Why is Ariana Grande's new album called ‘Eternal Sunshine’? Details explored amid teaser drop

Ariana Grande just posted a cryptic video on Instagram, hinting at the deluxe edition of her album, Eternal Sunshine.

Moments of innocence, such as a teddy bear and other personal objects, are packaged and then burned in the video. A person is seen navigating amid the wreckage as the camera cuts to the debris strewn over the pavement.

But why did she name the album Eternal Sunshine?

Pop culture and Ariana Grande's personal life are both heavily referenced in her songs and music videos. From the movie-inspired title to the Paula Abdul tribute in the music video for the first track "Yes, And?", her eighth studio album Eternal Sunshine is no exception.

It is her first album since 2020's Positions was released on March 8, 2024.

The title of the album alludes to the 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, starring Jim Carey and Kate Winslet. The sci-fi romance, which was written by Charlie Kaufman and directed by Michel Gondry, centers on a couple who decide to have a surgical treatment to remove each other from their memory after they split up.

It just so happened that the movie's twentieth anniversary fell on March 19, 2024.

In the past, Grande has publicly expressed her adoration for Jim Carrey. When she first met the actor, she broke down in tears, she revealed in a 2015 appearance on Live with Kelly and Michael.

Mac Miller, the rapper Grande dated for two years, also loved the movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Miller, who died in 2018 after an unintentional drug overdose, mentioned the film in his writing and talked about how much he loved Carrey.

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Grande posts a teaser for her new single in Eternal Sunshine Deluxe Edition

When a Variety reporter queried the pop queen again about the project's progress when she was walking the red carpet at the 2025 Oscars on Sunday, she said it was "the next step."

While trying to avoid giving out further details by saying that she had had her memories erased, she said: "It must come out."

She said: "They did the Brighter Days memory erasure treatment to me, so I'm having trouble remember the details, they're foggy," she said. The star finally advised her fans to just "keep your eyes peeled... that's all I'm saying."

Fans have assumed that Grande's January 2025 Golden Globes promise of a "attachment" to the 2024 record means a deluxe edition of the album.

She released the "slightly deluxe" edition of the album in October 2024, which included live recordings of the tracks and new remixes by Troye Sivan and Mariah Carey. It's unclear what fresh content will be included in the "attachment".

The revised pre-save link and the post being shared with account Brighter Days Inc. (a reference to the original Eternal Sunshine) both suggest this, even if the posted image lacked a caption confirming it.

Because of her performance as Glinda in Wicked, Grande is nominated for her first Oscar. She was wearing a voluminous, light pink Schiaparelli couture gown when she walked the red carpet.

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More about the album

For the first time, Grande is promoting Eternal Sunshine as a "concept album." The singer performed the album for a crowd at her record label in a video that was published in February.

Because it consists of several heightened portions of the same tale or experience, I wanted to let you know that this album is kind of a concept, she added. She said that while the actor was on strike, she recorded the soundtrack.