After a four-year hiatus from music, even Ariana Grande did not plan to produce any new lyrics; but following an unforeseen break in her project with the movie “Wicked,” Grande was presented with time to write, produce, and let her emotions guide her. From this artistry, her seventh studio album, “Eternal Sunshine,” was born, and fans can listen to the experience Grande touches on throughout her tracks starting on March 8, 2024.
Grande found herself as one of the leads, Glinda the Good Witch, in a movie adaptation for “Wicked” the musical starting late 2021, with the second film in the two-part production not coming out until late 2025. This huge accomplishment, in addition to her work on a beauty line, has drawn Grande’s focus away from her solo music career, as the last album she released was over three years ago in 2020. But when the actors’ strike shut down production on the film, Grande was soon flying to New York City to work on music, allowing her creativity and emotion to begin to flow.
“I actually was really opposed to coming out with music until after ‘Wicked,’ either both parts or just one part. I was not sure how I would feel. [But after teaming up with a producer], it all just kind of started pouring out, and after our first week together, I kept coming to the studio every day by myself, and it just kinda kept organically happening that way,” Grande said on the Zach Sang Show.
Excited rumors about a new album sprang from a post Grande made on Dec. 7, 2023, picturing her in a recording studio. Ten days later, she teased the idea again, posting herself singing in the studio without sound. Rumors turned to facts on Jan. 7, 2024, when Grande dropped a new single “yes, and?” alongside a Paula Abdul-inspired music video, with the release debuting as number one on the Billboard Hot 100 a few days later. The official announcement and album release date emerged a little over a week after the song. While the declaration unveiled one cover for the album, Grande revealed that there will be seven total variations.
“Based off ‘yes, and?’ I am expecting a new shift in her music, and I am on the edge of my seat waiting to hear it. New Ariana Grande music makes me very excited for the release date,” Ari Havens, junior, said.
While “yes, and?” gave fans an exciting taste for what to expect from “Eternal Sunshine,” Grande is not releasing any more of the 13 songs until the official release; however, she did slowly give away the track titles until all 13 were shared on Feb. 27. The final song, “ordinary things,” includes Nonna, her grandmother, the only feature in the whole album. “Eternal Sunshine” contains vulnerability, with Grande describing it as a concept piece that tells parts from the same experience.
“I do not know much about the new album, but her past songs are all bangers, so I am excited for all the new fire stuff she is going to put out,” Cooper Gilreath, senior, said.
Do not let Grande’s reappearance on the music producing stage pass by unnoticed, so make sure to listen to the story that unfolds through the album’s songs.
