Watch:Fans Think Ariana Grande’s New Tattoo Is a Reference to Ricky Álvarez
It seems the boy is officially Ariana Grande’s
After all, the Grammy winner turned heads during her Aug. 15 concert in London when she debuted a delicate tattoo on her collarbone with a not-so-subtle nod to her romance with Ricky Álvarez.
In a photo shared to her Instagram Stories Aug. 15, Grande’s new ink was on full display as she donned an off-the-shoulder ensemble. The tattoo, written in script, read, “I do love you.”
And if the body art seems familiar, that’s because Álvarez has the same words written on hiscollarbone in a different font, which he showed off in a July 2025 Instagram post.
And Arianators wasted no time in connecting the dots
“Ariana grande and ricky álvarez have matching tattoos!” one fan wrote on X, while another added, “and matching or not it’s actually so adorbs of a tattoo.”
Meanwhile, another added of her new chapter with Álvarez, “She revels in every moment and what is life without reveling.”
Grande and Álvarez’s love story first began in 2015, when he joined “the boy is mine” singer on her Honeymoon Tour as a background dancer before their work relationship turned romantic
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Though they called it quits a year later, the pair have since rekindled their flame, which Grande first teased by changing the lyrics to her 2018 hit “Thank U, Next” in his favor
Though she usually follows the lyrics, “Wrote some songs about Ricky,” with, “now I listen and laugh,” she sang at her July 13 Eternal SunshineTour concert, “We always find our way back.”
Recently, the pair seemed to confirm exactly that after going Instagram official on Aug. 12
Instagram/Ariana Grande, Instagram/Ricky Álvarez
In one snap shared to Grande’s social media, the duo donned matching white tops and black jeans as they posed for a mirror selfie where Álvarez draped an arm around the “7 Rings” singer’s shoulder
In a second snap, Grande, 33, and Álvarez, 35, switched up their position for another mirror selfie, this time being a blurry pic of the pair upside down
And while they have yet to speak publicly about their romance, it should come as no surprise that these two are committed to keeping their personal lives as private as possible, especially considering how protective they were about their connection during the first go-around
“We’re happy,” Grande told Billboard of her romance with Álvarez in a May 2016 interview. “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.”
Keep reading for a closer look into Grande’s dating history
Photo by Jesse Grant/WireImage
The Grammy winner and The Good Wife alum met in 2008 while starring in the hit Broadway musical 13.
And while the duo may have called it quits in 2011, it’s obvious they’ve remained on good terms, sharing a selfie from a “Lil 13 reunion” they had in 2016 and enjoying a 2019 dinner together in New York.
Indeed, the Australian YouTuber shot his shot with Grande over X (formerly Twitter) in 2012 as part of a challenge with twin brother Luke Brooks. The siblings—part of YouTube comedy group The Janoskians—competed to see who could get the Nickelodeon star’s attention first.
After putting out a July 2012 video outlining why the child star should date him, the pair began a long-distance relationship that lasted into 2013.
Following the breakup, Brooks took to X to accuse Grande of cheating on him with The Wanted’s Nathan Sykes, a claim she denied.
“I’m going to be the lady my mother raised and carry myself with class and dignity… But I will never be any man’s press opportunity…” she wrote on X at the time. “It’s always ok to defend yourself. My fans know what kind of person I am. Never let any man discredit u or the values you were raised with…I’m finally happy. Words can’t hurt me anymore.”
Despite the back-and-forth, Grande and Brooks poured into their relationship one last time, reconciling in 2014, though they walked away from their connection for good months later.
In 2016, they teamed up yet again for their track “Over and Over Again.” And while there were some post-breakup jitters when it came to working together again, Sykes—who married wife Charlotte Burke in October 2025—detailed how he and the Wicked star quickly moved past any uncomfortable vibes.
“I spoke to [Ariana] and I was like, ‘It’s only as awkward as everyone else makes it,'” Sykes told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “If we don’t make it awkward, then at the end of the day, after a couple of weeks, it’s not going to be awkward anymore.”
One month later, the “Blessings” rapper subtly confirmed their relationship.
“That Ariana is very, very special,” he said during his appearance on On Air with Ryan Seacrest in September 2014. “She’s very special to me.”
And while the “thank u, next” hitmaker thought she’d end up with Sean, he wasn’t a match.
Grande and Sean—who welcomed son Noah with longtime partner Jhené Aiko in 2022—broke up in April 2015 after nearly nine months of dating due to conflicting tour schedules, a source previously told E! News.
In a joint statement, Grande and Sean’s reps shared they “care deeply for each other and remain close friends.”
Though they sparked dating rumors early on in their working relationship, Miller set the record straight after their steamy music video for the latter track raised eyebrows about the nature of their connection.
“That’s the homie. She’s got a boyfriend and everything,” Miller told MTV News in an April 2013 interview, referencing her romance with Brooks. “Obviously, that [kiss] made everyone talk. I didn’t even know that was going to happen and then we were shooting and the director was like, ‘This should happen,’ and I’m like, ‘Alright.’”
But it seems Miller was more game for the interaction than he let on. After all, the pair went public with their relationship in August 2016 while attending the MTV VMAs together.
Though they were able to collaborate on many more tracks together—including “My Favorite Part” from Miller’s 2016 album The Divine Feminine—it was how they supported each other in the face of hardship that made their romance so strong.
After the terrorist bombing at Grande’s 2017 concert in Manchester—which claimed the lives of 22 people—Miller stood by her side, later joining her on stage at the benefit show she hosted to support the victims.
“This is one of my best friends in the whole world and favorite people on the planet,” Grande wrote on Instagram Stories at the time. “I respect and adore him endlessly and am grateful to have him in my life in any form, at all times regardless of how our relationship changes or what the universe holds for each of us!”
Four months later, Miller tragically died following an accidental overdose. It wasn’t until a year later that Grande spoke publicly about her profound grief.
“It’s pretty all-consuming,” she told Vogue in a July 2019 interview. “By no means was what we had perfect, but, like, f–k. He was the best person ever, and he didn’t deserve the demons he had.”
“I was the glue for such a long time, and I found myself becoming less and less sticky,” she added. “The pieces just started to float away.”
The comedian made his relationship with the “Dangerous Woman” singer Instagram official in May 2018 after they met on Saturday Night Live.
Weeks later, Davidson debuted multiple tattoos in Grande’s honor before confirming his engagement to the “Into You” singer one month later.
“I feel like I won a contest, so sick,” Davidson said of the engagement during his June 2018 appearance on the Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. “It’s f–king lit, Jimmy. It’s so lit.”
In August, the pair made their romance red carpet-official as they attended the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards together, just days after Grande dropped her fourth studio album Sweetener, which features the song “pete davidson.”
While they covered quite a bit of ground in their relationship together, Grande and Davidson—who has since welcomed a daughter Scottie Rose with ex Elsie Hewitt—broke up in October 2018, but not without Grande giving her former fiancé one last shoutout.
As Grande sings in “thank u, next,” “Even almost got married / And for Pete, I’m so thankful.”
She and Dalton Gomez began dating in the beginning of 2020, right before the COVID-19 pandemic put the pair on lockdown. The “yes, and?” singer and real estate agent quarantined together, making their love Instagram official that June.
And by December of that year, they imagined a world together as they got engaged.
Five months later, the pair tied the knot at their home in Montecito, California.
“They got married. It was tiny and intimate—less than 20 people,” Grande’s rep told People of the May 2021 nuptials. “The room was so happy and full of love. The couple and both families couldn’t be happier.”
But Grande and Gomez broke free from their marriage just two years later before settling the terms of their divorce in October 2023, according to documents obtained by E! News.
Per the agreement, according to TMZ, Gomez received a one-time tax-free payment of $1,250,000 and half the net proceeds of their L.A. home sale but did not collect spousal support.
Grande and Dalton finalized their divorce in March 2024.
A source close to Grande and Slater told E! News after the excursion, “they went with a big group of friends including her mom and brother and are really happy and really good for each other.”
And while the pair’s thrillifying romance got a stamp of approval from Grande’s brother Frankie Grande, who called him a “very sweet guy” in a June 2024 interview with TooFab, the couple’s relationship became the center of controversy following speculation there was overlap with their previous marriages.
“It definitely doesn’t get any easier, seeing some of the negativity that was birthed by disreputable tabloids,” Grande told Vanity Fair in 2024 of the chatter. “Of course, I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie. A lot of people that were working on it did.”
Grande went on to defend Slater—who welcomed a son with ex-wife Lilly Jay in August 2022—against any negativity thrown at him.
That same month, Slater finalized his divorce with Jay.
Following the changes in his personal life, the Broadway star opened up about the challenges of being catapulted into the spotlight.
“I think there was something that was really difficult about things in your private life being commented on and looked at by the public,” Slater told GQ in 2024. “There were a lot of big changes in private lives that were really happening, so it’s really hard to see people who don’t know anything about what’s happening commenting on it.”
While breakup rumors between the two began in late 2025, they called their three-year romance off for good in June 2026.
“We’re happy,” Grande told Billboard of her romance with Álvarez in a May 2016 interview. “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 proved to be short and sweet, with the musician and the professional dancer calling it quits just months later in July 2016.
But there were brighter days ahead for the couple, who were seen together during a June 2026 group lunch at De Nada Cantina in Austin.
One day later, Grande switched up the lyrics to her 2018 hit “thank u, next.” Though she usually followed the lyric, “Wrote some song about Ricky,” with, “now I listen and laugh,” at her Austin show she said, “They still really slap.”
Weeks later, she was back at it again, this time singing at her July 13 concert, “We always find our way back.”
Soon after, he found his way onto her grid, with Grande appearing to soft launch their romance on Instagram July 27 ahead of the release of her eighth album Petal.
As she captioned the post which included a clip of herself clinking olives with Álvarez, “petal season continued …….. !”
