It’s easy to see the connection between Ariana Grande’s latest song, “Hampstead,” and her relationship with Ethan Slater.
Grande, 31, and Slater, 32, first met in 2022 while filming Wicked in London. At the time, the singer was residing in the Hampstead neighborhood, a place she has fondly spoken about. She has even acknowledged the locations mentioned in the song.
“I was in Hampstead when I was here, and I loved my walks on the Heath,” she shared during a March 2025 interview with Radio 1. “I loved meandering around and visiting different shops and places and pubs.”
“Hampstead,” a bonus track on Eternal Sunshine Deluxe: Brighter Days Ahead, opens with Grande referencing one of these pubs as she seemingly addresses the misconceptions surrounding her relationship with Slater.
When they first met on set, both were married—Grande to Dalton Gomez and Slater to Lilly Jay, with whom he shares a 2-year-old son. Grande later separated from Gomez after two years of marriage, while Slater and Jay finalized their divorce in July 2023.
In August 2023, sources told that there was no overlap between their respective relationships.
The song begins with the lyrics: “I left my heart at a pub in Hampstead / And I misplaced my mind in a good way,” followed by, “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 criticized the negative portrayal of her personal life in the media, attributing much of the scrutiny to “disreputable tabloids.”
“I went through a lot of life changes during the filming of this movie,” she told 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.”
Reflecting on the intense public attention, she admitted, “That was definitely a tough ride.”
Grande also took a moment to defend Slater, expressing frustration over the public’s perception 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 was officially released on Friday, March 28.
