Ariana Grande delivered a tell-all tale of moving on and letting go of scorned relationships with her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine.
Released Friday, the album pays homage to the pain and lost love central to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind starring Jim Carrey, who Grande has openly been a big fan of for years, and Kate Winslet.
The concept album comes after a four year hiatus and controversial past year for Grande. After her divorce from real estate broker Dalton Gomez, rumors surfaced about her relationship with her Wicked costar, actor Ethan Slater.
In an interview with the Zach Sang Show, Grande said the album “says everything and nothing at the same time, it’s very vague but very specific.”
She kicks off the boppy breakup album with “bye” and tells a story about packing her bags and saying goodbye to mistreatment in love. The song sets the mood for the album with a ‘90s R&B sound that simultaneously draws in an early 2000’s production style.
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With an upbeat synth piano background and smooth vocal melodies, Grande creates a twist on the classic story of leaving love. Instead, she spins it into an empowering story of “takin’ what’s mine.”
The lead single of the album, “yes, and?”, originally released in January, says exactly that to her haters — yes, and? Grande claps back on narratives about her and turns it into an upbeat pop dance melody with lyrics like, “I’m so done with caring / What you think, no, I won’t hide / Underneath your own projections / Or change my most authentic life.”
The track, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” delves into Grande’s recognition of bad parts of a relationship while wanting to maintain the good via blissful ignorance.
The dance melody contrasts the emotional undertone of the song, “We can’t be friends / But I like to just pretend / You cling to your paper and pens / Wait for you to like me again.” The song spun Grande’s conflicted emotions into a track worth dancing around your room to.
The album takes a turn of emotions with, “the boy is mine,” a ‘90s R&B sound that draws clear inspiration from ‘90s hit, “The Boy is Mine” by Brandy and Monica — and from positive reception from her fanbase of her leaked song “fantasize” — presenting a more house style production that stood out from other tracks on the album.
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Grande is not afraid to stake claim on her love interest on the track, pairing breathy vocals with her signature belts to make for a more scandalous track.
The album ends on tender-hearted emotions with “ordinary things,” which includes a feature from her grandmother, Nonna.
The song reflects Grande’s feeling of being with her loved ones and wanting nothing in life but “more time.” Reminiscing on the quick-paced articulation soundtrack of her thank u, next album. The album’s finale is a voice note from Grande’s grandmother providing relationship advice.
“…never go to bed without kissin’ goodnight. That’s the worst thing you can do … And if you can’t, and if you don’t feel comfortable doing it, you’re in the wrong place, get out.” The voice memo adds a personal touch to the album and its message of letting go of past love.
Grande shows her growth as both an artist and person with this album. She shows her audience that while there is heartbreak and pain, there is always a way to find “eternal sunshine.”
