Eternal Sunshine’s aura first started to glow on Dec. 27, 2023. That day, Grande shared a photo carousel on Instagram with a caption that read, “See you next year.” This post confirmed she had new music in store, since it also included a teary-eyed selfie of her in the recording booth. In another photo, Salmanzadeh — who co-produced her Sweetener album — can be seen working his magic on a computer.

The surprise didn’t stop there. Multiple slides featured a postcard of Grande wearing red lipstick from her REM Beauty brand. It seems this photo was a holiday package for her fans, as her largest Instagram fan account (@honeymoonavenue) received the same gift. With that said, many people believed the postcard was the cover art for the album or its lead single. Their hunch was correct, as she later confirmed on Jan. 8 that the shot was the “album’s cover.”

On Dec. 29, Grande proved that red might be the signature color of Eternal Sunshine. That day, the singer shared a post of her collaborators Salmanzadeh and Martin using the red kiss mark emoji on her Instagram Stories.

Fans also noticed that typing “7” into the Apple emoji keyboard will bring up that same graphic. While it’s unclear if that Apple speculation is related to the album, it’s still iconic.

Grande started the year off with some spring cleaning. On Jan. 1, she cleared her Sweetener Instagram page and added a sign-up link to Eternal Sunshine in the bio.

The sign-up page is a huge Easter egg for the new album. Not only is the page’s background a blurred shot of the red-lipped postcard, but it reportedly alluded that she might announce something this month. And she did: “Yes, And?” and the upcoming album’s release date.

Red isn’t the only potential theme of this album. Some fans believe that Eternal Sunshine might have references to Las Vegas and casino culture. Back in December 2023, one fan noticed one of Grande’s gift sets for her perfume line looked like a pink gambling table. The section, which is named “Dealer,” features six dices and two cut-outs on either side that resemble a deck of cards.

That’s not all, though. That same month, celebrity photographer Miles Diggs shared a photo of Grande in her now go-to red lip on Instagram. Most notably, he captioned the post “go time” with a clapper board and 777 jackpot emoji.

Speaking of the number 7, it certainly seems to be a common theme in Eternal Sunshine’s promotion. Here’s an Instagram overlook: On Dec. 7, she shared seven photos in her carousel. She then posted a video of her singing in the studio (which sparked its own theory) on Dec. 17, and her “see you next year” post came on Dec. 27.

Let’s backtrack to Dec. 17. As mentioned, Grande posted a video of her working in the studio on Instagram. While most of the clip is muted, there’s a brief moment where she can be heard singing a word that ends in “st.”

Fans immediately caught on to the sound, and many speculated she sang: “with your chest.” It seems there’s some importance to the “st,” as Salmanzadeh recently posted the two letters on his Instagram Stories. Arianators’ predictions were corrected, as “with your chest” is a notable lyric in the chorus of “Yes, And?”

Grande flaunted a huge clue in the glitziest place possible: New York City. On Jan. 4, Miles Diggs shared two more photos of Ariana wearing a crewneck that read “yes, and?” on Instagram. He captioned the post “with your chest,” which seemingly confirmed fans might’ve been spot on with the “st” theory.

While the pictures embraced Diggs’ eye for streetwear style and off-guard poses, some fans believe they have a larger meaning. On X, one user speculated “yes, and?” might be AG7’s lead single. This idea gained traction, as the singer also teased her Sweetener single, “No Tears Left To Cry,” on a crewneck while visiting Disneyland in 2018.

As seen by the singer’s Jan. 7 announcement, fans were correct in their observation. While the two-word track title sounds mysteriously intriguing, this moment would’ve ate if she traded “yes” for her signature “yuh.”

Another day, another intriguing clue. On Jan. 11, Grande shared a teaser video for her single, “Yes, And?” on Instagram. In the clip, a group of critics can be seen meeting at an office. It appears the singer led them to that location, as the opening shot features a red card with the acronym “AG7” and coordinates 41.0359° N – 71.9545° W written on the front.

As with most of Grande’s album clues, fans believed the coordinates unveiled a larger surprise: the album’s official title. A quick search reveals those numbers lead to Montauk, N.Y., the filming location for 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The decades-old film has an interesting link to Grande, as it stars one of her favorite actors: Jim Carrey.

That connection paired with Grande and her collaborators heavily using the infinity emoji led fans to believe the album might be called Eternal Sunshine — and again, they were correct. Before the singer confirmed the theory, she also shared a selection from Alexander Pope’s 1717 poem Eloisa to Abelard (the main inspiration behind the Carrey-led film) on her Sweetener Instagram on Jan. 16.

Some fans believe the Eternal Sunshine nod goes beyond Grande’s soft spot for Carrey. Shortly before the album’s announcement, Arianators noticed her ex-boyfriend, Mac Miller, spoke about his love for the film in 2013.

“I love Jim Carrey when he’s being serious. He killed this role,” Miller told Complex at the time. “Whenever I’m talking to a girl, I always tell them to watch Eternal Sunshine. It cuts deep.” His words feel pointed, as he was dating Grande at the time of the interview.

Miller, who died in September 2018, also showed his appreciation for the movie on his 2011 record, Blue Slide Park. (Also, Grande’s album announcement arrived on the three-year anniversary of his posthumous gem, Circles.) With these connections, fans speculate Grande’s album might be dedicated to him.

This theory isn’t too far-fetched, as Grande has honored the late rapper numerous times over the years. She made a subtle tribute to him in her recent re-recording of Yours Truly, and detailed her process of grieving his death on 2019’s “Ghostin.”