Ariana Grande releases her seventh studio album, eternal sunshine

“I didn’t have the goal to make an album. I actually wasn't really opposed to coming out with music until after Wicked. I wasn’t sure how it would feel," Ariana Grande shared with Zach Sang. "But as soon as the strike began, I came to New York just for fun to see how it would feel. Max Martin came to spend a week with me at Jungle City Studios and it all just kind of started pouring out. After our first week together, I kept coming to the studio everyday by myself and it kept organically happening that way so I just decided to react and listen to that."

Speaking to Zane Lowe on Apple Music, Grande revealed that the making of the album was a vulnerable, yet fun experience, which was aided by the break she took from music, in order to focus on Wicked.

"For so long, I think I was hiding from it – hiding from my success or from what comes with it – and it was really impacting my ability to be able to love what I do for a long time," she explained. "It was really making me resentful, I think, for a little bit of time and I don't feel that anymore. I feel like I'm able to let go of that and enjoy it and I feel really proud and grateful for that."