After plenty of speculation, it’s official: Ariana Grande has confirmed the release of new album eternal sunshine. out on March 8.
The news comes shortly after the release of her single Yes, And? â a house-inflected track that takes plenty of cues from Madonna’s Vogue, and features self-referential lyrics that take aim at constant speculation about the singer’s relationships and personal life. Most recently, she has been linked with her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, who was married to Lilly Jay, but filed for divorce last year.
“Don't comment on my body, do not reply, your business is yours and mine is mine,” Grande sings on Yes, And? “Why do you care so much whose d**k I ride?”
Rumours around a new album first began to swirl late last year, when she sent a handful of fans a postcard. Alongside a red lipstick from her R.E.M. beauty collection, the package also included a note scrawled in lippy: ‘see u next year’.
🚨 ariana sent us a special red package containing a new photo of her with red lips, a r.e.m. beauty red lipstick, and a handwritten note in red pen: “see you next year ♡” pic.twitter.com/WuP3BXckiR
— Ariana Grande Today 💋 (@ArianaToday) December 27, 2023
She later shared an Instagram post bearing an identical caption, and featuring a number of polaroid snaps, a photograph of Grande crying in a recording studio, and a picture of her regular collaborator Ilya Salmanzadeh.
Lead single Yes, And? is produced by Grande, Salmanzadeh, and Swedish pop producer Max Martin, who is best known for his work with Britney Spears, Backstreet Boys, Adele, and Robyn, and also worked on Grande’s albums Dangerous Woman, Sweetener, and thank u, next.
Eternal Sunshine will be Grande’s first album since 2020’s Positions. It appears to be named after the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. In Grande’s teaser postcard, she hinted as much when she included the coordinates 41°03′59″N 71°95′45″W below the acronym AG7.
The coordinates point to Montauk, New York, which was a location in the film. She also shared an excerpt of Alexander Pope’s poem Eloisa to Abelard on social media; the poem features the line "eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!"
Elsewhere, the artist has spoken about being a huge fan of Jim Carrey, who stars in the film. She previously worked with the actor in the US tragicomedy Kidding.
“thankful for the most special experience of my life,” she wrote afterwards. “nothing is crazier than getting to work with and spend time with someone whom you’ve idolized and adored since before you could speak. actually, what’s even crazier is discovering that person to be more special and warm and generous in person than you ever could’ve imagined.”
