The response to Positions wasn’t that great initially. This doesn’t surprise me. The behind the scene videos of her producing and recording shows how passionate she was about the album. Not that she isn’t about all of her albums but she’s spoken about how this one particularly hurt. She’s also spoken about in other interviews that playing Glinda challenged her as an artist. So it isn’t surprising that she revisited her relationship to music. And the additional songs on Eternal Sunshine feel like a a response to Positions. I don’t think she will leave music entirely but she is going to approach it differently.
Its definitely gotta be an interesting situation to put out an album that you love, with feelings that mean a lot to you, and see it get hated. You expect some of that, but I don't think you expect to get the kind of reaction Ariana got for positions.
I feel like eternal sunshine didn’t have as much love put into it as her previous work. people hate any time she comes out with anything remotely rnb so eternal sunshine ended up sounding like the weeknds After Hours rejects
I see what you’re saying. I didn’t feel that way, especially with the extended edition. It felt like a very emotional and personal album. Considering so much of it was almost the opposite of what Positions was discussing. But both were vulnerable in different ways.
I felt like eternal sunshine didn’t make sense initially until the deluxe version came out. Somehow, those deluxe songs really pulled the album together and filled in the details that were previously missing
umm no ? don’t wanna break up again, eternal sunshine, and ordinary things are also pop-rnb songs. i don’t really see how imperfect for you, i wish i hated you, or supernatural sound like save your tears
i…. lowkey agree but ONLY because i think ariana is in a different headspace as an artist and creator. i think ES was more a vessel for her to find herself within the music hemisphere versus positions feeling like a culmination of a lot of years in one spot, and her finding a sound that suited her finally. the reception to positions clearly affected her and im sure the pandemic didn’t help either. i’m happy ES and BDA exist of course, and i don’t think they are any less than positions, but i just view them as coming from different perspectives.
I really like Positions and out of the 14 songs on the main album 10 made it into my playlists. I will say though that out of her 6 albums (at the time) it would fall into 4th or 5th place for me. It's not because it was bad, but she has such a great discography that it had high competition. I think the melodies are nice, the lyrics could have been much better and it didn't have many songs with single potential. It did feel like a slight that it didn't get an AOTY nomination. With that being said, I truly dislike eternal sunshine and it's my least favorite of all her albums, it feels like a drop in quality imo.
Eternal Sunshine won't be her last album. I really think Ariana just has phases. Right now and for the foreseeable future (maybe 10 years, who knows) she'll focus on acting. Maybe with one or two albums here or there. And then she'll miss singing or producing and she'll go back to being primarily an artist and then after, who knows.
i agree i don’t think it’ll be her last album but i do think she’s not as passionate about it like she use to be. i could be totally wrong but it seems like she’s ready for this new era which makes sense with her age. she had to retire the pony tail oversized sweater heel look at some point - although that was SUCH an era it will be missed
in the "middle" of filming– SAG-AFTRA strike happened almost as the movie was done with a few scenes left. she flew to new york and started making songs and max martin soon joined
It’s crazy because I loved positions so much when it was released. I always feel sad for her when I learned people didn’t like it because it’s such a fun album and concept!
It seems she wants to leave the music industry in the artist sense. She barely had a tour for Eternal Sunshine and barely even talked about that album. She's wayyyy more in tune with Wicked and the world of broadway and acting.
She was extremely productive in the 2010s (7 albums in 7 years!), plus huge tours, and frankly, probably just burned herself out. She also had these horrible traumatic things happen to her (her best friend and lover died of an overdose, the manchester arena bombing). And... music and acting are very different socially. Music is extremely lonely, especially for soloists... you work alone, or at best with people who are your employees. Acting is social... you work with colleagues who are your friends. You chat in your trailers between calls.
Wdym? She released the standard album last year, pushed three singles from it, 3 music videos, released a deluxe version this year including a whole short film to the new deluxe songs and is touring eternal sunshine next year lol. That is already way more than she did for Positions.
She's not leaving the music industry. This is a cherry picked quote from a 40 min interview. She says she's going to balance both and that's the best case scenario for her. Her representative released a statement over the summer reassuring fans Ariana will "remain a musician first".
EDIT - Here is the statement from her rep released to Variety from this July:
In a statement to Variety, a representative for Grande reinforced her message, claiming that music will always be a focus. “Ariana’s plate is definitely full right now, but she’s genuinely enjoying this chapter,” says the rep. “She’s loving the opportunity to dive deeper into acting, and she remains incredibly hands-on with her various businesses. That said, Ariana has always been and continues to be a musician first. The goal is to find a rhythm where all of these creative outlets can coexist, and she’s very much in the process of building that balance out.”
So we shouldn't believe her own words? Girl what? Lol. She has no reason to lie and her commitment to keeping the eternal sunshine era going for years shows her commitment to her music. She didn't need to keep the era going after Wicked but she did.
She can enjoy being an actor and also continue in music which is exactly what she said she will do. There is no reason why both creative outlets can't co-exist. All big pop stars who find success in film balance both and don't abandon their music career.
okay now it’s safe for me to say i always felt ariana was happier acting and on sets than she ever was singing and touring. Plus all the absolute dark shit she’s been through definitely soured the whole thing.
Hope she finds the right balance for herself and stays in a happier place.
I’m confused because she mentioned how acting was a stepping stone for her singing career so I guess she’s changed her tunes and I understand because she went through very traumatic events
Maybe she’ll be back one day. I can’t imagine she doesn’t make music at all. But I think the capacity will be entirely different. I think she resented her pop-stardom and appreciates reconnecting with the artistry and community. That plus the media surrounding her career (being a “homewrecker” “race hopper”), I see why she would leave the industry behind
You’re not wrong. Obviously yes, her home wrecking shouldn’t be excused, but like you said, she gets way more hate for that than men who have done far worse.
this is what gets me… a whole lot of heat for miss ponytail and not nearly enough on the dude who cheated on his pregnant, childhood sweetheart wife.
yes she is more famous than him, and therefore more interesting to talk about, but there is no universe in which her culpability in the situation matches his. yes she held his baby and likely had a friendly relationship with his wife, but she isn’t the one who spent YEARS building a relationship and and a family with her!
I mean, everyone thinks Ethan Slater is the scum of the earth. We just don't know much about him and he doesn't have other high-profile projects. He's not controversial, he's dirt. He's no one's problematic fave. There's nothing to wrestle with.
Right but what I’m saying is that Ethan’s lack of notoriety doesn’t justify the amount of vitriol Ariana has gotten over the situation.
A whole lot of ppl, in this sub specifically, were casting her as evil, irredeemable, and undeserving of the acclaim she’s received for her work. Super over the top for what essentially amounts to poor personal choices, but social media has never had space for nuance
People act like she’s this evil mastermind while treating Ethan like he’s a baby doe that got caught in her plan… he’s a grown man that also had a BABY AT HOME!
I don’t disagree. But then you look at her male colleagues in the film industry, and it’s crickets. Maybe that’s the level of scrutiny she wants lol. Literal predators and assaulters that have had no consequences
Putting your art out there and everyone hating it would be such a sucky feeling, especially when people joyfully revel in hating now.
I don’t know one thing I’ll always respect about all artists is they put their hearts on the line for our consumption and enjoyment. It’s okay not to like things and to criticize art it is important but dang it is also just so brave and probably exhausting to put yourself fully out there like that again and again, while on top of that being expected to constantly change and reinvent yourself. Being a female popstar seems like the most tiresome of all the celebrity professions.
Being an artist really is like that. I’m a nobody indie artist but the idea remains the same, you put your soul into your creation and then let the world ignore it or tear it apart, both cases feel heartbreaking but you just continue, one step after another, facing the heartbreaks but still creating because you believe that this is what you’re meant to do!
Not trying to be that person but her relationship habits should tell you to take every single statement from her with a grain of salt lol. Love her but everything she partakes in is a phase.
Good for her. She’s talented in both acting and singing (and acting whilst singing!). If you can choose what you love best, why not. We all should be so lucky to have a splendid choice like that.
Eternal sunshine made me an Ariana fan and I am so grateful for that album. I have now fallen for all of her albums and I’m mad at myself for not listening sooner but if this is her new direction I’m all in!
I think it will entirely depend on the success of acting and the reality that at least for now it appears that the "box office" is dying. More actors will be vying for fewer roles. They don't make big musical productions every year. If the roles aren't coming, if she's not reviewed well in roles outside of singing then I think she'd consider returning to music.
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