TikTok’s viral ‘Symphony’ dolphin meme explained

The ‘Symphony’ dolphin meme has been flooding TikTok users’ For You Pages as part of a viral trend. Here’s what you need to know about it.

The viral ‘Symphony’ dolphin trend has been taking over TikTok, with users posting radiant images and videos of a dolphin set to the tune of ‘Symphony,’ a 2017 hit by Clean Bandit featuring Zara Larsson.

However, instead of pairing these dazzling dolphin visuals with inspirational or uplifting messages, users are doing the exact opposite, adding hilarious and often self-deprecating captions.

TikTok’s ‘Symphony’ dolphin meme origins

The trend began with TikToker heiratet on August 18, who posted a video of a vibrant dolphin leaping out of the water while the upbeat chorus of Larsson’s ‘Symphony’ plays in the background. Instead of a motivational message, the overlay read: “I’m depressed.”

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The contrast between the upbeat music, the radiant dolphin, and the downbeat text struck a chord with viewers, earning the clip over 1.2 million views.

After the success of this video, heiratet continued to share similar content, with captions like “I have social anxiety,” “I love alcohol,” and “I self-sabotage everything,” all accompanied by the same colorful dolphin imagery.

‘Symphony’ Dolphin takes over TikTok

As the meme spread, other TikTok users joined in, creating their own versions with equally humorous or absurd captions. Some examples include “I just took a sh*t,” “I would sell you for one single beer,” and “I want to get my boyfriend pregnant.”

The meme’s popularity even caught the attention of Zara Larsson herself, who participated by posting an image with the caption “What the f*k is happening,” which garnered over 63.8 million views.

Taking the joke even further, Larsson incorporated similar dolphin visuals into her stage performances of ‘Symphony,’ much to the delight of fans.

A clip of the performance went viral, racking up 45.4 million views. In the comments, many viewers couldn’t believe how a simple meme had spiraled into a global phenomenon, ultimately pushing the 2017 song to the top of Billboard’s TikTok chart.

Clean Bandit themselves hopped on the trend, calling the dolphins “inspiring” and asking fans through the meme: “Do you want another song with Zara?”

This is just the latest meme to take over social media, after the ‘that one friend that’s too woke’ TikTok screenshot went super viral on Twitter/X.