On January 17th, Ariana Grande sent shockwaves through the music industry with the announcement of her long-awaited 7th album, Eternal Sunshine. This album was more than just another release – it’s a deeply emotive exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery.
Amidst swirling rumours surrounding her personal life, including her divorce from Dalton Gomez and whispers of scandalous romance with Ethan Slater, Grande announced a new single “Yes, and?”.
While her previous album, the Grammy-nominated Positions, showcased Grande’s versatility in the realm of pop, Eternal Sunshine takes a slightly different direction, harkening back to the R&B style vibes of the critically acclaimed album Sweetener.
Grande said that she drew inspiration from the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
Each track builds upon the last, culminating in a crescendo of introspection. From the first song, “Intro End of the World,” Grande asks the question in the first line, “How can I tell if I am in the right relationship?”, she answers at the end of the album on the twelfth track “Ordinary Things [feat. Nonna]”, where her grandma replies saying “if you don’t feel comfortable [kissing them goodnight] You’re in the wrong place”. Her storytelling throughout this album is incomparable.
While Grande’s previous hits like “Thank U Next” have explored themes of heartbreak, Eternal Sunshine feels like her most intimate work yet. In tracks like “I Wish I Hated You,” listeners can hear the raw emotion in her voice breaks.
“Bye” is one of the most upbeat songs on the album and sounds very similar to “Fantasize”, a song that was leaked on social media that everyone quickly became obsessed with earlier on in the year.
“We can’t be friends”, another leading song on the album, she performed on SNL live earlier in the week. The favourite lyric that fans have been obsessing over is “I don’t wanna tiptoe, but I don’t wanna hide / but I don’t wanna feed this monstrous fire”. “The boy is mine” is another upbeat and fun song Grande has released and these hits have been dominating the charts.
This album was more than just another release – it’s a deeply emotive exploration of love, loss, and self-discovery.
She has also released a Slightly Deluxe version of the album, adding four songs with a collaboration with Troye Sivan. This is one of her best albums yet and definitely worth the listen.
In Eternal Sunshine, Ariana Grande bares her soul for us all to see, crafting an album that is equal parts cathartic and captivating. It’s a testament to her artistry and resilience and definitely one to check out.
