Fans think Ariana Grande's new album tells her side of Dalton Gomez divorce. Here's why

Ariana Grande's album, "Eternal Sunshine," marks her first solo project in three years, and her first new music since her divorce from Dalton Gomez. Fans think multiple songs on the album, like “Bye” and “I Wish I Hated You," refer to their breakup.

Gomez and Dalton married in May 2021 after 11 months of dating, then separated in July 2023. Grande has since begun dating her “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater.

Though Grande doesn't name any names on her new album, many believe the songs are biographical. Her first single, “Yes, And?” appears to clap back at rumors that emerged after she and Slater began dating.

In the opening song, Grande, 30, asks a question: "How can I tell if I'm in the right relationship?" The rest of the album explores the contrast between a relationship that is falling apart ("We Can't Be Friends") and one that is thriving ("Imperfect for You"), as a way to answer her question.

Need further proof this is a breakup album? Well, Grande said the album's name was inspired by the song "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," which is about characters who wipe their memories rather than deal with the emotional fallout of a split.

“I think the movie is so beloved because so many people can relate to knowing that something isn’t right, but loving so much, and wanting to stay, and wanting to figure it out, and that cycle that can happen in the film. I think that’s why the film is so beloved. It’s because so many people can relate to it, and I think it kind of fell into place that these songs had little tidbits of that theme. I just felt really inspired by it," she said during a conversation with Apple Music's Zane Lowe.

What lyrics from 'Eternal Sunshine' refer to a breakup?

'Bye' lyrics

"Bye," the second song on "Eternal Sunshine," is about what the title suggests: A breakup. She sings, "Bye, bye. It's over, it's over / Bye bye, I'm taking what's mine."

A spiritual successor to "Thank U, Next," "Bye" is a joyous breakup anthem. The lyrics mention that the situation is "bittersweet," but tonally, the song gives more of a happy Motown song vibe. (More bittersweet tracks follow).

'Eternal Sunshine' lyrics

Whereas some songs on the album are about the feelings of a breakup, this one is more about the specifics — the why. In short, she got "played like Atari."

She seems to share, uh, details about the person she was with, including that he was a liar: "I’ve never seen someone lie like you do."

Fans believe she may be referring to infidelity with lyrics like, "So now we play our separate scenes / Now, now she’s in my bed, laying on your chest/ Now I’m in my head / Wondering how it ends."

"Hope you feel alright when you’re in her," she says later.

This person is her "eternal sunshine," or the person she wants to wipe from her memory, like the movie's premise.

"So I try to wipe my mind / Just so I feel less insane / Rather feel painless / I’d rather forget than know / Know for sure," she said.

Grande also sings that she has found a "good boy," and then parallels the lyrics from an earlier verse: "Now he’s in your bed, laying on my chest." Though they both have moved on, she's melancholy.

'Don't Wanna Break Up Again' lyrics

The third song on "Eternal Sunshine," "Don't Wanna Break Up Again" opens with a description of an unhappy relationship.

"I fall asleep cryin’ / You turn up the TV / You don’t wanna hear me / One more sleepless night / big day in the morning, so I take my time to self-soothe," Grande sings.

One fan used a meme of Grande crying to react to the song, writing "ariana on 'don't wanna break up again.'"

The chorus refers to the relationship as a "situationship," and indicates the dynamic is on-and-off: "I don't want to break up again."

She then describes going to therapy for the relationship. "I made it so easy / Spent so much on therapy / Blamed my own codependency / But you didn’t even try / When you finally did, it was at the wrong time," she sings.

The song seems to build to the conclusion that she actually will break up: "Won’t abandon me again for you," she sings.

The bridge signals the conclusion of their relationship: "We both know it's time / So we say goodbye / Just one kiss goodbye / With tears in our eyes / Hope you won't, won't regret me / Hope you'll still think fondly of our little life."

'We Can't Be Friends' lyrics

"We Can't Be Friends" is another song about facing a breakup, but not really wanting to break up, much like "Don't Wanna Break Up Again."

She sings in the first verse, "Just wanna let this story die and I'll be alright," but in following verses, she describes herself as wanting to wait until things get better.

"I’d like to just pre-tend / You cling to your papers and pens / Wait until you like me again," she sings. The references to "papers and pens" go back to the idea of a story: They're "pretending" they still have one together. "I wait for your love," she sings.

The song is also about how the person she's in a relationship doesn't really know her. "I didn’t think you’d understand me / How could you ever even try?" it opens, then she sings later, "You got me misunderstood."

It appears he's making her into something she's not, yet she still sticks around: "I don’t like how you paint me, yet I’m still here hangin.’" After all, she sings, "At least I look good."

'I Wish I Hated You' lyrics

"I Wish I Hated You" is about the mechanics of a breakup. Rather than wondering if she should break up — sitting with her "truth" but staying in the relationship, like she does in "We Can't Be Friends" — she has moved forward.

The song opens with imagery of moving items out of a house: "Hung all my clothes in the closet you made / Your shoes still in boxes I send them your way."

The bittersweet song is about giving grace to an ex. Hating a person would be easier than this melancholy, she seems to suggest: "And no matter how easy things could be if I did / And no matter how guilty, I still feel saying it / I wish I hated you."

Instead of hate, she's left with complicated and nuanced feelings she has to navigate on her own as they go their separate ways: "Our shadows dance on a parallel plane / Just two different endings / You learn to repair and I learn to keep me in one place."

Other songs, like "Imperfect for You" and "Ordinary Things," appear to refer to what happened after her breakup: She got into another, happier relationship.

"I don't want anything but more time," she sings in "Ordinary Things," a nod seemingly to her new relationship.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com