Ariana Grande was already booked and busy this summer with her Eternal Sunshine Tour, but now, she might also have the release of her eighth studio album. On March 29, Grande updated the message on her Brighter Days hotline, and fans are speculating it’s a hint for AG8.
The update came on the one-year anniversary of the eternal sunshine deluxe: brighter days ahead album release. Fans belonging to Grande’s community text subscription received a message saying, “You’re due for a check-up before June. Please call Brighter Days Inc. to book your next appointment.” The keyword “before” has fans thinking that new music will be released ahead of her summer tour.Â
The hotline message says, “Our staff here at brighter days are so looking forward to continuing our mission of bringing happiness and healing to as many as we can this summer in person. We’re counting down the eights — oops, I mean the days. We’ll see you this summer… and remember, there are always brighter days ahead.”Â
But, of course, there is more to these theories than this obvious hint to AG8. Observant fans have noticed Grande’s deliberate, but sly use of eights in subtle ways on social media like eight emojis in a comment or eight exclamation points on an Instagram story. They’ve also noticed her posting on dates with eight in them — a nod to how she teased AG7. She even posted a special tour anticipation post, counting down the 78 days until it kicks off.Â
To further add to the speculation, Grande posted a series of photos on Instagram in March that appear to be in a recording studio. The Weeknd, a frequent collaborator with Grande, posted a story of their four songs together decorated with four firecracker emojis, an ellipses, and another firecracker emoji, presumably alluding to a fifth feature.Â
This news about AG8 — and a potential release before June — comes as a surprise, considering Grande told fans during the Wicked press tour that she was going to focus on acting projects and slow down with music. “I’m always going to make music. I’m always going to go on stage. I’m always going to do pop stuff, I pinky promise,” Grande told E! News in 2024. She continued, “But I don’t think doing it at the rate that I’ve been doing for the past 10 years, is where I see the next 10 years.”
Just two years after the release of eternal sunshine, Grande’s hints and these strong fan theories seem to prove otherwise. And it’s not just fans — even Grande’s longtime photographer is in on the speculation. She reposted a reel detailing fans’ reasoning behind their AG8 theories.Â
There seems to be some pretty hard evidence that the Eternal Sunshine Tour won’t be the only excitement for Grande fans this summer. This summer will be filled with new music for pop lovers with albums from Noah Kahan, Olivia Rodrigo, and those still bumping Harry Styles — and if we’re lucky (and the theories are true), Ariana Grande.