Ariana Grande closed out her Eternal Sunshine Tour at London’s O2 Arena on September 1 with a lyric change that sent the arena into cheers and set social media buzzing. Midway through “thank u, next,” she swapped the familiar line about her ex for something far more pointed:
“Wrote some songs about Ricky / I’m tryna make him my last.”
The original studio version, released in 2018, goes
“Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh.”
Fans and her backup dancers caught the update immediately. Videos of the moment spread quickly, with many reading the new wording as a public signal that Grande sees Ricky Álvarez as more than a temporary chapter.
This was no random improvisation. Grande had been rewriting the same line all summer, each version warmer than the last.
In Austin on June 24 she sang that the songs “still kinda slap.” Two nights later, on her birthday show, it became
“I know he’s still got my back,”
With Álvarez watching from the VIP section. By the July 13 Brooklyn date the lyric had shifted to
“We always find our way back.”
The London finale took it furthest:
“I’m tryna make him my last.”
People, Billboard, and Entertainment Weekly all tracked the progression, noting how a once-dismissive nod to an old relationship had turned into an ongoing onstage commentary.
Álvarez first entered Grande’s orbit as a backup dancer on her Honeymoon Tour. The two dated from 2015 into mid-2016. After their split they stayed friendly. Grande referenced him in the original “thank u, next” alongside other past partners, later joking that he had received “the worst line.”
They reconnected in 2026 after her relationship with Ethan Slater ended. Sources told People the pair had been hanging out and were taking things slowly. Álvarez appeared at several tour stops. In August Grande posted Instagram photos tagging him, effectively making the renewed relationship public.
The London line clearly suggests permanence.
“Make him my last”
lands as a statement of long-term intent, and that is why marriage talk exploded overnight. Yet neither Grande nor Álvarez has announced an engagement, wedding plans, or any formal step toward marriage. Reputable outlets have reported the lyric change and the relationship timeline without claiming a proposal occurred.
Grande has long treated her live performances as a running diary. What began years ago as a light look back at an ex has, over one tour, become a public statement about the same person possibly being her last. Whether that statement leads to a ring is a story only the two of them can write next.
