Written By: Jadon King
If patience is a virtue, then Arianators are virtuous indeed. However, their silent days of hopeful waiting are over as, at long last, Ariana Grande has broken a three-year silence with her most recent album, eternal sunshine! The highly-anticipated seventh studio album got a full red carpet rollout that included listening parties in New York and London, as well as a performances of “imperfect for you” and “we can’t be friends (waiting for your love)” on Saturday Night Live. Ariana’s been on hiatus since 2020’s Positions, so fans were understandably unable to contain their excitement when the first single “yes, and?” dropped. But the wait is over and the album is JAW DROPPING. The album is already on track to reach number one in the UK with fans across the world taking to social media to express their love for the album. And for good reason! We’re huge fans of the album so we definitely think exploring Ariana’s latest project is worth the time! 🤩
September 2023
Ariana began working on the album when the SAG-AFTRA strike held up production of the upcoming Wicked, in which Grande plays Glinda, having previously said she wouldn’t be making another album until filming was done. It was at this time that she began to work with Max Martin on the album’s production. 🎙️
October-December 2023
Arianators had a feeling something was up when Ariana posted a photo dump, including photos of her in the studio with the caption “ag7: goat mother” in October of last year. Just two months later, on December 7th and 17th, she posted photos and videos of her back at work in the studio; unfortunately for stans, there were no previews of the new music since Ariana muted all of the videos.. At this point, the album was all but confirmed. Fans didn’t have to wait long as on December 27th, Grande confirmed she had a 2024 album on its way! 💖
January 2024
Then, after years of silent suffering, Arianators were given immediate cause for celebration: Ariana announced the album’s lead single “yes, and?” would be released on January 12th. The single was released along with a music video, turning into a smash hit and debuted at number one on Billboard! And in the wake of "yes, and?", we received absolutely life-giving news to kick off 2024: Ariana’s new album eternal sunshine would drop on March 8th! ☀️
February 2024
But Ari’s fans would have to wait until February to get a track list, and eventually, they did, they had to wait as Ariana posted the track list a few songs at a time and out of order. This definitely kept fans on their toes since Ariana didn’t release a new single ahead of the album, opting instead to drop a remix of “yes, and?” with the Songbird Supreme Mariah Carey. 🐦
March 2024
On March 2nd, Ariana posted Polaroid selfies of her with fans at a listening party she
hosted for fans, saying, “I couldn’t wait any longer, so I didn’t.” While we were jealous of fans that got to go, we only had five short days before at long last… album day! 💿
Once the album dropped, fans quickly began to obsess over the album, praising its use of concept to display emotional vulnerability and the unique 90s sound. The production on the album, handled mainly by Martin as well as Pharrell himself, is top tier. Moody bass synths support light and airy 90s and 00s melodies, all held together by intricate hip-hop-influenced drums. Ariana herself sounds better than ever, her vocal performance (combined with the 90s vibes) immediately drawing comparisons to her idol Mariah Carey. As a pop record, eternal sunshine feels both universal and timeless. It’s an album that fans of pop music will genuinely enjoy. It’s on trend considering Dua Lipa’s success with dance-pop and Beyoncé’s instant classic Renaissance, but the album remains distinctly unique thanks to Ariana’s voice and the slick production. Ariana’s emotional range is also on full display and there’s something for everyone! “the boy is mine” is a dark, rhythmic dance-pop masterpiece while “i wish i hated you is” a soft, introspective heartbreak anthem. So regardless of whatever you’re looking to scream-sob in the car, Ariana’s got you covered. 🤝
The album definitely seems like an emotional step forward for Grande. In an interview with Zane Lowe, the two discussed the concept of the album and the space and freedom of working within a concept. The album is largely based on the 2024 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, highlighted in the "we can't be friends (wait for your love)" music video. “I think there’s such a freedom within art in general because you really can pull from anywhere. ” She says. “You can pull from your truth, you can pull from a concept, you can pull from a film… art is really… it can come from anywhere. Finding a home in eternal sunshine was a lovely costume to wear, I think, for this project.” Lowe then asked Ariana if she had concerns about people taking lyrics out of context given the theme and Ariana’s very public love life. But the thought didn’t bother Ariana. “I really do think that… there are so many more people that are able to listen to the music and take what they need from it, what they need to hear, what they need to heal… ‘cause it’s for you, [once I release it] it’s no longer mine.” ❤️🩹
Grande’s philosophy on the open-ended nature of art/music as something the listener “owns” an interpretation of is one that we couldn’t be more on board with. Grande purposefully lets go of her art so her fans can relate to her art however it relates to their own life; whether or not her fans have the same vision or understanding of the album isn’t important to Ariana, giving them an experience is. And what a gift! We love that Ariana wants her fans to bring who they are to the table when listening, and they’re grateful for it. Reactions across social media to the album have been overwhelmingly positive and people are already looking forward to a tour that should be just around the bend! Do you think you’ll go? What are the songs you would want to hear live? Follow us on X, TikTok, or Instagram to let us know!
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