Global superstar Ariana Grande’s deluxe album, “Eternal Sunshine: Brighter Days Ahead,” and short film, “Brighter Days Ahead,” were released on March 28, 2025.
“Eternal Sunshine” is Grande’s seventh studio album that was released on March 8, 2025. Her deluxe album brings 5 new songs- intro (end of the world) – extended, twilight zone, warm, dandelion, past life, and Hampstead.
“Intro (end of the world)—extended” is the first new song on the deluxe album. The song explores Grande’s feelings of insecurity and mistrust surrounding this specific connection. It establishes the tone for the album’s main topic, which is love, loss, and all of the complications that go along with it. It also reveals Grande’s vulnerability by demonstrating her willingness to communicate her feelings openly, even if they are flawed.
Grande’s vocal range is displayed in “Twilight Zone,” which makes for an engrossing listening experience. In keeping with the song’s theme, the opening scene features a surreal soundtrack. Grande discusses her fears and the emotional journey she is about to embark on. Disoriented and lonely, the themes of “Twilight Zone” revolve around attempting to discern what is real and what is not.
The song’s tone is “warm,” which is appropriate given the title. It falls into Grande’s more upbeat and playful genre. The topics of desiring to connect with someone and getting emotional support from them are both explored in “Warm.” Grande prefers the genuine them above a manufactured persona.
“Dandelion” creates a fresh tone that no other song has done before, starting with the jazz tone established by the saxophone. Within love-lust, we witness another aspect of Grande’s aspirations. Grande compares herself to a dandelion, which is a representation of fate and love. Throughout the entire song, Grande uses the dandelion theme to imply that if the love interest takes a chance on her, she will fulfill their dreams as well as her own.
With a delicate balance between reflective lyrics and a more performing beat that highlights Grande’s self-realization, “past life” enhances the themes of the song. Particularly noticeable are the pre-chorus’s isolated passages, as the music fades away to highlight her vocals and let the emotional impact of her lines really come through. Similar to Grande’s choice to move on from her past, the beat’s return for the chorus evokes a feeling of liberation.
The song that most caught my attention was “Hampstead,” the last deluxe track. “Hampstead” demonstrates Grande’s development as a performer and a person. The song is deceptively simple; underneath its soft ballad form is a sophisticated arrangement that highlights Grande’s style. It serves as a subliminal reminder of her progress, from a gifted pop singer to a versatile performer capable of adding nuance to even the most subdued compositions.
In addition to the song, the short film “Brighter Days Ahead,” which was written and directed by Grande and Christian Breslauer, has an equally captivating visual component. The video features references to great films like “Minority Report,” “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” “X-Men,” and “Anastasia,” making her homage to these films instantly evident.
Grande’s portrayal of Peaches, a character modeled by Kate Winslet’s Clementine from “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” is among the short film’s most memorable elements.
Grande’s artistic journey is far from over, as seen by her ability to consistently push the boundaries of her musical style. Grande’s future has even more levels of emotional complexity, inventiveness, and ingenuity, whether it is in her music or her films.
