Larsen Thompson, the dancer from Sia's 'The Greatest' video, wants to be a pop star

August 18, 2024

Hometown: Thousand Oaks, California.

Now Lives: Still at her parents’ Spanish Colonial-style, four-bedroom home.

Claim to Fame: Thompson is a model, dancer and aspiring singer who first made waves as a dancer ina viral fan video for Beyoncé's hit “Run the World (Girls).” She has since appeared in several official music videos, including Borns’ “American Money”; Sia’s “The Greatest,” alongside Maddie Ziegler; and Katy Perry’s “Chained to the Rhythm.” Her fresh face and sleek auburn hair have also graced fashion spreads in Women’s Wear Daily and Coveteur.

Big Break: In 2015, Thompson and a fellow dancer, Taylor Hatala, approached their instructor Janelle Ginestra, a YouTube-famous choreographer in North Hollywood, California, about creating four dance videos portraying them as fraternal twins.

Their first video, “Run the World (Girls),” was filmed over one day and uploaded to YouTube on July 20, 2015. The next morning, “I woke up with about a million views on YouTube, and it was like, What the heck?” Larsen said. It ignited her dance career and also opened the door to modeling. “I love fusing dance, fashion and modeling together,” she said.

Latest Project: Last year, Thompson starred in the 1950s-themed dance video for Pink’s “Beautiful Trauma.” Thompson portrayed the pop singer in a modest jade dress, dancing with friends in a boxing ring. Pink wasn’t in the music video, but she retained full creative control over the costumes and helped produce the video via FaceTime.

Next Thing: Acting is Thompson’s next focus. She will appear in a supporting role in the film “Family Tree,” starring Seann William Scott. “It’s a cool, mysterious, crime-related movie,” she said.

Finding Her Voice: Thompson might be balancing several creative projects, as well as her studies (she is a junior at Newbury Park High School), but she ultimately wants to become a pop star. “Right now I’m working on my voice,” she said. “I haven’t written a song yet, but this year I’m going to write a song for sure and get it out.” She described her voice as “raspy” and a combination of “Lorde, Selena Gomez and Taylor Swift.”

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

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