“Who knew opening up would make me a headline?” This is the era of Zara Larsson’s fever dream.

Without a doubt, Zara Larsson has been on a generational run. From her hit album So Good featuring summer anthems like “Lush Life,” to her lovey-dovey, think-pink album Poster Girl to the viral “Symphony” dolphin meme trending everywhere on social media in 2025, she has indubitably been one of the leading pop queens of the decade.

This year, Larsson decided to take a trip down to Y2K lane. Soft-launching her album through her collaboration with rising star PinkPantheress. “Stateside + Zara Larsson” was the banger we all saw coming. Even though the track had already been making waves, it was figure skater Alysa Liu who sent it into orbit. Liu used “Stateside” for her short program at the 2026 Winter Olympics, and suddenly, the global exposure catapulted the track into virality, proving that sometimes a good song just needs the right moment, on the right stage, to become great. The track eventually peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 — her first-ever top 10 hit in the US, proving that sometimes the best things really do take time.

For Larsson, summer began in winter. On September 26, she released Midnight Sun, her fifth studio album. The title track, Midnight Sun, was about a Swedish summer where the sun never goes down, with the kind of warm, catchy tune that makes you nostalgic for those summers when you didn’t have to check your emails and your biggest worry was what time to meet your friends at the mall. Every detail of the album was pumped with color and glitter. Defying today’s clean and sad-girl aesthetic, Larsson’s album promotion was a hyperreal, maximalist, Y2K fever dream featuring flip phones, airbrushed tie-dye shirts, and ads you would’ve seen on TV in 2008. Its energy and radiance stopped people mid-scroll. Behind the scenes, Larsson’s makeup artist Sophinet Sinot has also been crafting looks that feel straight out of a 2000s teen magazine — glittery, glossy, and unapologetically maximalist in a clean-girl world — tying Larsson’s whole Y2K vision together.

The album artwork of Midnight Sun, featuring Muni Long, illustrated by Jason Brooks, captures that same nostalgic warmth — a visual representation of a world where the sun never sets, and the party never stops. Zara’s live performances were full of vocal acrobatics and raw talent, with clips circulating of her singing live on podcasts proving that autotune was unnecessary. Clips of her dancers lifting her high above their heads as she flawlessly executed the “Midnight Sun” vocal run went viral, and the narrative quickly shifted from “Zara’s peak is over” to “she’s still that girl”.

But most importantly, Midnight Sun was a statement. The deluxe edition, Midnight Sun: Girls Trip, that arrived on May 1, was inspired by Charli XCX’s Brat remix album. Here, Zara reimagined her tracks with an all-star line-up of women: from timeless icons like Shakira and Kehlani, to rising stars like Tyla and Madison Beer. She also featured Danish-Chinese singer-songwriter Helena Gao, who co-wrote nine of the ten original tracks, and included Chinese in her songs — a bold move that speaks to diversity and the power of women supporting each other regardless of their backgrounds.

The industry has spent decades pitting women against each other. Zara Larsson defies their rules by bringing all the talented, beautiful, successful women together, turning competition into collaboration. She’s unafraid to work with artists more well-known than herself — Shakira, Robyn, Madison Beer — and equally unafraid to spotlight rising stars like Helena Gao and Margo XS. Who said pop queens can’t share the throne?

During a soundcheck in Philadelphia, Zara confirmed the concept: “It’s really fun to reimagine it, and give it more life, and bring some new energy onto it with some incredible people, to expand the world.” It’s a sentiment that echoes her approach to her entire career.

And this is precisely why Larsson has been so successful — beyond the glittery eyeshadow and sequin skirts — she’s done something far more moving: teaching the next generation of music-makers that collaboration is the best PR.