Ariana Grande Gives Ex Ricky Alvarez a 'Thank U, Next' Shoutout.
Ricky Alvarez, Ariana Grande's ex-partner, is receiving a heartfelt tribute. In fact, the "Sweetener" singer altered the lyrics regarding Alvarez in her song "Thank U, Next" at her Eternal Sunshine Tour performance in Austin, Texas, on June 26, the day after she spent time with her ex.
Fan film from the concert, which Alvarez observed, shows Grande, 33, changing the song's lyrics to hint at her relationship status with the dancer, whom she dated from 2015 to 2016.
The second section of Grande's line regarding her ex-boyfriends, "Wrote some songs about Ricky / I know he still got my back," differs from "Now I listen and laugh."
A concertgoer witnessed Alvarez's live response to the lyric change while the Arianators went crazy over it. The 33-year-old watched and quietly grinned in the social media video as a man—whom fans assume to be Grande's father, Edward Butera—shook his hand. During the shoutout, Joan Grande, the singer's mother, also made a casual motion toward Alvarez.
Additionally, Grande had previously altered the song's lyrics regarding Alvarez.
Following all of this, on June 24, the Wicked actress, who is presently in Austin for a three-show run, altered the same "Thank U, Next" line for her first performance at the Moody Center.
Fan videos of the performance had Grande singing.
Photos posted on social media show the Grammy winner dining at De Nada Cantina in Austin the following day with Alvarez and a buddy. Alvarez wore an Elysia band t-shirt that showed off his arm tattoos, while Grande sported a black Eternal Sunshine Tour T-shirt.
Even though Alvarez and the "Hate I Made You Love Me" singer had been friends in the ten years after their breakup, their public reunion occurred only a few weeks after it was revealed that Grande and her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater had split up months before.
On June 8, a source informed media outlets that the couple had announced their separation.
