It’s not hard to make the connection between Ariana Grande’s new song, “Hampstead,” and her relationship with boyfriend Ethan Slater.
Grande, 31, and Slater, 32, crossed paths while working on Wicked in London in 2022. The singer was residing in Hampstead, a neighborhood in the city, during that time. She has openly discussed that period, even identifying the “places and pubs” mentioned in the song.
During an interview with Radio 1 in March 2025, Grande shared, “I was in Hampstead when I was here, and I loved my walks on the Heath. I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs.”
The track, featured as a bonus on Grande’s album Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, commences with Grande making a reference to one of those pubs while seemingly addressing the misconceptions regarding her bond with Slater. At the time they met on the set, both were married to other individuals. Eventually, Grande parted ways with her husband Dalton Gomez after a two-year marriage. Slater and his former spouse, Lilly Jay, who have a 2-year-old son together, finalized their divorce in July 2023.
The next month, sources told Us Weekly that there was no overlap between the relationships.
“I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead / And I misplaced my mind in a good way,” the song begins. “Threw away my reputation but saved us more heartache / Yes, I know it seems f—ed up, and you’re right / But quite frankly you’re still wrong about everything / So far off, your seat’s nowhere near the table / But I find something sweet in your peculiar behavior /’Cause I think to be so dumb must be nice.”
Grande has previously slammed the negativity she attributed to “disreputable tabloids” that has made it difficult for her to navigate her personal life.
“I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie,” she told Vanity Fair in September 2024. “A lot of people that were working on it did. We were away for two years. So, of course, I understand why it was a field day for the tabloids to sort of create something that paid their bills.”
“That was definitely a tough ride,” she added.
She went on to defend Slater after seeing “so many people believe the worst version” of their relationship timeline.
“No one on this earth tries harder or spreads themselves thinner to be there for the people that he loves and cares about,” she said. “There is no one on this earth with a better heart, and that is something that no bulls— tabloid can rewrite in real life.”
Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead released on Friday, March 28.
