Inside Scoop on Ariana Grande's New Album Eternal Sunshine
By Seiana Spencer-Kendrick
After a four-year hiatus, Ariana Grande is making her long-awaited debut back into the music space. She is releasing her seventh studio album titled “Eternal Sunshine” on March 8.
With a total of six albums in her discography, Grande is a multi-winner and nominee for her musical talent.
In 2020, amid the pandemic, her fans were graced with the release of her sixth studio album “Positions.” The album followed her first Grammy win in 2019 for Best Pop Vocal Album for “Sweetener,” headlining Coachella in 2019 and Hot-100 top duets “Rain on Me” with Lady Gaga and “Stuck With U” with Justin Bieber, a musical representation of that year.
It soon became her fifth number-one album on the Billboard 200 Chart. The lead single titled “Positions” captured the important moments of the time, along with women’s rights and equality.
Unafraid to address the tough parts of life, her upcoming album “Eternal Sunshine” comes after a four-year break that consisted of healing, growth and learning to balance life and work.
The birth of “Eternal Sunshine” began in New York City during the pause of the production of “Wicked,” due to the SAG-AFTRA Strike in 2023.
The spontaneity of this album comes after the unsure feeling Ariana Grande had with the creation of new music. She was opposed to creating new music until after either “Wicked” parts one and two or just part one.
"Wicked" part one is set to release later this year on Thanksgiving Day.
With the time to spare, Ariana spent a week in New York with Swedish songwriter and record producer Max Martin at Jungle City. Organically, “Eternal Sunshine” began to develop through a spontaneous and emotional writing process, as the artist continued with solo sessions.
Coming back from a four-year break, change within Ariana’s approach and the detail of music was bound to differ from her past projects.
The realness of this bold red album is said to showcase the growth in Ariana Grande’s craft, which is credited to her break after “Positions” and her role as Glinda in “Wicked.” Her relationship with music changed and healed tremendously. It was a much-needed break as the demand for cranking out albums and tours continuously began to take over her personal life.
She took the time to find the balance between “Human Ari” and “Pop-star Ari,” to heal parts of her personal life that had gone unaddressed and make space for the positive, creating more boundaries.
“Eternal Sunshine” is said to differ in various ways, playing with the different renditions of the new Ari. It is an honest, human and touching body of work. The songs are said to embody sadness, life lessons, love, heartbreak, optimism, growth and grief.
"Eternal Sunshine" unlike the others, is a slight concept album that touches on the movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.”
This coincides with the red theme for this album.
It is an ode to Clementine’s hair from “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” along with the similar looks between the color and the music, as well as how it represents the emotional tone of everything the album is.
The creation of “Eternal Sunshine” was said to be a beautiful process, but it was not created with the intention of being heard by the world. It is a body of work that is very vague and specific and says everything and nothing at the same time. The pieces touch on real-life experiences and some are just part of the concept.
Unfortunately, there will not be a second single following the lead single “yes, and?” before the release of the album.
Ariana Grande released the lead single for this album titled “yes, and?” on January 12 of this year.
With the feeling of “Eternal Sunshine” being concise and having nothing left to say, Ariana was prepared to call the album finished.
The nerves leading up to her seventh studio album are nothing short of positive because without the nervousness, fear or that feeling of anticipatory excitement, Grande says she would feel that her art was not elevated.
This story of transition, love, growth and loss is recommended to be heard in one piece.
With a final emotional run-through of the tracks, Ariana solidified it as being exactly what she wanted to say.
“Eternal Sunshine” was released on March 8, 2024 and consists of 13 tracks.
Happy listening, healing, and scream-singing through your heartbreak!