Ariana Grande thinks some of her fans may have gone too far.
The pop singer’s seventh studio album, Eternal Sunshine, arrived on Friday nearly four years after her 2020 LP, Positions.
Although fans might be able to make connections in the lyrics to the 30-year-old’s ex-husband Dalton Gomez and his alleged infidelity or her current boyfriend Ethan Slater, Grande told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe that Eternal Sunshine was inspired from multiple sources for this concept album.
“I think there's such a freedom within art in general because you really can pull from anywhere,” Grande told Lowe, per Elle. “You can pull from your truth, you can pull from a concept, you can pull from a film, from a story you're telling. From a story about a relationship that a friend told you. Art is really, it can come from anywhere. Finding a home in eternal sunshine was a lovely costume to wear, I think, for this project.”
However, the pop singer seems to think that her album may have been misunderstood by fans, some of whom may have felt inspired to take matters into their own hands.
Ahead of her appearance on Saturday Night Live, Grande addressed her concerns on her Instagram Story, writing, “Hi, I just wanted to say anyone that is sending hateful messages to the people in my life based on your interpretation of this album is not supporting me and is absolutely doing the polar opposite of what i would ever encourage (and is also entirely misinterpreting the intention behind the music).”
She continued, “I ask that you please do not. It is not how to support me. It is the opposite. Although this album captures a lot of painful moments, it also is woven together with a through line of deep, sincere love. If you cannot hear that, please listen more closely. Thank you.”
On the title song “Eternal Sunshine,” Grande accuses a man of lying and cheating as she sings, “Showed you all my demons, all my lies/Yet you played me like Atari / Now it’s like I’m lookin’ in the mirror/Hope you feel alright when you’re in her, I found a good boy and he’s on my side.”
The lyrics seem to allude to her relationship with real estate agent Dalton Gomez, whom Grande married in 2018 before divorcing him two years later. Last July, reports emerged that the singer and actress was dating her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Lilly Jay, his estranged wife with whom he shares a son, was reportedly blindsided by the news, according to Page Six.
