for all of us (songwriters or not) about the importance of being in tune with oneself.
Drawing from European tradition
The album title most obviously sets the tone for the rest of the project, by referencing the midnight sun (or 11pm sun, latitude-dependent!) that Nordic countries experience in the summertime. Musically, the album embraces the distinctive dance-pop that has marked much of Zara’s career. Swedish artists are known to have produced some of the catchiest hits in U.S. pop music; one need only think of Max Martin and Shellback, who’ve produced for everyone from Britney to NSYNC to Katy Perry to The Weeknd (and Taylor and Ariana and). As far as singers there’s Tove Lo, Icona Pop, and of course Zara, who had major hits all through the 2010’s. This release continues that sound tradition.
Visually, the music videos also seem to draw from tradition. “Midnight Sun” and “Crush” feel reminiscent of 90’s Europop music videos, by employing slightly kitschy aesthetics that feel sharply self-aware. “Midnight Sun” plays with green screen effects and brightly saturated overlays, in a way that makes one think of Ace of Base’s “Beautiful Life” (also Swedish), or Corona’s “Rhythm of the Night.” Meanwhile, the music video for “Crush” incorporates humor and surrealist editing for a final product that feels fresh, if a bit silly. Similar, albeit more exaggerated, examples of Europop over-the-topness that come to mind include Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” and Technotronic’s “Pump Up the Jam” – the latter being one of the first, if not the very first, Eurodance song to make it big (maybe Philomena was onto something). For those entirely new to Eurodance aesthetics, you can also think of the 2023 “Planet of the Bass” meme as a very unserious encapsulation of what made the genre so distinct.
Still, Zara keeps the aesthetics fresh and authentic to her, better appealing to current audiences. She leans into the “girly pop” and “Y2K” aesthetic categories so popular across Pinterest and TikTok, via her outfits and the pops of pink throughout. Some of it feels reminiscent of the dolphin rainbow meme, which super randomly is also unique to her. But what truly sets the album aesthetics apart from all the other Y2K stuff is, one could argue, the elements of nature. The brightly saturated sky, grass, and motifs of butterflies and flowers give the album visuals an edge. What’s great is these also seem to intentionally tap into Nordic culture, where appreciating nature is central to the way of living.
Other ways in which Zara embraces her heritage are tracks 6 and 10 on the album, “Eurosummer” and “Puss Puss.” Having had my first “Eurosummer” this past year (Baltic Sea area), I can tell you it sounds exactly like what they’d play in every Uber we took. Zara draws from sounds across Europe and emulates a genre not entirely from an outsider’s perspective, but as someone who’s familiar with it – or at least more familiar than us Americans. “Puss Puss”, meanwhile, plays on a Swedish expression that translates to “kiss kiss.” She then takes the liberty to make a story out of it (more on this later).
Lyrical authenticity
As far as lyrical vulnerability goes, “The Ambition” and “Saturn’s Return” caught me by surprise. “The Ambition” reflects on Zara’s 10+ years of career and her aspirations to make it big in the U.S. To admit that you haven’t met what you aspire for is vulnerable, but to do so via such specific examples strikes a different chord. Some of the lyrics remind me of Nikki Yanofksy’s 2016 track “To No1.” While not very well-known, the song was deeply personal to me as a 16-year-old, and it was one of my most played songs in 2017 (going platinum in my book). Zara’s “Saturn’s Return” has very similar themes, especially in its bridge, but it also communicates that growing into who you are can take time, and this is okay. Though not everyone wants to be a No. 1 pop singer, we all aspire “to be loved” and to do well, some more stubbornly than others. Zara captures these feelings in a way only she can, drawing from her experience.
This performance of “The Ambition” nearly brought me to tears – not even exaggerating.
Another highlight from this release are the genuinely cute love songs. I feel strongly that we can never have too much of that. “Blue Moon” and “Puss Puss” are sweet expressions of love for one’s chosen person. The specific scenarios sound like Zara’s talking from personal experience, making the lyrics feel all the more authentic. I also like that, looking back to some of Zara’s previous releases, she tends to sing about love in a self-assured way. “Need Someone” and “Poster Girl” were two of my favorite songs back in 2021, mainly for the lyrics that acknowledge her independence. Fast forward to this release, “Puss Puss” is about wanting to keep in touch with her person while each of them do their own thing. The tracks celebrate the meaningful world one can create with their significant other, while still maintaining a degree of individuality.
Presence of cultural frameworks
And on that note of individuality, I can’t help but trace back some of the worldviews subtly present in the lyrics to, again, the cultural influences Zara brings into the record. Nordic countries tend to place great value on autonomy and independence. Separately from that, Zara has been an outspoken feminist in the past and used to have a feminist blog in her teens. My take is that you can see extensions of both of these influences in the way Zara writes about the world – in a way that, again, feels wholly authentic. Even in a song like “Hot & Sexy”, which one would assume has surface-level lyrics, Zara takes the opportunity to comment on women’s safety and how certain things need to change, so women can live more peacefully. In doing so, she provides context and a fresh perspective to a subject that might have otherwise remained underdeveloped, as it sometimes happens with some pop songs.
Other examples of how certain cultural frameworks show up lyrically are “Pretty Ugly” and “Girl’s Girl.” Even though, musically, these weren’t my favorites on the first listen, I’ve grown to see the value in them (see the vision or something). At their core, both songs are about women having the freedom to, if not necessarily do everything they want (“Pretty Ugly”), at least acknowledge and give voice to what they feel (“Girl’s Girl”). Though I didn’t initially see them as such, Zara has spoken about her intentions behind these two tracks in recent interviews. And even if they didn’t have meaning! They’re fun songs in their own right.
On artistic skill
Beyond the lyrical content and creative vision this time around, it is Zara as a performer who takes the Midnight Sun project the extra mile. Her vocal ability has always made her stand out (she won a national singing contest at age 10) and she’s noted that, prior to this album, she used to consider herself a performer before an artist. This release spotlights the performing she’s been perfecting for years, and now brings it together with her artistic sensibilities. And you can see it in her music videos, being more performance-based than previous ones; her live stages, where she’s bringing full choreos; but also the more traditional, stripped down live sessions, where her vocals continue to shine (see again The Ambition).
The biggest takeaway from Midnight Sun is that, when artists lean into who they are and do so skillfully, they can produce some of their best work. And even if it’s not their most commercially successful, that does not take away from their merit. At this point, the album could continue to mostly fly under the radar, only for audiences to re-discover it years from now. Or, enough “right place, right time” moments, and we could be looking at a sleeper hit just waiting to take off. Though popularity in today’s digital landscape can be difficult to predict, one can only hope Midnight Sun will put Zara’s artistry on the map. If listeners choose to engage meaningfully, they can learn a lesson from her artistic trajectory: the more an artist hones their skills and allows themselves to lean into who they are, the more their creative work will have a chance to resonate with audiences.
