Fans convinced Ariana Grande spills on Ricky Alvarez reunion in ‘Petal’ song ‘Bad Thing’
Ariana Grande sings about a steamy romance on “Bad Thing (Bunny Hop)” — and fans are convinced the lyrics are about her reconciliation with ex-turned-boyfriend Ricky Alvarez.
In the song off the Grammy winner’s new “Petal” album, released Friday, Grande asks whether a man has “been this fine the whole damn time.”
The actress, 33, sings, “Meet you by the staircase where we / Fell in love, let’s do it twice.”
She refers to the connection as a “bad thing” in the new release, which features lyrics about “all of this time [she’s] been wastin.’”
The former Nickelodeon star adds, “You’ve been really good through all this noise / The frequency’s changing.”
Another verse includes, “I can learn your body language / ‘Cause it never used to be like this.”
X users speculated that the parenthetical in the song’s title may be a reference to Alvarez, as “bunny hop” is never mentioned in the lyrics.
One fan pointed out that Grande’s “Dangerous Woman” album, which features the “Sam & Cat” alum sporting a pair of rabbit ears on the cover, came out during her and Alvarez’s relationship.
Another wrote, “Folks, it’s so simple. We barely even know exactly when she started with [Slater] and much less when they actually ended. Most likely she and Rick have been together for way longer than we know. Obviously it’s for him!!!!!”
A third insisted, “the lyrics match their situation perfect.”
Grande’s rep did not immediately respond to Page Six’s request for comment.
Grande and her former backup dancer, notably, dated between 2015 and 2016 — and sparked reunion rumors in June.
Page Six confirmed earlier this month that the duo is back together following her breakup from “Wicked” co-star Ethan Slater.
While news broke of the “Victorious” alum and Slater’s split last month, it is unclear when exactly the pair called it quits — and Grande recorded “Petal,” her eighth studio album, early this year.
The songwriter called the record “a little feral” in an Apple Music interview on Wednesday.
“I wrote from a place I don’t usually, which was, like, an unfiltered rage that I think we all feel sometimes,” she explained.
While Grande is “usually too shy to tap into that,” she “didn’t filter [herself] as much” this time around.
“I usually do a lot of rewrites and make things a little kinder,” the “Thank U, Next” hitmaker shared with the outlet. “This time, I didn’t. … It’s definitely from a place I’ve been maybe too shy or polite to tap into before. This kind of just feels like, ‘F–k it’.”
