On March 11th, pop star Ariana Grande delivered her latest album, “Eternal Sunshine.” At the age of 30, Grande is a 12-time Grammy nominee and a 15-time award winner. After all her success, Grande said in 2021 that she was stepping back from the music industry to focus more on herself and “new ways of storytelling,” which shocked most fans.
There were many speculations that she would not return to music, as she was branding herself more as an entrepreneur for her makeup brand, R.E.M. Beauty. Since her newest release, Ariana has opened up about how this album has helped her through that period, and she is not done just yet.
“Eternal Sunshine” is Grande’s seventh studio album and revolves around themes of vulnerability. With tracks like “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait For Your Love)” and “I Wish I Hated You,” Grande opened up about her past and poured out the feelings she had been shutting out. Songs like these were necessary on the album for darker moments in life. That theme is one of the many reasons so many people have related to this album and are streaming it daily.
The album has had 195 million streams worldwide since its release and hit No.1 on the “Billboard” Hot 100 ranking in under a week. Going No.1 is nothing new for Grande, as five of her previous albums have also hit No. 1; “My Everything” in 2014, “Dangerous Woman” in 2016, “Sweetener” in 2018, “Thank U, Next” in 2019, and “Positions” in 2020. On January 12th, her first single of the album, “Yes, And?” was released as a teaser for her album. That song also rapidly hit No.1 which showed fans’ excitement for the worldwide sensation to be back to music.
As she has returned to music, the style is slightly different this time. Grande is known for her outstanding vocals that show off her incredible range, yet on this album, she took a more controlled approach which took fans for a loop. A good example of this is in songs like “Intro (End of the World)” and “Don’t Wanna Break Up Again.” Instead of highlighting her ability to hit incredibly high notes with ease in a pop genre, “Eternal Sunshine” shows R&B influence and displays her softer, more controlled side.
One of the most interesting tracks on this album is “Saturn Returns.” This track contains a recording of astrologer Diana Garland speaking about the position of Saturn. Astrology plays a big role in Grande’s life, and this specific recording of Garland touched Grande, as she felt it was necessary to include a piece of it on the album.
This album is based on her past and there are many songs and lyrics on this album that fans can trace back to her former boyfriend, rapper Mac Miller. Miller and Grande dated for two years, but they later announced their break up. In 2019, Miller passed away from a drug overdose, which set Grande far back. We can assume that some of these songs refer to her relationship with Miller and feeling that grief all over again.
This event was an important part of her life because it has truly shaped who she has become, and she wouldn’t be the same person or artist that she is today. I think that this level of vulnerability shows how much she has grown and is ready to leave these feelings behind her and return to the music industry better than she left it.
Although she has shown amazing growth throughout her life, it would not have been achievable without the help of the supportive people around her. Grande’s producer, Max Martin, and her mom, Joan Grande, had been next to her through most of this writing process. Martin and Joan have guided her through her feelings to heal from them instead of running from them.
“Eternal Sunshine” shows great emotion in moving on from the past and learning from the mistakes you’ve made. While revolving around the theme of the singer’s personal experience with relationships, the lyrics still resonate with all listeners no matter the difference in situations. Grande has once again touched the hearts of all people around the world, and is ready to continue her music career with a clean slate.
