Healing and Hope: “Brighter Days Ahead” Deluxe

Ariana Grande released her seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine in March 2024. It marked a significant milestone in her career and became her sixth album to debut at number one on the Billboard Top 100 chart.

Grande’s seventh album, Eternal Sunshine blends many genres, including RnB and Pop.

Many topics dive into Grande’s personal life. The themes of the album include heartbreak, love, and self-discovery.

Straight after her press run for Wicked, Ariana released Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead on March 28, 2025.

The deluxe includes six new songs and a new cover, making it feel like a brand-new album. Grande collaborated with Max Martin and is credited as the sole writer for the deluxe album. 

The ‘Brighter Days Ahead’ Short Film

The Brighter Days Ahead short film is a 26-minute film that illustrates Ariana as Peaches, an older version of herself, watching videos of her younger self.

The film continues the narrative that started with the music video for We Can’t Be Friends.

Grande also drew inspiration from the film Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

One of the most touching moments from the film is Peaches watching real home videos from Ariana’s childhood. The clips include videos of her mom, dad, grandma, and grandpa. 

Some of the clips include Ariana singing, performing, and enjoying time with her family as a young girl. 

Also, there was no shortage of easter eggs either. In one of the scenes Peaches stares at a broken pocket watch, which could be a possible easter egg to her 2018 hit “No Tears Left to Cry.”

Another easter egg is the return of Ariana’s iconic high brown ponytail which could be a nod to her earlier eras. Ariana is also in the same location as her character in the video from The Boy is Mine.

 It’s such a clever way to tie in all of her past and present work into the short film. 

The Stories Behind the Songs

The deluxe album allows fans to dive deeper into Ariana’s past traumas with relationships and her road to accepting herself.

The first song on the deluxe is an extended version of “Intro (End of the World.” This song asks deep questions of wondering if you are with the right person.

he discusses the weight of love lost through her iconic harmonies and melodies. 

Next, “Twilight Zone” is a classic Ariana pop song that explores the themes of the unknown and being vulnerable. “Warm” is a track about embracing independence and self-love. 

“Dandelion,” my personal favorite, sounds similar to Ariana’s number one album “Thank You, Next” released in 2018. It starts with a jazzy vibe featuring a saxophone and moves into a beat drop. The main message of this song is about starting over and embracing a new lover. 

“Past Life” is a synth-heavy anthem that reflects on lessons Grande has learned in her previous marriage to Dalton Gomez. In this song, she is coming to terms with Gomez not meeting the expectations she had for a partner.

 There is even a callback to her album track on “Positions” titled “Love Language” where she sings that she thinks Dalton is  “medicine when [she was] feeling anxious. In “Past Life,” she says “I used to think you were the medicine, but you were just code blue.”

The last song on the album is an extremely emotional ballad titled “Hampstead.” Hampstead is a place in London where Ariana lived when she was filming “Wicked.”

Hampstead was a deeply influential place for her. She started filming for her dream role, got divorced, and met the love of her life, Ethan Slater.

During the time, Ariana was also hit with numerous accusations of being a homewrecker. In “Hampstead” she addresses those rumors quite directly. She says “Quite frankly, you’re still wrong about everything, So far off, your seat’s nowhere near the table.”

In the chorus, she asks the question “What’s wrong with a little bit of poison.” Grande acknowledges the complicated situation but says she would rather follow her heart.

It’s a beautiful song that highlights the beauty and pain of feeling intense emotions. OH, and the vocals are otherworldly!!

Ariana’s Influence on Music

Ariana is more than a movie and pop star. She is a force in the entertainment industry.

 From the moment her album, Yours Truly, debuted in 2013, she redefined what it means to be a pop star. She effortlessly blends R&B and pop.

She will forever be known for her whistle notes, vocal runs, and perfect harmonies. 

Her influence can be seen in the new wave of artists, such as Sabrina Carpenter, who reference her as an inspiration in their music. 

She has been compared to music legends like Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey, but Ariana stands in a lane of her own.

Her artistic vision and storytelling have kept her as a main pop girlie for over a decade.

From her record-breaking albums and stunning album visuals, Ariana Grande continues to run pop   (as Nicki Minaj famously said in their collab.)