Welcome to a new era of Ariana Grande. AG7 officially has lead single and a title: Eternal Sunshine. Grande’s last album, Positions, dropped in fall 2020 and while we’ve gotten a few collabs from her in the interim, Eternal Sunshine will be her first solo music in three years — and it couldn’t have come at a better time. Below, learn everything you need to know about Ariana Grande’s new album Eternal Sunshine, including details about the spicy first single “yes, and?,” the album release date, track list, and more.
Photo: Instagram.com
When will Eternal Sunshine be released?
On January 17, 2024, a little less than a week after dropping the album’s first single, Ariana Grande announced the title and release date for her seventh studio album on social media. In a repost of the album cover and other shots from the album shoot, Grande confirmed AG7, titled Eternal Sunshine, will arrive on March 8, 2024.
Grande has been teasing Eternal Sunshine for nearly a month now — on December 27, 2023, she confirmed her seventh album would arrive in 2024 while sharing shots from the studio on Instagram. “See you next year,” she wrote in the post’s caption. We also know that Grande has been in the studio working hard with producers like Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh. The singer has also shared many small snippets from the recording process over the past month, including a cute video of herself laughing on a couch after she finished the album.
Photo: Katia Temkin
Grande had wiped her Sweetener Instagram page and replaced it with promo for the Eternal Sunshine, a title fans had been theorizing for weeks. In the “yes, and?” music video, there’s a set of coordinates in the opening shot, written on the critics’ invitations. The coordinates are for Montauk, New York, the famous setting of the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet. Grande commented a heart under one fan page’s post about the theory, which many took as unofficial confirmation. (Turns out it was spot on!)
Internet detectives also believe Eternal Sunshine could be a tribute to Grande’s ex Mac Miller. In an interview with Complex in 2013, while they were dating, the late rapper spoke about his love for the film. “I love Jim Carrey when he’s being serious. He killed this role. Whenever I’m talking to a girl, I always tell them to watch Eternal Sunshine. It cuts deep,” he said at the time.
What is the first single from Ariana Grande’s new album Eternal Sunshine?
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“Yes, and?” is an upbeat, house-inspired banger about letting go of others’ opinions and embracing yourself through and after hard times. “In case you haven’t noticed / well, everybody’s tired / and healing from somebody / or something we don’t see just right,” Grande sings in the first verse. “And if you find yourself in a dark situation just turn on your light and be like / Yes, and?”
The new song from Ariana Grande’s new album, which dropped on January 12, 2024, is a breath of fresh air for the singer. It’s an anthem for anyone who is dealing with a rough patch and is coming out better for it — and has had enough of external judgment. She notably mentions the negative discourse around her body with the lyric “Don’t comment on my body, do not reply.” She has spoken out about fans’ “concerns” before, opening up on TikTok to put an end to the conversation.
She also hints at her up-and-down past year and the rampant speculation around her personal and romantic life after her divorce from ex-husband Dalton Gomez. She also potentially alludes to her relationship with Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. “Your business is yours and mine is mine,” she sings.
What happens in the “yes, and?” music video?
The music video opens with snooty critics gathering to preview Grande’s new music, sharing their speculations on the pop star as they wait for her exclusive presentation to begin. “I miss the old Ari,” says one critic. “I mean, who cares if she’s happy? I don’t want happy. I want art,” says another.
As they enter a warehouse studio space, they’re greeted by sculptures of Grande and her dancers that seem to reference her past album cover poses. When the sculptures spontaneously disintegrate, the track starts to play and the real performance begins. Grande is clearly about to enter her Bob Fosse, Madonna, and house-inspired era, as she incorporates Fosse and ballroom choreography in the video. As the temperature in the room rises, the critics can’t take the heat; as they sit under what appears to be a massive heat lamp, they all eventually succumb to the song’s rhythm and join the choreography.
What’s the vibe for Ariana Grande’s new album Eternal Sunshine?
Red lipstick? Grande, who rarely ever wore red lipstick prior to 2023, has been wearing the shade a lot lately, even on the album cover for Eternal Sunshine. That’s about all we have to go on at the moment, besides the optimistic, confident themes of “yes, and?” Its energy is very reminiscent of the popular sassy GIF of Grande on a red carpet mouthing the words, “What about it?”
Judging by the lead single’s lyrics, owning her narrative and breaking her silence on the constant media speculation and scrutiny around her divorce and new relationship could also be major themes. Grande actually teased the single in early January, stepping out in a crewneck sweatshirt with the words “yes, and?” written in her signature lowercase across the chest.
Originally published in Teenvogue.com
