There is a certain art to recovering from being memed, memeified, or simply run into the ground by social media. In other words, a rebrand. Many celebrities have mastered such artistry within the past few years, including Addison Rae, Tate McRae and Sabrina Carpenter. And yet, the comeback that’s been flying under the radar — but is finally getting its flowers — is Zara Larsson.
The Swedish pop star, who once dominated the charts circa 2017, found herself in a precarious position when Clean Bandit’s “Symphony,” featuring Larsson, was reincarnated as a viral TikTok dolphin meme in the summer of 2024. And where some artists might be mortified, Larsson found opportunity, as the song hit No. 1 on the Billboard TikTok Chart.
Within the whimsical imagery of a dolphin flying through the air, Larsson found opportunity in bright colours, rainbow backdrops and a Y2K aesthetic, reminiscent of Malibu Barbie. Sophia Sonit, the makeup artist behind Larsson’s staple maximalist mermaid looks, said the pair have “started a worldwide trend” in a recent TikTok.
Her visual identity — now fully realized and at its peak — is carried confidently through her latest album, Midnight Sun, and its accompanying tour.
The Grammy-nominated pop star’s rebrand has gained recent attention thanks to her trending collaboration with PinkPantheress, “Stateside,” which debuted at No. 100 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week (and just today got a new music video).
Even older hits, like the nearly 11-year-old “Lush Life,” have experienced a resurgence, propelled by its viral choreography, reaching No. 70 on the charts this week.
Rather than marinating in her “flop” era, Larsson and her team fully embraced the joke, using it as a strategic marketing pivot. What could have been the beginning of her downfall she used as a stepping stone to her current success.
The seaside siren popstar will be visiting Toronto on March 24, 2026, at History.
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source exclaim.ca ’
