Producing Songs I’ve Never Heard: Midnight Sun by Zara Larsson [EPISODE 13]
Zara Larsson’s Midnight Sun, but for a supervillain movie
Zara Larsson dropped her latest single Midnight Sun last month, and I was immediately curious to see where she’d take it. She always delivers a genre-blending twist, so I went into this challenge with no clue what to expect, except that it probably wouldn’t be straightforward.
On first listen to the acapella, I was getting hints of Rihanna, especially in the verses, which had this laidback, confident cool-girl energy. What really stood out, though, was the long, drawn-out “sun” in the hook. It felt like a clear setup for a drop or some kind of shift in energy. That moment alone had me anticipating something more dance-leaning in the original.
🎤 Here’s the acapella if you want to play along and hear what I heard first:
For this episode, I limited myself to using only sounds from the Splice pack Texture Nodes, a Gaszia moment by Moment. I’ve used other Moment packs recently and always loved their sound design, so I was excited to dig in to this one.
Since the track was at 151 BPM, getting the drums right was key. That tempo often leans into half-time, so I took it there, but wanted to keep it from dragging. I needed something that still had momentum.
Once the drums felt solid, I layered in a darker bass synth to give the track some weight and grit. That ended up becoming the backbone of the whole production. I didn’t want to crowd the vocal, so I kept the rest of the instrumentation fairly minimal, adding in a few plucks for texture in the higher frequencies, then relying on automation to shape the energy. Instead of piling on more sounds, I used filters and dynamic movement to evolve the sections and create build-ups with what I had.
🎧 Haven’t heard the original yet? Check it out here:
When I finally listened to the original, I was not expecting the route they took — breakbeat, UK garage, and full-on club energy. It was bold, fun, and honestly, one of the more experimental tracks I’ve heard from Zara. Instead of the half-time drop I anticipated, the production went all in on rhythm and forward motion.
My version landed in a totally different space - more moody, cinematic, and dramatic. I kept thinking it felt like something that could’ve been on the Suicide Squad soundtrack - darker, edgier, but still pop at the core.
What did you think? Which direction hit harder for you?
Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
🔎 Looking for more?
Find all previous episodes in this series here
And make sure to check out my original music wherever you like to stream: https://spoti.fi/4jFkl9y