Gary Grimes Analyzes Zara Larsson's Midnight Sun Visual World and Its Roots in Meme Culture
In a culture piece for It's Nice That, Gary Grimes explores the visual aesthetic of Zara Larsson's fourth album, Midnight Sun, which draws inspiration from niche memes and early 2000s tech optimism. With nearly 30 festival performances, Larsson dominated the summer of 2026, gaining significant online traction, particularly from a viral TikTok meme by @heiratet that featured dolphin illustrations alongside her 2018 track Symphony. This meme not only increased the streaming of Symphony but also influenced the visuals for Midnight Sun. Directed by Charlotte Rutherford, the music video showcases Larsson in a shimmering ocean with animated features. An alternative CD cover by Lisa Frank presents an underwater fantasy. The Crush music video incorporates Sims-like graphics, while a collaboration with Winx Club transforms Larsson into a cartoon fairy. Grimes emphasizes that Larsson's nostalgic visuals resonate with tech-savvy youth.
Key facts
- Zara Larsson appeared at nearly 30 festivals worldwide in summer 2026.
- A dolphin meme started by TikTok user @heiratet featured childlike drawings, rainbows, and captions like 'I am mentally unstable,' soundtracked by Symphony.
- The meme boosted streams of Larsson's 2018 Clean Bandit collaboration Symphony and informed the visual direction of her album Midnight Sun.
- Charlotte Rutherford directed the Midnight Sun music video, which includes hyperreal skies, animated butterflies, hearts, and dolphins.
- Lisa Frank designed an alternate limited-edition CD cover for Midnight Sun, labeled 'pop star meets pop art.'
- Jason Brooks designed artwork for the Muni Long remix of Midnight Sun, referencing Eurosummer and Ibiza sundowners.
- VFX artist S1m0nc3ll0 cited surf brands Roxy, Rip Curl, and Quicksilver as influences for the music videos.
- The visuals draw on Frutiger Aero, Windows Vista/7 aesthetics, and typeface designer Adrian Frutiger; the Crush video uses Sims-like visuals.
- A Winx Club collaboration transforms Larsson into a cartoon fairy for a music video to feature in a Rainbow-produced episode.
Entities
Artists
- Gary Grimes
- Zara Larsson
- Christian Riese Lassen
- Charlotte Rutherford
- Madonna
- Jason Brooks
- Muni Long
- S1m0nc3ll0
- Adrian Frutiger
- Pablo Rochat
- Phoebe Bridgers
- Robert Beatty
- Angela Lian
- Ian Teeple
- Sam Wenc
Institutions
- It's Nice That
- Pukkelpop
- TikTok
- Lisa Frank
- Clean Bandit
- RCA Records
- Ministry of Sound
- Hedkandi
- Roxy
- Rip Curl
- Quicksilver
- Winx Club
- Rainbow
- Asadal Design
- Asadal, Inc.
- Wiki Aesthetics Fandom
- British Vogue
- Rolling Stone
- W
- Interview
- The Economist
- TimeOut
- The Fence
- Wallpaper*
- Studio Thonik
- The Warehouse Project
Locations
- Belgium
- Ibiza
- Jersey Shore
- London
- South Korea
- Atlanta