Ariana Grande Reveals She Played ‘Thank U, Next’ For Big Sean & More Exes Before Releasing It

Ariana may have name-dropped all of her exes in ‘Thank U, Next,’ but the singer didn’t blindside her old boyfriends! See what she had to say about showing them the song before its release.

Ariana Grande‘s Thank U, Next is on its way to becoming an iconic breakup anthem, but what do her exes Pete Davidson, 24, Ricky Alvarez, 26, and Big Sean, 30, think about being mentioned in the hit? Well, they must have been cool with the lyrics about them because the 25-year-old singer admitted to sending the song their way first. “They heard it before it came out,” Ariana tweeted the day after the release, along with a heart emoji and a smiley face. Is there any chance she thought of including some her other ex-boyfriends? Recall Ari reportedly has also gone out with Graham Phillips, 25, Nathan Sykes, 25, and Jai Brooks, 23 in the past, and it looks like we’ll never know what she learned from them!

But what did Ari have to say about her most recent exes? “Thought I’d end up with Sean, but it wasn’t a match,” she sang in Thank U, Next. “Wrote some songs about Ricky, now I listen and laugh. Even almost got married, and for Pete, I’m so thankful.” She even included a line about her late ex Mac Miller, 26, who overdosed in September. “Wish I could say ‘Thank you’ to Malcom ’cause he was an angel.” Ariana then went on to highlight what she learned from each relationship including love, patience and pain. But here’s the real kicker — she released the song just before Pete appeared on Saturday Night Live, and there’s no way that was coincidental timing. The girl’s got guts!

Her song is incredible and fans are obsessed, so it’s easy to see why her exes would pass off on it. Instead of bashing them in the single, Ariana simply focuses on herself and how she’s grown from her failed relationships. And while she mentions having met someone else, she admits, “I know they say I move on too fast, but this one gon’ last ’cause her name is Ari.” Perfect!