Eternal Sunshine: Grande's Comeback to Pop Music
- Hudson Smith
- Jan 29
- 6 min read
Ariana Grande has famously become a family name throughout her early acting career and music career. Ariana Grande started her acting career on Sam & Cat, playing the character Cat Valentine. Now, Ariana Grande was unrecognizable as she had long red hair and was still undiscovered by many people. From Sam & Cat, Ariana expanded her acting career with starring in various different shows and movies. She appears in Victorious, Wicked, Don't Look Up, and had some minor roles in other movies. Apart from her acting career, Ariana Grande also had started to get into the music industry. Put Your Hearts Up was Ariana's debut single, and it did relatively well for her first release. From there, Ariana released 6 studio albums: Yours Truly (2013), My Everything (2014), Dangerous Woman (2016), Sweetener (2018), Thank U, Next (2019), and Positions (2020). Ariana was no stranger to having a consistent album release schedule of 1-2 years. However, when 2021 and 2022 came and went, no new music had been put out by her. With her new role in Wicked, many fans had understood that she was busy acting but still wondered 'Where was AG7?'.
The First Single: 'Yes, And?'
On January 12, 2024, Ariana Grande had put out her first single for the album called Yes, And? From this, fans were most certain that an album would follow the release of the single. In the following days, on January 17, 2024, Ariana Grande confirmed that her seventh studio album was coming: eternal sunshine. Ariana had explained in a 2022 interview that she would not be recording any new music until the filming with Wicked was completed. This made fans eager to hear what the new album had in store: 'Would the album sound like the new single?', 'Will she do a tour?', 'How many tracks will be on the album?' All of these questions would be answered within the next two months. The music video for the song dropped the same night it was available on streaming platforms. The song was an instant hit and skyrocketed to number one on the billboard music charts. The song also was viral internationally reaching number one in various different countries such as Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. This was Grande's eighth number one hit on the charts and released a 7'-inch vinyl. Many fans were eager to see which songs would be released next; however, Grande confirmed that no more singles would be released until the album was fully released. This had 'Yes, And?' being the only snippet of Eternal Sunshine for two months before the whole album dropped.
The Release of Eternal Sunshine
The title of the album seemed odd to be the name as many people were not expecting this from Ariana Grande. The title of the album is a nod to the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). Grande shortened the title to eternal sunshine to express the bliss of the album and how it was supposed to be more of an upbeat and happy album. On March 8, 2024, the full album was released all over music platforms. The album debuted at number one on the Hot Billboard 100 and was an immediate success. For two weeks, eternal sunshine was at the top of the charts and was running the pop music industry. With the release of the album, Ariana Grande released 6 vinyl variants of the album. The pressing was red with every release, but the cover for every variant was changed to be different photos. The album was a success commercially and financially. The public itself loved the album and kept supporting the new release. There were 33,000 vinyl sales within the first week of the album release making it number two on the Vinyl Sales Chart. Within its first week alone, eternal sunshine had 194.92 million music streams and 77,000 album sales in its first week. From the first week alone, the album was destined for success and was by far her most successful album of her entire discography.
The Second Single: We Can't Be Friends (wait for your love)
Holding true to her promise, Ariana announced the second single of her new album: "We Can't Be Friends". With this announcement, the song got a 7'-inch vinyl and was announced on March 8, 2024. This was the same day the album was announced, so sales were increasing even more at such a rapid rate. The single was immediately number one on the charts and had secured Ariana's 9th number one single. This also made it Ariana's 7th debut single on the charts, surpassing Taylor Swift at the time. Ariana's success with this album had been unmatched by any of her prior work. Also on the same day, Grande put out the music video for the song. It was well perceived by critics and her audience with a relatable message of holding onto memories. The music video depicted that the memories with those we have lost, in a breakup, should not hold you back from perusing your own life, but instead be a learning lesson to grow. With this growth would come the fading of memories and moving on, yet the struggle through this process is so hard and emotionally draining. The music video was a commercial success with over 220 million views on YouTube. With this, fans wondered if there would be a third single to the album and when it would come.
The Third Single: The Boy is Mine
TikTok is no app to the average human in the United States and is used by more than half of the nation. With this, the eighth track on the album "The Boy is Mine" went viral for having an associated dance with the song. On May 7, 2024, Grande confirmed, via Instagram, that this would be the third and final single of the album. With the start of a new summer, Grande released a third music video for the Boy is Mine. In this video, various cameos and easter eggs were given to the fans ranging from guest appearances like Penn Badgley to Wicked promotion, the music video was a success. Along with "Yes, And?" and "We Can't Be Friends", the single also got a 7'-inch vinyl and a digital download. A remix of the song dropped in mid-July, featuring Brandy and Monica on the single. The song peaked at number 15 on the charts, not doing as well as the other singles. However, this single was still a fan favorite and was seen as a complete opposite to "We Can't Be Friends".
Personal Ranking and Final Thoughts
Now, not being a huge Arianator myself before the album, I do love Ariana Grande and the message behind her songs. I first started listening to her music with the release of Dangerous Woman and fell in love with the track "Into You". One common theme between every single playlist I have is that this song is always somewhere in it. I never really listened to Ariana Grande's older music, but I started listening to it when eternal sunshine came out and one of my best friends encouraged me to listen to her. From her other albums I love the tracks "Bloodline", "Sometimes", "Thank U, Next", "7 Rings", "Everyday", "Popular Song", and "Baby I". I would consider myself a huge fan of hers and my favorites from her new album include: "Eternal Sunshine", "We Can't Be Friends", "Don't Wanna Break Up Again", and "True Story". However, my all-time favorite song of the album and second to "Into You" is by far "Supernatural". The song itself incorporates elements of music I would not expect Grande to use, and the remix with Troye Sivan really solidified my love for the song. Ariana also released a semi-live album of her music, and I was ecstatic to find out "Supernatural" was included. Overall, my ranking for the album would be a solid 9/10, as the interludes were not my favorite part of the album. This album is by far one of my favorite albums of all time and I cannot wait to see what Ariana Grande has in store after Wicked.
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