Grande and Ricky Álvarez first crossed paths romantically in 2015, when he joined the pop star’s Honeymoon Tour as a background dancer.
“We’re happy,” Grande told Billboard in a May 2016 interview about her relationship with Álvarez. “I’m a very happy girl. I have a healthy life right now, and I think that’s all anyone cares to know. The end.”
Their romance was brief, however, and the singer and professional dancer ended their relationship a few months later, in July 2016.
A decade later, the two appeared to reconnect, joining a group lunch at De Nada Cantina in Austin in June 2026.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Fox Host Ainsley Earhardt Says Sean Hannity Won’t Allow Surgery
The following day, Grande changed the lyrics to her 2018 hit “thank u, next.” She typically sang, “Wrote some song about Ricky,” before following it with, “now I listen and laugh.” But during her Austin performance, she instead sang, “They still really slap.”
Weeks later, she hinted at their renewed connection again during her July 13 concert, singing, “We always find our way back.”
Not long afterward, Álvarez appeared on Grande’s Instagram grid as she seemingly soft-launched their romance on July 27, ahead of the release of her eighth album, Petal.
Grande captioned the post, which featured a clip of her clinking olives with Álvarez, “petal season continued …….. !”