Entertainment

Ariana Grande Didn't Mention This Ex In "Thank U, Next" & Here's What He Had To Say

by Kristie Rohwedder
Kevin Winter/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images

The patron saint of high ponytails is thankful for her exes— so much so, she thanked her former beaus in a new song. Well, four of her former beaus. Nate Sykes wasn't included on Ariana Grande's “thank u, next," but the "God Is A Woman" singer's ex-boyfriend sure doesn't seem to mind. On Wednesday, TMZ approached the The Wanted singer at LAX and asked him how he feels about his ex-girlfriend’s latest single. Sykes revealed that he still had not listened to "thank u, next" (you're missing out, buddy), but “heard it's very good though.” When TMZ informed him his name did not make it into the lyrics, Sykes laughed and replied, “That’s good.”

“I hear it’s amazing, so that’s fantastic,” Sykes said. “I think that if people are releasing good music and they’re happy with the music they’re releasing, then that’s great.” Right on.

Saturday night, Grande dropped “thank u, next,” a lovely and unapologetic breakup anthem in which she names exes Ricky Alvarez, Big Sean, Pete Davidson, and Mac Miller, and proceeds to share what she learned from these past relationships. Had Grande put Sykes’s name in the song, he told TMZ that he does not know what she would say he taught her. “That’s not a question for me,” he chuckled. “I don’t tell anyone what they can learn from me.” Right on, part two.

Sykes and Grande dated in 2013 and split up after a few months. That same year, they joined forces for Yours Truly duet “Almost Is Never Enough.”

In 2015, Sykes told MTV News that he had penned a song about his breakup with Grande. He shared,

“It's not really that heartbreaking — it's very emotional. It's just a very nice breakup song. I’m one of those really annoying people who never holds grudges [against] anyone, because what's the point? There's no point. It's really boring and it takes up so much energy — just draining. So it's an nice breakup song, but really emotional."

As for which track off of his debut solo album is about Grande? Don't look to Sykes for the answer, because he's going to keep that scoop to himself. He told the Daily Star Online in 2016,

"Part of the excitement for me is people working out who the songs are about, because they're all going to get it wrong. People thought ‘Over and Over Again’ was about Ariana."

Sykes continued,

"I am never going to be one of those people who say, oh well this is about so and so, and this is about so and so. I'll talk about the situation, but I won't name names. I wouldn't want to be Ariana and open the papers or click on Twitter and see that her ex from four years ago – when no one really cares about that relationship anymore – is still talking about it.”

Speaking of “Over and Over Again,” Sykes and Grande reunited and recorded a remix of the track in 2016.

And now it is 2018 and Sykes is being all polite and positive and mature about Ari's ode to her exes that does not include him. This Arianator is so bleepin' grateful for Ari's ex's polite and positive and mature reaction to "thank u, next."