Ariana Grande’s ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez made a surprise appearance at her Eternal Sunshine concert in Austin, Texas on Friday, which happened to be her 33rd birthday.The pop music icon even changed the lyrics to her 2019 hit thank you, next from ‘Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh’ to ‘… they still kinda slap’ and ‘…he still got my back’ in honor of Alvarez, who was watching from the VIP section with Grande’s dad.At that moment, Ed Butera gave the 38-year-old former Argentine footballer a congratulatory handshake, as seen in fan footage.Alvarez seemed thrilled to be there, especially given the occasion, and looked on as a group of backup dancers presented Grande with a birthday cake on stage.Some might read more into the scenario, especially now that Grande is single again after her amicable split from Wicked co-star Ethan Slater. Grande and Alvarez did date briefly between April 2015 and July 2016. They met when Alvarez was hired as a backup dancer for her Honeymoon Tour. Though they split up, they have remained good friends. Ariana Grande’s ex-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez made a surprise appearance at her Eternal Sunshine concert in Austin, Texas on Friday, which happened to be her 33rd birthday; the singer is pictured on opening night on June 7 in Oakland, California The pop music icon even changed the lyrics to her 2019 hit thank you, next from ‘Wrote some songs about Ricky / Now I listen and laugh’ to ‘… they still kinda slap’ and ‘…he still got my back’ in honor of Alvarez; the two are pictured in 2016But a source told TMZ that ‘there is nothing romantic between Ariana and Ricky this time around’ and they’re just hanging out.On Thursday, on a break from her tour, the three-time Grammy winner was spotted out to lunch with Alvarez and some other friends at a restaurant in Austin.Alvarez’s reappearance in Grande’s company comes in the wake of reports that the singer ended her three-year relationship with Slater, 34, who she met on the set of the 2024 musical-fantasy in which she played Glinda and he portrayed Boq.A source told the Daily Mail that they both decided to go their separate ways after a great deal of consideration.The same source said the breakup, which happened several months ago, was amicable and the two were still on friendly terms.Grande was said to be in good spirits as she focuses her time and energy on her current tour, which kicked off on June 6 in Oakland, California and ends on September 1 in London.Slater has not been seen at any of Grande’s shows thus far.Their romance was first reported in July 2023, amid buzz that Grande’s marriage to Dalton Gomez was over. It was later reported that Grande and Gomez separated in January of that year. Alvarez was watching Grande’s performance from the VIP section with Grande’s dad, Ed Butera, who gave the former Argentine footballer a congratulatory handshake, as seen in fan footage Alvarez seemed thrilled to be there, especially given the occasion, and looked on as a group of backup dancers presented Grande with a birthday cake on stage; Grande pictured on June 7 But a source told TMZ that ‘there is nothing romantic between Ariana and Ricky this time around’ and they’re just hanging out; Grande pictured on June 7 Grande and Alvarez first met when he was hired as a backup dancer for her Honeymoon Tour; pictured together on stage in 2015 in Milan, Italy Grande and her Wicked co-star Ethan Slater – seen here in February 2025 – reportedly ended their relationship several months agoSlater had also just separated from his wife, Lilly Jay, with whom he had a son who was born in August 2022.At the time, sources insisted they didn’t start dating until after they had separated from their spouses.Meanwhile, Grande is gearing up for the release of her eighth studio album, Petal, on July 31.The 12-track LP features the single Hate That I Made You Love Me, which sounds like a breakup song but is actually more multi-layered than that and serves as a message about public scrutiny and the complex relationship she has with the media and her fan base.