Ariana Grande<\/strong> dropped her seventh studio album<\/a>, “Eternal Sunshine,” last week, delving into the depths of her\u2062 recent \u200cdivorce and the\u2063 tumultuous start of a new relationship.<\/p>\n

However, despite the weighty \u200dsubject matter, the lyrics lack substance, the music\u2063 fails to capture the gravity of the situation, and the most captivating aspect of the album is the drama surrounding its release.<\/p>\n

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In\u200d September 2023, Ariana Grande and her husband, Dalton\u200b Gomez, filed\u2062 for divorce. However, according to a Billboard timeline<\/a>, they had been “separated” since January of that year. During that summer, People magazine reported<\/a> that Grande was dating Ethan Slater, a \u2063film and Broadway actor whom \u2064she met on the set of the new\u200d “Wicked” movie.<\/p>\n
In the same\u200d year, Slater reportedly \u200dended his over 10-year-long\u200d relationship with his wife, Lilly Jay, who had recently given birth to\u2064 their\u2063 first child. In an interview with Page Six<\/a>, Jay \u2064criticized Grande, claiming she was blindsided by the \u200csplit.<\/p>\n
“[She’s] \u2063 not a girl’s girl,” Jay said of Grande. “My family is just \u200bcollateral damage.”<\/p>\n
While both\u200b Slater and Grande deny cheating on their spouses, the internet largely\u200b sided with Jay. Many self-proclaimed “Arianators” \u2062expressed disappointment on social media, \u2063while others hoped the drama would lower tour prices.<\/p>\n
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In response, Grande released the ninth track of her “Eternal Sunshine” album,\u2064 “Yes, And?” \u2062as a single. The song’s premise is\u200d to stand by one’s actions and not care about others’ opinions. \u2064Here’s a sample of the lyrics:<\/p>\n
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“And I’m \u2064so done\u200d with caring<\/strong>
What you think, no, I won’t hide
Underneath your \u200cown projection
Or change my most authentic life.”<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
It becomes evident that the song is a response to the Ethan Slater situation with these\u2062 lines:<\/p>\n
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“Your business is yours and mine \u200bis mine
Why do you care so much whose[[d-ck<\/a>]I ride? Why?”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
While the details of the divorce remain a mystery, Lilly Jay “cares” because she believes it shattered her family. Slater and Jay’s child will forever be affected by his father leaving his mother for a \u2062pop star. \u2064Those who had built their lives around Slater as a \u200dhusband,\u2062 father, or close friend now have \u200bto adjust to the aftermath of a broken family.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, \u200cthe rest of the internet “cares” \u200dto varying degrees because relationships are the fabric of society. The belief that everyone is entitled to their own truth, isolated in their own universe, leads \u200cto lonely and hurt individuals. Labeling this selfish mindset as an empowering pursuit of an \u200b”authentic life,” free from external “projections,” is\u2064 morally and ideologically wrong.<\/p>\n
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This is yet another example of mainstream music promoting a shallow and superficial version of \u2063”love” that fails to encompass its true essence. C.S. Lewis described “Christian love” as an act of\u2064 the will.<\/p>\n
“Love in the Christian sense does not mean an emotion,” Lewis said. “It is a state not of feelings but of the will; that state of the will which we naturally \u2064have about ourselves and must \u2062learn to\u2064 have about other people.”<\/p>\n
If mass media and celebrity culture continue to endorse a view of love that causes upheaval and division instead of unity and commitment, we will lose the power of love’s true essence:\u2064 duty and devotion.<\/p>\n
The inspiration for Grande’s\u2064 album title comes from the \u20642004 movie “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” which was named after a \u2063poem by Alexander Pope<\/a> about the \u200bfamously star-crossed lovers\u2063 Abelard and Eloisa. The film follows\u200c a \u2064couple who\u200c choose to erase specific memories of each other, believing it will be less painful to forget\u2064 completely than to confront \u200cthe shattered fragments of their failed relationship. Spoiler alert: They discover that forgetting is actually more terrifying than remembering.<\/p>\n
Ironically, the lead-up to, the reactions\u200b to, and the songs on Grande’s new album all indicate her selective memory loss, allowing her to portray herself as a victim while potentially \u2063contributing to the\u200d destruction of others. I won’t dissect the rest of\u200c the album’s titles and lyrics because it’s unclear what \u200dis genuine and what is Grande playing the expected roles of an entitled diva. Fortunately, it doesn’t matter. The album consists of 13 tracks, lasts 35 minutes, and I can’t recall a single line of lyrics that stands on its own merit.<\/p>\n
For those who \u2063listened and truly felt\u2064 the weight\u200d of a\u200b painful \u200cdivorce and\u200d a scrutinized new relationship in Grande’s songs, have you ever read\u200b a poem, a book, or listened to\u2062 the \u200blyrics \u2063of a timeless breakup anthem? Some art exposes vulnerability, \u200cdepth, and heartache. This album falls short in that regard.<\/p>\n
For those who enjoy the \u200dalbum because it’s\u200c “fun” or catchy, I understand. However, “Eternal Sunshine” introduces significant themes only\u2063 to dismiss them with a \u2062shallow and immature response that is hard\u200b to ignore, even when presented as feel-good pop music. Love is not merely an internal emotion; it is an external and sacrificial\u200b bond that weaves people together, forming the \u2064foundation of our lives. Unless we grasp this concept, we will dwell \u200bin the \u200ceternal darkness of thoughtless minds.<\/p>\n
You can listen to the album, but there isn’t much worth remembering or forgetting in the\u2064 first place.<\/p>\n
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What does Grande’s response \u2062to the situation through her song “Yes, And?”\u200c reveal about the lack of depth in her approach to addressing the consequences of her choices<\/h2>\n
Their\u200c memories of each other after\u200b a painful breakup, only \u200bto realize that\u2063 their\u200c love \u200bwas worth \u200cthe\u200d struggle and\u2062 pain.<\/p>\n
By associating her\u200d album with such a profound \u2063and timeless love story, Grande attempts to elevate her own personal experiences into something more meaningful and significant. However, the \u2062lack of depth and substance in \u2064the lyrics and music undermines this intention.<\/p>\n
The drama surrounding the album’s release, such as\u200c Grande’s divorce\u200b and the controversy surrounding her relationship with Slater, takes center stage<\/a> \u2064instead. This focus on\u2063 external events and \u200cgossip\u2063 detracts \u200bfrom the\u200b emotional journey that Grande supposedly embarked on when creating the album.<\/p>\n
Moreover, the\u2062 response to the drama on social media highlights<\/a> the \u200cfleeting and superficial nature of our modern society. People may express disappointment or hope for lower\u2062 tour prices, but very few\u2063 seem to truly care about the impact of these events on individuals and families.<\/p>\n
Grande’s response to the situation through her song “Yes, And?” further demonstrates the lack \u2064of depth in her approach. While she encourages listeners to stand\u200b by\u2063 their actions \u200cand \u200dnot care about others’ opinions, she fails to acknowledge the consequences\u2064 of\u2062 her \u200dchoices\u2063 on those around her.<\/p>\n
Love, as portrayed in\u2064 mainstream\u2064 music, is often\u2062 reduced to a selfish pursuit of personal authenticity, free from\u2064 any\u2063 external influences or \u200bresponsibilities. This\u200d individualistic view of love undermines \u2064the true essence of love\u200d as an act\u2063 of \u2062the will, as described by C.S. Lewis.<\/p>\n
If we continue to endorse\u200c this shallow\u2064 and self-centered \u200cversion \u2062of love, we \u200d risk losing sight<\/a> \u200cof its true power and \u200dmeaning. Love should be about unity, commitment, and selflessness,\u200c not about\u200c fueling drama or pursuing personal desires without \u200cconsidering the impact on others.<\/p>\n
In conclusion, “Eternal Sunshine” may be Ariana Grande’s seventh studio album, \u2063but it falls\u2064 short in capturing the\u2062 depth and substance that one would expect from an artist delving into \u200dpersonal experiences such as divorce and new relationships. The\u2063 focus on external drama\u2063 and the lack of introspection undermine \u200cthe album’s \u2062potential \u2064impact. It is a reminder of the\u2063 superficiality of mainstream music and the need to reassess our understanding and portrayal \u200dof love in popular culture.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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