ICYMI: Here's Exactly Who Ariana Grande Name-Drops in "Thank U, Next"
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Did you hear? Ariana Grande is "so f*cking grateful" for her exes that she's thanking them by name. Fans may have expected a brutal diss track from the singer's new song "Thank U, Next," but they got a powerful self-love anthem instead.
While the song's theme is definitely healing and moving on, Ariana does give a shout-out to a few of her past relationships, but she's a benevolent queen. Ariana confirmed that at least two of her exes (Big Sean and Ricky Alvarez) heard the song before its release. In case her past romances don't ring a bell, here's a refresher on exactly who she's singing about and why she's ready to say, "thank u, next."
Big Sean
"Thought I'd end up with Sean, but he wasn't a match."
Ariana kicks off her ode to her exes by naming Big Sean, who she dated for eight months from 2014 to 2015.
Ricky Alvarez
"Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh."
After her split from Sean, Ariana was next linked to backup dancer Ricky Alvarez. They dated for a year and split mid-2016. It's rumored he's the inspiration behind her songs "Moonlight" and "True Love."
Pete Davidson
"Even almost got married, and for Pete, I'm so thankful."
Ariana and Pete famously got engaged in June, but broke things off four months later. In a series of now-deleted tweets, Ariana called out her ex for poking fun at their split during an SNL spoof.
Mac Miller
"Wish I could say, 'Thank you' to Malcom, 'cause he was an angel."
Mac and Ariana started off as friends and collaborators, but their relationship sparked romance rumors in 2016. The two stayed together until 2018, and Ariana called him one of her "best friends in the world" following their split. Mac sadly passed away of an apparent overdose in September.