Radio 1 Playlist (22/05/26): Radio 1's Big Weekend in Sunderland

On 22/05/2026 at 10:24, Dan17F1 said:

I don’t understand this? Radio 1 played Crush and Midnight Sun last year (before Zara got massive again). Admittedly they were only on the C List but neither of those sound like tracks that R2 would play. I don’t think Radio 1 are only supporting her now because Lush Life and Midnight Sun went massive on TikTok

She was taking off on TikTok in 2024 because Symphony went mega viral on their because of the dolphins meme.

She incorporated that Dolphin meme aesthetic into her branding (her Y2K makeup and clothing etc), to the point where it’s arguably the first time she’s ever had a recognisable visual style (see the ‘midnight sun’ box in the stateside video and PinkPantheress easily adapting a Zara-esque look for the video too). and perhaps more importantly, the entire midnight sun music video is completely ensued with that dolphin meme aesthetic.

Zara was smart enough to adapt the dolphin meme to the point where the dolphin emoji is now associated purely with her and her fanbase on social media, similar to Bee’s with Beyonce or Owl’s with Drake.