Last year, when PinkPantheress unveiled her Fancy Some More? all-star remix project – reworking her original Fancy That album with new features on every track – one guest verse stood out above all: Zara Larsson’s turn on “Stateside”. With the track now closing in on half a billion streams, the Swedish pop star clearly took note of its success, because today she has given one of her own projects the all-star remix treatment with Midnight Sun: Girl’s Trip. The question now is: who will have the standout feature this time?
Midnight Sun proved a breakthrough moment for Larsson last year, leading to her first-ever Grammy nomination for best dance-pop recording and also famously prompting the singer to declare herself “out of the Khia Asylum” in the wake of its success. This Girls Trip remix project, then, is somewhat of a victory lap, featuring an all-woman cast of guest vocalists and producers, from rising stars like American icon-in-waiting Eli and French ambient producer Malibu, to outright celebrities like Shakira, Tyla and Robyn.
And while the similarities to PinkPantheress’ Fancy Some More? project are immediately apparent, there are some key differences worth pointing out. Where PinkPantheress seemed more interested in breadth, drawing on a wide range of guest producers, Larsson’s remix project feels more focused, with each featured vocalist circling the same core theme: teasing a long-distance lover. As a result, some of the remixes lack the impact and replay value of their originals (cough PinkPantheress cough). But in the instances where the production is meaningfully overhauled, Girl’s Trip actually manages to elevate the original tracks, breathing new life into a Eurodance-inflected record that notably had no features to begin with.
Below, we break down the five best features on Zara Larsson’s new remix album, Midnight Sun: Girls Trip.
“Hang on,” we hear you say. “This isn’t on the remix project!” You’re right. This isn’t the “Midnight Sun” remix that came out today – but it should’ve been. You see, today’s Midnight Sun: Girl’s Trip drop came full circle by featuring PinkPantheress on the title track “Midnight Sun”, but something about it just feels a bit… flat.
“Midnight Sun” is a banger because it’s huge: swelling from a nostalgic Europop melody into big beat-esque kicks and fat Larsson vocals; and, unfortunately, PinkPantheress’ speak-sing style vocals (pejoratively dubbed by some as ‘nocals’) just don’t cut it. By contrast, the previously released Muni Long remix is much stronger, setting the Florida-born guest singer’s powerful R&B vocals against a dynamic jersey club bassline that, unlike the PinkPantheress version, keeps the central eurodance melody intact. We still love you, PinkPantheress! We just think you should’ve featured on a different track.
Sure, Maddison Beer is cool, but Jamaican-Canadian producer BAMBII is the real MVP of this track. The production is just so dynamic, from the chugging Brazilian funk percussion in the intro, to the thumping four-on-the-floor build-up, to the catchy dance-pop melody in the chorus – none of which were present in the OG version. It’s the danciest this project gets, and it’s a shoo-in for headline DJ sets around the world this summer.
Rather than just showing off her impressive vocal control (which is also on display), Massachusetts-born singer Eli opted to create a whole storyline around her feature on “Crush”, and it’s genuinely hilarious. “Break into the building, tell ‘em I’m a trans girl / Now I’m in the Sony office with a cuff around my ankle / Baby, can I sing for you like Harry Daniels?” she sings rapid-fire in the guest verse. The duo then proceed to get lost in what initially seems to be a rather clunky bridge, until they smash open the fourth wall and dive headfirst into a power-ballad chorus. “Where are we?” Eli pleads. “We’re in the song!” Larsson responds. This track is just so much fun.
This remix doesn’t just insert Kehlani into the arrangement; it’s an entire 00s R&B-style reimagining of the original, and it slaps. In fact, Larsson is actually the star player here, and Kehlani is just the cherry on top, with the Swedish pop star delivering an entirely new and sensual first verse that pays homage to the pop-R&B classics that have shaped her career as a whole. Turning the BPM down a notch and wallowing in wistful piano melodies, the Girls Trip remix of “Blue Moon” is totally different to the original, and we might actually prefer it.
Here it is. If anyone’s going to have a breakout moment on today’s Girls Trip drop, it’s 29-year-old Argentinian singer Emilia. The feature might have been unexpected, but the pair are actually a match made in heaven, with – much like Larsson herself – Emilia drawing heavily on 00s pop nostalgia on her breakthrough 2023 album .MP3.
Where the original “Girl’s Girl” track was one of the lower points on Midnight Sun, however, Emilia’s version totally elevates the track. Her vocals nod to the infectious cumbia rhythms she cut her teeth in, while the track’s overhauled production focuses much more on hedonistic EDM melodies than getting too bogged down in the original’s looping 2-step percussion. Emilia’s remix of “Girl’s Girl” is now the definitive version in our eyes.
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