Since some of you were a little late jumping on the Zara Larsson bandwagon, we might as well deliver a delayed album review of one of 2025’s best pop records. And trust us — when we say pop, we mean pop. The Swedish singer has never disappointed if you ask CLEAN. Every album has been packed with delightful, high-quality pop songs with that unmistakable Swedish magic touch. Zara simply doesn’t miss.
Midnight Sun is no exception. If anything, there’s something even more special about this body of work than her previous releases. Zara radiates a newfound confidence and a clear love for the kind of pop era where a strong concept carries the entire album campaign. Remember when ‘Symphony’ — her collaboration with Clean Bandit — had a revival thanks to the TikTok Y2K dolphin meme trend? She smartly leaned into that nostalgic energy and turned it into part of her album campaign. Looking at her career as a whole, she has always flirted with this aesthetic — but this time, she fully embraces it.
The album opens with the title track, ‘Midnight Sun’. It’s the kind of pop song that goes all out. Why play it safe when you can play it by Zara and her collaborator MNEK’s rules? Not only did fans fall in love with it instantly, it also received praise from fellow artists. It’s rare to see musicians openly stan a commercial pop track — but this one earned it. The vocal production alone is on another level. After hearing this, there’s no doubt: Zara can hold a note.
The entire album revolves around the Swedish phenomenon of the midnight sun — during summertime, it barely gets dark, and you lose track of time in the constant daylight. Zara taps into that concept beautifully, making us forget what season we’re actually in. She belts out, “Summer isn’t over yet!” — and honestly, we believe her. Each track feels like a dose of vitamin D, warming us through rain, snow, and everything in between.
With ‘Blue Moon’, we’re hooked after just one listen. The romantic track is more infectious than the flu. Beneath its glossy surface, though, there’s vulnerability — Zara asking her lover to reassure her of her beauty, as if it shouldn’t already be obvious. Other romantic highlights include ‘Crush’ and ‘The Ambition’. The latter reads like a love letter to herself — a reminder to never give up on her dreams, her ambition, and her place in the industry. There’s honesty in her reflections on chasing success, number-one hits, and comparing herself to others. You can feel the quiet desperation of wanting to be loved — by the public and by herself.
Another standout moment arrives with ‘Eurosummer’. Zara proves she’s a true student of pop. As a European artist, she knows the power of those one-hit-wonder summer anthems — the cheesy but irresistible tracks that follow you all season long. She clearly took notes from queens of the summer like INNA and Alexandra Stan. The song genuinely sounds like it could have been crafted by a Romanian pop star. Zara has even expressed her wish to get Pitbull on a remix. If that happens, we might already be looking at the song of summer 2026.
The album also gives us a truly iconic pop culture crossover moment. Remember when Tiffany Pollard delivered that unforgettable line on Big Brother? Zara seized the opportunity and sampled the legendary quote: “Beautiful, fly, hot and sexy!” Due to copyright reasons, Tiffany even joined her in the studio to re-record the line. Iconic behaviour only.
Midnight Sun is unmistakably the soundtrack to a never-ending summer. With the renewed success of ‘Lush Life’, Zara is fully back in the spotlight. She has already announced a deluxe edition arriving in March, featuring collaborations with female pop stars jumping onto these already-perfect tracks. We are more than ready to extend summer all over again.