“I get to be associated with dolphins. That’s sick,” Swedish pop star jokes on our Friday morning Zoom call.
Last year, a confounding internet meme sent the 27-year-old singer-songwriter on a crazy journey after her 2017 collaboration with Clean Bandit, “Symphony,” experienced a major renaissance thanks to a viral TikTok trend where her vocals were synced to Lisa Frank-style glittered dolphins that pop into frame, cheerful as ever, while users share dark secrets and sad thoughts.
Cut to this September, and Larsson’s fifth studio album, Midnight Sun, has fully leaned into those bright colors and glittering aesthetic. The pop star says the viral meme wasn’t on her mood board for the album, but it likely pushed her, subconsciously, towards the most authentic version of herself. After holding onto the belief that she had to be a certain type of artist in order to be taken seriously, she’s finally able to embrace the glitter and glam that feel natural for her.
Embracing the bit has worked out for Larsson, who earned her first Grammy nomination this year for Midnight Sun’s titular single in the best pop dance recording category. It also doesn’t hurt that both the album and the song are incredibly catchy. Midnight Sun also afforded Larsson, who’s been releasing music since she was a child, the opportunity to showcase how much she’s developed as an artist over the years.
“When I first started releasing music, I never wrote anything. I started when I was 14, so I just knew I wanted to sing,” Larsson says. “As I was doing that, I discovered that it’s very important to be part of the process, and I don’t want to be just a performer. I want to be an artist.”
That’s exactly what the pop star did, as she’s credited as a writer on all of its 10 tracks, alongside a small group of collaborators. “I feel like I really stepped into that on Midnight Sun,” she says.
“It was meant to be Midnight Sun because this is me, it’s what feels like me,” Larsson continues. “This is the first project that I have been 100 percent a part of and created, and the song is my favorite song that I’ve ever done. It represents me so well.”
A native of Sweden, Larsson admits that a song called “Midnight Sun” is something she’s long tried to make happen throughout her career. The singer, who rose to fame in her home country after winning their version of Got Talent at just 10 years old, says the more time she’s spent away from her home, the more she appreciates it.
“The summers are so special in Sweden. They’re so bright, and growing up there, it just is what it is. You don’t take it for granted because the winters are so fucking dark. [But] when the summer comes around, everyone just comes alive,” she says, adding that she just wanted to write about the things that make her happy.
Larsson’s song, with its slick production and smart lyrics, transports listeners to the lush setting she describes. It has all the makings of a summer anthem — despite its September release. Larrson says she presented the idea of calling a song “Midnight Sun” for “the fifth time” during a session before it finally clicked. “This song just wrote itself. It was so crazy,” she says.
“It’s painting a picture for me, so it took a couple of hours to write. Boom. All of a sudden it was just there, and that’s how I felt creating this whole album,” Larsson adds. “I know this is a TikTok trend, but we were truly in flow state.”
The recognition from her peers is a point of pride, but it seems like Larsson’s biggest achievement is the song itself. “It’s so incredible to have written something and then go home and feel this is exactly what I want to make,” she says.
Larsson adds, “It brings me back to my Swedish childhood. It feels personal, even though it’s a big pop song. [‘Midnight Sun’] is a real thing that I get to experience every summer. That’s my baby. [It] also really made me feel like an artist.”
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