Ariana Grande’s newest album “Eternal Sunshine” has enlightening messages and is a total game changer for the pop music genre. She single-handedly brought back the history along with her modernized-special touches. Committing to a evolutional movement through music is Grammy award-winning work.
Ariana Grande has a creative eye for incorporating the raw talent she has grown up enjoying. It is amazing on its own that she has the ability to create original music. But the fact she references exactly where her ideas spawned from is very admirable as a popular artist herself. In fact, Grande manifests many of her idols into her life throughout her music career.
Before the initial release of “Eternal Sunshine” there was another version of “Yes, And?” publicized, this time featuring Mariah Carey. Together they combine their whistle note abilities with a strong opener and blend their voices into a harmonized masterpiece. Grande has always been a big fan of Carey’s, but it took a serious amount of effort to get noticed by Carey. Grande rose to the occasion and first performed with her (and Jennifer Hudson) in Carey’s song “Oh, Santa!” They kindled a friendship since then and continue to highlight each other on their separate platforms.
The New “Queen of Pop”
As Grande gradually takes the thrown of being the “Queen of Pop”, she also references Michael Jackson heavily in her music, who is known as the “King of Pop” by the masses. She interprets Jackson in her “Yes, and?” music video by hitting several of his famous poses, such as the hat tilt, the lean and a specific focus on her footwork. The set is also similar to the set in Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” music video. They both have the same geometric structure; the stairs, fireman pole and balcony which are all used for intense choreography.
Grande also bases the concept of her album around the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. She drops tiny hints in the “Yes, And?” music video that Grande fans picked up on immediately, such as the coordinates displayed on a red invitation card in the first couple seconds. It reads: 41.0359° N, 71.9545° W, which is the exact location of where the movie was filmed (Montauk, New York). Later, she makes direct references to the film’s plot in her song “Eternal Sunshine” with most of her lyrics. Some examples include “So I try to wipe my mind,” “Rather feel painless,” and “Get me out of this loop.” There are many more references to the film, her dating history and response to the backlash she has received on her personal life.
Manifestations Become Reality
Not only does Grande manifest other famous singers in her life, but also fulfills her childhood dreams. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind also holds a special place in her heart because her first celebrity crush, Jim Carrey, who is one of the main characters in the film. She grew up loving all of his films and even got the opportunity to meet and perform with him on the second season (episode five) of Showtime’s Kidding back in 2019.
“Thankful for the most special experience of my life. Nothing is crazier than getting to work with and spend time with someone whom you’ve idolized and adored since before you can speak.”
Ariana Grande (People Magazine)
Grande also idolized Judy Garland at a very young age, with Garland’s most well-known role as Dorothy in the original Wizard of Oz film. She admired Garland’s incredible voice and making it into the entertainment industry so young. Grande has also been obsessed with the film itself for most of her life; she had always repeated that her all time dream role is Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Ironically, it was announced mid April of 2023 that she finally achieved her dream with a small clip of her in costume behind the scenes.
Blast From The Past
Grande continues to add certain features to her songs that enhance her credibility. The key factor is sprinkling in familiar elements that people of all ages and cling onto. Specifically with this new album, she presents certain sound effects that brings her audience back to the 80s, such as playing a vintage video game sound as she sings the lyric “Yet you played me like Atari.”
She also adds a popular pulse-effect in the song “We Can’t Be Friends” that was used a lot in the 2000s. Some popular songs that have the same type of pulse include “Closer” by Ne-Yo, “Don’t Stop the music” by Rihanna and “Stronger (What Doesn’t Kill You)” by Kelly Clarkson. It’s a common way for pop artists to get their audience dancing to their song because it holds a simple rhythm alike to a heartbeat. This action alone makes it known that Grande knows exactly what her audience wants since the internet has blown up about having nostalgia for the 2000s.
The Redemption Album
Grande has come a long way in the Entertainment Industry; she has walked through one of the darkest tunnels to see the gleaming sunshine on the other side. This is the main premise of “Eternal Sunshine”. Many musicians tend to release all their emotional baggage into their work, which makes the lyrics authentic and easily relatable for listeners. It’s also a fun (opinionated) game to figure out which song the artist put the most amount of effort into.
With Grande’s new album, “We Can’t Be Friends” has to be the top song in her book. This song had a music video produced and posted the same day her album came out. Fans have also speculated that this song is about her relationship with Mac Miller, which is a deep subject for anyone that has gone through an unfinished relationship. The symphony that is played at the end of this song emphasizes the intense feeling of not wanting to let go, but you have to let go in order to see the beauty on the other side. This is Grande presenting herself on the other side, showing up with a smile despite everything.
The Next Grammy Goes To…
Hopefully Ariana Grande for her newest album! She achieved a huge reaction from the public with her project. None of her songs had special features from other artists either. All of those songs are purely from her heart, and everything around her heart. Each one of her influences were somehow mentioned for referenced, decorating her image with eternal splendor.
It is common for artists to reference their favorite artists in different ways. The way Grande displayed her message much stronger than the common ‘shout out’. She engraved them in her projects. Incorporating history into pop culture has rarely been touched because of how new the genre technically is.
Pop music is quite literally the most “popular” music around, appealing to all audiences in a unique way. Referencing all the original pop stars and adding other pop artists into the mix is a perfect move. She achieves all of this with her pure effort and mindset. She has manifested to be the powerful woman she is today. Ariana Grande’s era has only begun.
