Ariana Grande releases 'Eternal Sunshine Deluxe.' Why some fans believe she's singing about finding love with Ethan Slater, friendship with Cynthia Erivo.
Less than 24 hours after the release of Ariana Grande's Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead on March 28, the pop star's fans are flocking to social media to decode the newly released tracks. Dedicated members of Grande's fandom have dissected the lyrics of the six new songs, which were released alongside an accompanying short film co-directed by the Wicked star.
Grande's known for being tight-lipped when it comes to sharing certain details of her personal life. But in finding parallels to past songs and references to locations and conversations, her fans are hard at work piecing together the inspirations behind each track.
How it's being interpreted: On X, one fan drew a connection between the lyric to two previously released songs from Grande. 'Ghostin,' from her 2019 album Thank U, Next, features the lyric 'I'm a girl with a whole lot of baggage,' which is believed to be a reference to Grande mourning the death of ex-boyfriend Mac Miller while navigating her then engagement to Pete Davidson. In the 2020 track 'POV' from the album Positions, Grande sings, 'All my baggage fadin' safely.' The lyric may refer to Grande entering a new era as she continues falling in love with then-boyfriend Dalton Gomez.
With the lyric 'And me, I'm still unpacking,' the fan suggests Grande is 'admitting that she still has trauma and insecurities' from her past — and that healing isn't linear.
How it's being interpreted: In referencing 'different dimensions' and a 'black and white scene,' the song is perhaps a nod to The Twilight Zone, one of Grande's favorite television shows. Grande even hosted a Twilight Zone-themed Halloween party in 2019, for which she dressed up as a character from the 'Eye of the Beholder' episode.
One fan believes the track speaks to how Grande 'didn't feel like herself at all and [was] putting on a facade during her marriage to [Gomez].'
How it's being interpreted: Grande fans, including X user Mac, believe the track shines a light on her friendship with Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo. The lyric 'Can you hold the space I require?' is believed to be a playful nod to the viral 'holding space' comment made by Out reporter Tracey E. Gilchrist while interviewing the Wicked pair.
''Warm' is about Cynthiana and no one can convince me that it isn't,' wrote Mac. 'But it also shows how much she's healed and how far she has come. She can let someone hold her, warm her, love her. She can accept the love and is able to love back.'
Another fan wrote that this is the only new song that 'doesn't mention a boy,' bolstering theories it's about her friendship with Erivo.
"I remember ... turning to my mom and saying, 'That is the best female voice I've ever heard in my life. What is happening? Like, I need to meet her and tell her that and one day sing with her.' And now here we are and we've just taken such great care of each other," Grande told Yahoo Entertainment of first hearing Erivo sing at the 2020 Oscars. "Since the moment that we met in a very real way, in a no BS way, honest and very communicative and kind and loving friendship."
How it's being interpreted: Fans on X were quick to assume the lyric references one of Grande's past songs, 'Love Language' from her album Positions, on which she sings, 'You the medication when I'm feelin' anxious.' In referencing 'medicine' and 'code blue' on 'Past Life,' fans think Grande is calling back to the Positions track and flipping the once romantic lyric on its head. A code blue is a term commonly used in hospitals to describe a patient in critical condition.
'I think, growing up, you want what you don't have. My parents got divorced for all the right reasons. They weren't supposed to be together. And you kind of crave, when you grow up, the happily ever after. … You ignore all these issues and you kind of cling onto that fairytale. You kind of self-abandon, and I think my mom is a fierce example of not doing that,' Grande said on the Zach Sang Show in 2024.
How it's being interpreted: Grande began dating her boyfriend, Wicked co-star Ethan Slater, while filming the Jon M. Chu-directed movie in London. Grande was accused of having an affair with Slater, who was still married at the time. The track is believed to reference the beginnings of their love story and how she sacrificed her reputation for the sake of their relationship. Grande also resided in the Hampstead neighborhood in London while shooting the Oscar-winning film.
'I loved living here,' Grande told the BBC in January. 'I was in Hampstead when I was here, and I loved my walks in the Heath. I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs, and I didn't know what a Sunday roast was, but I know that that's a thing now.'
Another fan suggested that the track is also about 'the media's POV' on Grande.
How it's being interpreted: In another reference to her track 'POV,' Grande reconceptualizes what it means to be seen from her partner's perspective. In the 2020 song, Grande says she'd 'love to see me from your point of view,' presumably speaking to Gomez. On 'Hampstead,' she admits wanting to be 'seen and alive' instead of 'dying by your point of view.'
The subsequent 'I do's' could also refer to Grande and Gomez's failed marriage. The pair got engaged in December 2020, shortly after she released Positions. They married in May 2021 and finalized their divorce in March 2024.
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