Looks like Ariana Grande‘s Eternal Sunshine is going to shine a little longer. On the latest episode of the Shut Up Evan podcast posted Tuesday (July 9), the 31-year-old pop star confirmed that an extended version of her Billboard 200-topping seventh studio album is for sure on its way — but fans will have to be patient as they wait for its release.
When asked about the possibility of a deluxe version — something she first teased in June on Penn Badgley’s Podcrushed podcast — Grande told host Evan Ross Katz that it was “definitely” in the works. “I definitely thought this album was perfect as it was, and I still kind of feel that way,” she said. “With time, I’ve been inspired to write more songs and inclined to do this deluxe. I’m really tempted to put a creative button on this storytelling, and I have a lot of ideas.”
“It’s an idea that’s become something I can’t not do,” she continued before teasing, “The final song on it is one of my favorite songs I’ve ever written.”
The downside, however, is that the Eternal Sunshine deluxe won’t be coming in the near future — Grande is still busy promoting the upcoming Wicked films, in which she stars alongside Cynthia Erivo, after all. “I don’t just want to slap the music onto what I already think is a perfect version of the album,” she explained. “I want to let it live in this current state a little while longer, take my time to execute my vision for this deluxe and make sure that it’s worth the wait and as special as I think it can be.”
“I’ll let it be a surprise, but I wouldn’t say any time super soon,” the Grammy winner added. “I’m also trying to navigate the timing of the Wicked of it all, because I really want to give my entire self to that when it’s time to shift gears. I’m working on it constantly, and I’ll have more information on timing soon.”
Grande had a similar answer when asked whether she’s planning to do live shows in support of Eternal Sunshine, another topic she previously spoke about on The Zach Sang Show. “I still want it too,” she reiterated to Katz. “It would be a really lovely idea to be able to trickle in some shows in between the two Wicked films. It’s for a multitude of reasons not going to be a tour in the way that I used to tour.”
“It would be a mini little sampling of shows, I think,” she added. “It’s something that my team and I are working on coming up with options for.”
