Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson is no stranger to viral fame. In 2024, over a decade since her breakout moment, the internet found its way back to her through a colorful dolphin.
A TikTok video featuring an animated dolphin with a background described by Rolling Stone as “Lisa Frank-esque” set to “Symphony” – Larsson’s 2017 collaboration with Clean Bandit – took on a life of its own. The viral moment didn’t end there as her song “Lush Life” began circulating online after Larsson invited a fan on stage to perform the choreographed dance with her in Nov. 2024. By late Aug. 2025, Larsson had a new dance trend to the song “Midnight Sun.”
Larsson had her first claim to fame in 2008 after winning Season 2 of “Talang,” a Swedish talent show. Her time on television screens didn’t stop there; later that year, 10-year-old Larsson began singing on “Sommarkrysset” (“The Summer Cross”) and the following year appeared on “Jag ska bli stjärna” (“I Shall Become A Star”), a program that follows Swedish talents as they seek international fame.
After signing to a Swedish independent record label, TEN Music Group, in 2012, Larsson released her debut EP “Introducing” in 2013. She then signed with Epic Records in the United States for a three-year contract during which she released two albums, “So Good” (2017) and “Poster Girl” (2021). Her 2017 album provided hits like “Lush Life,” “Never Forget You,” featuring MNEK, and “Symphony.” “Never Forget You” charted at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Swedish Singles Chart for three consecutive weeks.
“My true passion has always been to perform and to entertain and to be an experience in front of other people,” Larsson said in an interview with i-D. “Now I feel like it has changed a bit, going from searching for outside validation to just creating.”
She is currently signed to Sommer House, a record label she founded in June 2022 in partnership with Sony Music Sweden and Epic Records. This allows Larsson to own her discography and new music going forward, with licensing through Epic Records and distribution through Sony Music Sweden.
Recently, Larsson was nominated at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards for “Best Dance Pop Recording” for “Midnight Sun.” This was her first ever nomination for the award ceremony, and though she lost to Lady Gaga’s “Abracadabra,” the recognition shows that Larsson is becoming more self-assured in her artistry.
“I experienced huge success at the very beginning of my career, but I didn’t take it in or stop to feel happy,” said Larsson in a Sept. 2025 interview with Vogue. “I think people are just really seeing this new confidence. For the first time in my life, all parts of me and my art feels cohesive. I don’t want to just be a performer; I want to be an artist.”
If a TikTok dolphin has sparked a new wave of attention toward Larsson, it’s her personality and ambition that will sustain the popularity. This comeback creates a moment that seems rare in pop culture, a second chance that is shaped by experience, ownership and self-definition.
