Ariana Grande, Ricky Alvarez Resume Romance 10 Years After First Dating

Q: With Ricky back, will Ariana Grande's next album rewrite her famous 'Thank U, Next' story?

Probably not in any explicit way—at least based on what is public now. What has clearly changed is Grande’s live framing of the story. As reunion rumors with Ricky Alvarez grew, she repeatedly revised his “Thank U, Next” lyric on tour, moving from a joking retrospective to lines like “I know he’s still got my back” and, most recently, “We always find our way back.” That is the strongest evidence yet that her view of that relationship has softened into something more hopeful. But there is no confirmed sign that her next album, *Petal*, is built specifically to revisit or rewrite the Ricky chapter. The album was announced in April, before the relationship was publicly confirmed on July 14, and the descriptions Grande has given are broader: “full of life,” “growing through the cracks,” and “a little feral.” The lead single, “Hate That I Made You Love Me,” suggests a sharper, more self-possessed tone, but not necessarily a direct sequel to “Thank U, Next.” The more defensible reading is that *Petal* may reflect Grande’s current emotional reality—including reconnecting with someone she has long trusted—without turning into a literal rewrite of her 2018 breakup anthem. For now, the rewrite is happening more visibly onstage than on the album rollout. If Alvarez remains a steady presence, that could shape future songs. But as of July 14, the evidence supports a tonal evolution, not a confirmed narrative overhaul.

Q: Was changing a song lyric on tour the planned reveal for their rekindled Hollywood romance?

Yes — the lyric changes appear to have been an intentional public signal of Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez’s reunion, even if there was no formal announcement from Grande herself. The clearest evidence is the progression of the altered “Thank U, Next” line during her Eternal Sunshine Tour. What began as a playful tweak in Austin — “And they still kinda slap” — shifted to the more pointed “I know he’s still got my back” in Atlanta, then to “We always find our way back” in Brooklyn on July 13. That final version, delivered one day before People and TMZ confirmed the romance, was widely read by fans and media as a reveal. The timing supports that interpretation. The lyric changes came amid repeated sightings of Grande and Alvarez together in Austin, then in Boca Raton over Fourth of July weekend with her family. Sources also said Alvarez had been joining parts of the tour and had become a trusted “friend and confidant.” What cannot be said with certainty is that this was a pre-planned rollout in the traditional Hollywood sense. Neither Grande nor Alvarez issued a direct statement saying the song change was meant as the official reveal. But taken together — the escalating lyrics, the public appearances, and the confirmation that followed — it functioned as a deliberate soft launch of their rekindled relationship.

3 articles · Updated · ELLE · Jul 14

People and TMZ reported July 14 that Ariana Grande and Ricky Alvarez are dating again, with sources saying the former couple is moving slowly rather than rushing into anything serious.
June and July sightings in Texas and Florida had fueled reunion speculation after Alvarez joined parts of Grande’s Eternal Sunshine Tour and spent Fourth of July weekend with her and her family.
Grande also revived fan interest by repeatedly changing the Ricky lyric in “Thank U, Next,” ending with the July 13 Brooklyn line: “We always find our way back.”
Grande and Alvarez first got together in 2015 after meeting on her Honeymoon Tour, split in 2016, and remained friends; sources now describe him as dependable, supportive and someone she trusts.