This article was originally published on Crafting Your Home. A human contributor also wrote and edited the post.
Ariana Grande fans have been living for every lyric change, every sighting, and every liked Instagram post for weeks now, and it looks like their patience is finally paying off.
According to a source who spoke exclusively to PEOPLE, Grande and her former flame Ricky Alvarez are indeed exploring a reunion nearly a decade after their original romance ended, though both are being very deliberate about how fast, or slow, this second chapter unfolds.
The source told PEOPLE that the pair are “taking things very slowly” as they navigate whatever this new dynamic actually is.
Rather than jumping straight into labels or big declarations, the insider explained that Grande and Alvarez are choosing to let things develop naturally rather than rushing into anything serious.
“They’re not jumping into anything serious right away,” the source said, while also noting that Grande is genuinely thrilled to have Alvarez back in her orbit after all these years.
A Friendship That Never Really Faded
Long before anyone was speculating about lyric changes or matching moon videos, Grande and Alvarez had already quietly held on to something most exes never manage to keep: a genuine friendship.
The two dated from 2015 to 2016 before splitting on famously amicable terms, and, according to the source, Grande never harbored any lingering resentment toward him even after the romance ended.
Instead, Alvarez has remained someone she trusts deeply and considers a true confidant over the years that followed.
That foundation of trust appears to be a big part of why this reconnection feels different from some of Grande’s other high-profile relationships.
The source described Alvarez as dependable, supportive, and funny, adding that the two share a “smart, dry sense of humor” that makes Grande feel completely comfortable being herself around him.
For someone whose life has played out under a very public microscope for well over a decade, having a partner who already knows her inside and out clearly counts for something.
Their renewed closeness has not stayed behind closed doors either. Alvarez recently joined Grande and her family in Florida over the Fourth of July holiday, spending time with the people closest to her rather than just catching up as casual acquaintances.
He has also accompanied her during portions of her ongoing Eternal Sunshine Tour, appearing at multiple stops as she continues traveling across the country performing to sold-out crowds.
The Lyric Changes Fans Cannot Stop Talking About
If there is one thing Grande fans know how to do, it is analyze every single word that comes out of her mouth on stage, and this time their instincts were right on the money.
Grande has been quietly rewriting a piece of pop culture history in real time, tweaking the “Thank U, Next” lyric that originally referenced Alvarez during her live performances over the past several weeks.
The original 2019 lyric read, “Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh,” a line Grande has publicly joked about in the past, once recalling that Alvarez felt he got the worst reference out of all her exes mentioned in the song.
The changes started small during her Austin, Texas, shows in late June, where Grande sang variations including “I know he still got my back” and “they still kinda slap,” both noticeably warmer than the original line.
Then came July 13, a date that holds extra significance since it happens to be Alvarez’s birthday, when Grande took the stage in Brooklyn for her Eternal Sunshine Tour stop at Barclays Center.
During that performance, she reworked the lyric once again, this time singing, “Wrote some songs about Ricky, we always find our way back,” a line that sent the crowd into an immediate frenzy and lit up social media within minutes.
Fans have not been shy about connecting the dots either, especially since the lyric changes have coincided with a string of other subtle but telling moments between the two.
Grande began liking Alvarez’s Instagram posts in rapid succession following his appearance at her Austin show, and she also started following members of his family on the platform shortly after.
The two were even spotted posting nearly identical videos of the moon around the same time in late June, the kind of small synchronized detail that fans of any celebrity couple tend to seize on immediately.
Taking It Slow After a Very Public Breakup
This renewed connection with Alvarez comes at a notable moment in Grande’s life, arriving just weeks after news broke that she and her Wicked costar Ethan Slater had quietly ended their relationship after nearly three years together.
Sources previously indicated that the pair had been broken up for several months before the split became public in early June, with both described as remaining friendly and supportive of one another despite the breakup.
Against that backdrop, it makes sense that Grande and Alvarez would want to move carefully rather than diving headfirst into anything official.
Neither Grande nor Alvarez has publicly confirmed that they are romantically involved again, and PEOPLE’s source was careful to frame the situation as something still very much in progress rather than a done deal.
What does seem clear, according to the source, is that this renewed relationship is built on genuine years of friendship and mutual trust rather than a rebound following a recent breakup.
Alvarez originally entered Grande’s world back in 2014 as a backup dancer on her tour, and the two grew close enough that their romance became public in the summer of 2015 after they were photographed together during a trip to a California doughnut shop.
Their relationship lasted a little over a year before ending in 2016, though the two clearly never lost touch entirely, with Alvarez even returning to work alongside Grande as a photographer and videographer during her Sweetener World Tour back in 2019.
For now, fans will simply have to keep watching closely for the next lyric tweak, the next joint appearance, or the next liked photo, since it seems that is exactly the pace Grande and Alvarez want to move at.
Whatever officially comes next for the two of them, the source made clear that this is not a couple in any rush to define things for the cameras or the tabloids.
Sometimes the slowest burns are the ones worth paying closest attention to, and right now, all signs point to Grande and Alvarez being perfectly happy to let this one unfold exactly on their own timeline.
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