Ariana Grande is sharing her truth on her new studio album, Eternal Sunshine.
“Ariana thinks these songs will provide a lot of insight for her fans,” a source exclusively reveals in the newest issue of Us Weekly. “[It’s] her side of the story regarding Dalton [Gomez] and Ethan [Slater].”
News broke in July 2023 that Grande, 30, had separated from then-husband Gomez, 28, after two years of marriage. Later that month, Us confirmed that she started dating Slater, 31, after meeting on the set of the two-part Wicked movie musical. Grande will star as Galinda/Glinda the Good Witch, while Slater plays Boq, a Munchkin who has an unrequited crush on the bewitching character.
As Grande and Slater’s relationship heated up, rumors swirled about their timeline in relation to her divorce. Both Grande and Slater — who filed for divorce from estranged wife Lilly Jay in July 2023 — have denied cheating on their then-spouses.
Grande further hinted at the drama on “her first single from Eternal Sunshine, titled “Yes And?”
“I feel like we don’t need to go into any specifics, but, of course, there’s like an insatiable frustration, inexplicable, hellish feeling with watching people misunderstand the people you love and you and anything,” Grande said during an appearance on the “Zach Sang Show” in February. “I’m so nervous because pieces of [the album] touch on things that are real and then pieces of it are also just, like, part of the concept. So, what is that separation? It’s so scary to leave it up to these selective memory people to decipher. It’s scary, but I digress. Too late. The vinyls have been printed.”
A second source tells Us that Eternal Sunshine is a “concept album.”
“Ariana is playing with different characters, some of the lyrics come from her personal life, but others are just her playing a fun character for her fans,” the industry source says.
Eternal Sunshine, partially named after the 2004 film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, is the most “emotional” LP that Grande has written to date.
“It says everything and nothing at the same time. It’s very vague and very specific — all at once,” she added on the “Zach Sang Show” last month. “The thing that was beautiful about it was, when I was writing [Eternal Sunshine], it was with no intention for the world to hear it. I was just kind of [like], ‘Let’s just go. Let’s see what comes out.’ And then, when I was done, I remembered that people will hear it and sometimes, people will sensationalize things and assign meaning to certain things. And I wanted to make sure that I combed through, just to make sure that it was what I intended.”
Grande and Gomez filed for divorce in September 2023 and finalized their split one month later. (Slater’s own divorce is still ongoing. He and Jay, 30, share a son, 12 months.)
Since Grande’s split from Gomez has been official, she’s moved in with Slater in New York City.
“She feels like she’s found her soulmate. Life is good,” a third source tells Us, noting the pop star is optimistic about their relationship.
For more on Grande’s newest album and relationship with Slater, pick up the new issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
