Ariana Grande sent fans into a frenzy Monday night when the opening verse of her breakup anthem “Thank U, Next” rang out inside a New York City arena — and the singer began name-checking the famous exes immortalized in the track.
But when she reached the line about former boyfriend Ricky Alvarez, Grande made a pointed switch. Rather than singing the original lyric, “Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh,” the pop star offered a new version: “We always find our way back.”
The surprise change instantly lit up the arena, with fans reading it as far more than a playful concert ad-lib. Combined with several recent sightings of Grande and Alvarez together, the moment has fueled fresh speculation about the singer’s love life following her split from actor Ethan Slater earlier this year.
According to the Daily Mail, the lyric tweak may have been a deliberate hint. Sources claim Grande, 33, has been “hanging out” with Alvarez, 35, and that the former couple are “dating again” nearly a decade after their 2016 breakup.
Meanwhile, away from the roaring crowd in New York, Slater, 34, was reportedly only just learning about the renewed romance.
“Ariana hasn’t told Ethan specifically, but mutual friends have told him that she is now dating Ricky again,” one insider told the Daily Mail.
Ariana Grande appeared to hint that she has reunited with ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez after changing a lyric about him during her Monday concert. The pair are pictured together in 2016
Grande’s lyric change drew a huge reaction from the crowd and came just weeks after her low-key split from Ethan Slater, pictured with her in January 2025
Those close to Grande say this reunion didn’t come out of nowhere – Grande kept a line open to Alvarez even while she was involved with her Wicked co-star Slater. They were adamant, however, that Alvarez ‘never crossed the line while she was with Ethan.’
‘It was important to her to still be loosely in contact with him as they still had mutual friends,’ a source explained. ‘As her relationship was ending with Ethan, she chose to reach out to Ricky more… then hang out with him more with mutual friends… and then they started hanging out alone.’
That same insider said Alvarez is ‘very happy being back in her life and is looking for this second chance to be what he wanted the first time around.’
Alvarez, now a photographer, met Grande when he was a backup dancer for her in 2015, but the pair only dated for a year before calling it quits.
Lately, however, they seem to have suddenly grown closer. Last month, as Grande marked her birthday in Austin – where she was performing on her Eternal Sunshine tour – she was spotted with Alvarez at a local restaurant. Then, he attended her concert in the Texas city, where she first changed those lyrics about him to sing, ‘I know he still got my back.’
On the Fourth of July, the popstar was photographed leaving a Whole Foods in Boca Raton, Florida, with grocery bags – and Alvarez – in tow.
‘Ariana and Ricky are fully back in each other’s lives and are together,’ an insider said.
‘What ultimately drew her back was the comfort and familiarity they share. She doesn’t feel like she has to prove herself, and there’s a level of trust that comes with knowing each other so well.’
‘This doesn’t appear to be a rebound. Ariana and Ricky have a long history and a level of familiarity,’ the Daily Mail source said (pictured with Alvarez in 2016)
Alvarez was Grande’s backup dancer for her 2015 Honeymoon tour
And the insider insisted the couple aren’t just ‘simply picking up where they left off.’
‘They’re revisiting the relationship with a different perspective, openly talking about what went wrong before and making a conscious effort to avoid repeating those mistakes,’ the insider said.
‘They’re approaching the relationship with more maturity and a clearer understanding of each other. Which isn’t usually Ariana’s thing.’
Because if there’s one criticism that sticks to Grande’s love life, it’s that she seems to swoop in, pull a guy into her orbit, and then move on just as fast.
Take Slater. Their relationship – which began while they were both filming the Wicked movies together in 2023 – was one born out of drama.
Grande had just divorced Dalton Gomez, 30, and Slater’s wife, Lilly Jay, had just had a baby.
Both Grande and Slater’s camps have insisted they were each fully separated before things turned romantic, but the timeline raised eyebrows, especially after Slater’s ex-wife said their family was ‘collateral damage’ in the blossoming relationship.
Rather than attempt to put out the fire, however, Grande leaned in, releasing songs such as ‘The Boy Is Mine’ and ‘Yes, And?’ that were widely seen as direct clap‑backs to critics.
Grande has recently sparked concern for her dramatic weight loss and frail appearance
Back in 2012, Grande dated Australian YouTuber Jai Brooks, whose online obsession with her turned into an actual relationship – and then a very public disaster. After their 2013 split, Jai accused Grande of cheating with The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes.
The following year she started dating rapper Big Sean, whose ex fiancé Naya Rivera later accused Grande of making moves on the rapper while they were still engaged – allegations Grande has never publicly addressed.
After their split in 2015, Grande moved on with Alvarez for their brief romance.
Then in 2016 came rapper Mac Miller, who she dated and collaborated with musically until May 2018, when news broke that they too had split.
Within weeks, the world watched as she then went Instagram‑official with comedian Pete Davidson, a short-lived love affair that saw him propose after only a month of dating. Davidson himself, however, later admitted he knew it was basically over between him and Grande after Miller’s tragic overdose that September, the shadow of that grief hanging over their whirlwind engagement.
By 2020, she was quietly dating real estate agent Gomez, marrying him in 2021 then divorcing him in 2023.
Her newfound relationship with Alvarez, then – compounded with renewed concerns about the singer’s dramatic weight loss – has made some question whether getting back with her ex is nothing more than a rebound after her latest heartbreak.
But one source insists that, this time, Grande and Alvarez are the real deal.
‘This doesn’t appear to be a rebound,’ they said. ‘Ariana and Ricky have a long history and a level of familiarity. Their reconnection seems to have grown naturally rather than being an impulsive reaction to the end of her previous relationship.’
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Grande for comment.
