Ariana Grande: I’ve Loved Every Minute Of Recording This Album, ‘Eternal Sunshine’

Ariana Grande joins Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 to discuss her next album, eternal sunshine. She discusses how her time away from music was therapeutic, how she learned to deal with her concerns, and how hiding from her accomplishment affected her ability to enjoy what she did.

She also discusses how the album was inspired by the film ‘Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,’ her affection for Jim Carrey, and how her song “ordinary things” was inspired by a voice note from her Nonna.

Ariana Grande discusses her mother’s support and the significance of performing in ‘Wicked’ in an interview with Apple Music.

Ariana Grande: Even as a young age, she would fly me from Boca to audition for Broadway plays. I believed in it, therefore she backed me without pushing me. She was always incredibly supportive.

Zane Lowe: It’s actually happening right now. I mean, it must be extremely special for you to have done so much effort and completed this era with Wicked and be able to trace it back to that point. Because I’m sure she’s incredibly proud of everything you’ve accomplished, and music is a big part of that, but she should know that those trips to New York, Broadway, and matinees kind of brought you back to that spot in a strange way.

Arianna Grande: It’s nice. It is weird, but also not. It feels like a complete circle. It feels like home. It feels like bits of the puzzle that have always been there are making their way back together. Just a good blend of everything. It’s beautiful. I hope you enjoy it. I am excited for you to see it.

Ariana Grande discusses the freedom she experiences via art in an interview with Apple Music.

I believe that art in general has a great deal of freedom since you can draw inspiration from anyplace. You can draw from your own experience, a notion, a film, or a tale you are telling. A friend told you a story about a relationship. Art can come from anywhere. Finding a home in endless sunshine was a great costume to wear, I believe, for this project.

Ariana Grande tells Apple Music how her song “ordinary things” was inspired by a voice mail from her Nonna…

Zane Lowe: That’s when it hit for me. I was listening to it and thinking, “Okay, it starts with a question and ends with an answer.” The question is, how can I know if I am in the proper relationship or if I have discovered the right person? It concludes with the most ageless bit of advise that anyone with any knowledge can give you: don’t forget about the simple things. When did you understand that the album began with a question and ended with an answer?

Arianna Grande: Honestly, I didn’t realize it until I discovered the voice note. I realized that “ordinary things” marked the end of the record. I said to myself, “This is the last song, but I wonder how I can put that button on it and have it land emotionally the way that I feel it can, and how can I answer the question?” I usually record my Nonna while I’m with her because you never know what she’ll say, and she’s the funniest person in the world. I had a 30-minute voice note of her and her buddy Shirley conversing. It was precisely in the middle, and I said, “Oh my God, that’s the answer.”

In an interview with Apple Music, Ariana Grande discusses how her break from music has helped her heal.

Prior to leaving for Wicked, I had a pretty strange connection with music. I believe that the time away was really restorative. It’s fascinating because I returned and have enjoyed every minute of preparing this album, including the videos, rehearsing, planning the roll-out, shooting the photos, and everything else. This time, more than ever before in my life, I’ve been able to be lot more present, enjoy it, and savour it in a manner that I don’t believe I was able to do before.

Ariana Grande opens out to Apple Music about recording with Max Martin and feeling vulnerable…

It was quite vulnerable. I had this great trip in September with only Max, and we started these little seedling thoughts. We had a collection of beats we liked and wanted to expand on, and he left me with a large folder. I would come in and try things, then FaceTime when I was finished and ask, “What do you think?” Or, “Is this okay?” I don’t know,” and it was a very vulnerable yet enjoyable experience. I do not know. It was quite special.

Ariana Grande discusses coping with anxiety in an interview with Apple Music.

Arianna Grande: I try to avoid overreacting. I try to remain present. I believe that much of our work as humans is to strive to be present in the moment rather than living in the past or the future. But of course, there’s that looming dread of what might happen, I think-

Zane Lowe: I believe that anxiety is a natural effect of being alive. I genuinely believe that is not a contagious disease. I believe it is something you must learn to accept and/or admit.

Arianna Grande: You must learn to live with it. You must discover which tools work best for you and how to befriend them, as well as how to shine a light on all of your little creatures and say, “Okay, I see you. How will we live together? How will we survive together? How do we get through what we need to do and work on it together?”

Ariana Grande discusses how avoiding popularity affected her ability to enjoy her work in an interview with Apple Music.

This is the first time we’ve done this, that it’s felt this way for me, and that I’ve been able to give it my all in this way, including doing interviews and so on. I don’t usually think that way, but I’m excited to. Does this make sense? I’m excited. I’m proud and grateful, and it feels like a gift to be able to create this art. For so long, I believe I was in hiding from it, either from my success or from the consequences of my success, and it had a significant influence on my ability to enjoy what I do. I don’t want to get choked up. But, yes, it did make me resentful for a short period of time, and I no longer feel that way. I feel like I can let go of that and appreciate it. And I am quite proud and appreciative for that. Sorry for going there, but it feels quite different.

Ariana Grande discusses developing self-awareness in an interview with Apple Music.

Zane Lowe: You are not required to provide specifics, but how did you grow personally?

Ariana Grande: In all seriousness, I believe I discovered that I wasn’t listening to myself in a lot of places where I should have been. It felt as if my neurological system had been screaming at me for a long time to make certain adjustments, but I believe I was not listening. I’m not sure; I tried listening to it more.

Zane Lowe: It’s an interesting period in your life. Because it relates to all aspects, and I believe we make a lot of it about relationships and a lot about ourselves.

Arianna Grande: Oh no, it’s all about your relationship with yourself. That is mainly what I mean. For me, I was thinking, “Oh, I’m not listening to myself; I need to start listening to my…” Why am I doing this? Ignoring these feelings isn’t protective. It is actually counterproductive. Not doing so is actually more detrimental.

In an interview with Apple Music, Ariana Grande discusses how her album was influenced by the film ‘Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind’ and her admiration for Jim Carrey.

Ariana Grande: I believe the film is so popular because so many people can identify to knowing something isn’t right but loving so much, wanting to remain, trying to figure it out, and the cycle that occurs in the film. I believe this is why the film is so popular. It’s because so many people can identify to it, and I believe it just fell into place that these songs included little snippets of that concept. I was just incredibly inspired by it.

Zane Lowe: Do you remember the first time you saw it?

Arianna Grande: I was really young. I am a huge Jim Carrey admirer. I’m not sure if you know this, but my initial screen name was JimCarreyFan42. So I was clearly quite young. It has always been a favourite of mine.

Zane Lowe: What is it like to meet him?

Ariana Grande: It was thrilling. He is even better. You know how you get nervous when you meet your people because you never know how they will be, and it’s extremely scary? He couldn’t be better. I love him even more now that I’ve met him and worked with him on Kidding.

Ariana Grande speaks with Apple Music about her forthcoming tour plans.

I miss doing shows. I really do. If there is an opportunity to do so between the Wickeds or immediately following the Wickeds, I will try my best. I think I just have to sort of like my relationship to music, and I have to redefine my relationship to doing shows because I think that’s something that suffered a lot as well because of my own trauma, and my own lack of boundaries when I was younger, which I think allowed me to have an anxious relationship with it. But I believe that’s where I was. So I’m here now, and I kind of look forward to it. I’m excited to redefine my connection with touring and doing gigs as time allows, but it’s something I’d like to do. I’m just not sure when.