Sabrina Carpenteris one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, but a lot led up to the star breaking through after a decade in the music industry. Carpenter got her first big break starring asMaya Hart in Disney Channel’sGirl Meets World.TheBoy Meets Worldspinoff helpedCarpenter get her nameout there andscored her a deal with Hollywood Records.
Carpenter would release four albums with Hollywood Records before switching to Island Records, and releasingEmails I Can’t Sendin 2023. The deluxe edition introduced the bonus track “Feather,” which finally peaked at number one on the US pop charts. Following the success of her 2024 follow-up albumShort n' Sweet,Carpenter is enjoying well-earned pop music stardom. However, the success came from a series of sometimes unfortunate and sometimes very fortunate events.
10The Olivia Rodrigo & Joshua Bassett Love Triangle
Rodrigo Referenced Carpenter In Her 2021 Single
Sabrina Carpenter was pushed further into the spotlight during a love triangle made public by Olivia Rodrigo’s “driver’s license.” TheHigh School Musical: The Musical: The Seriesactress kickstarted her music career in early 2021 when her first single,“driver’s license” took the internet by storm.The riveting breakup song was about her fling with costar Joshua Bassett, who had dated Carpenter after their split.
An innocent lyric, “you’re probably with that blonde girl,” meant to express Rodrigo’s insecurities, led to social media users going after Carpenter.TheGirl Meets Worldstar was crucified for being “the other woman"who stole Bassett away from his younger girlfriend. While Carpenter had grown up in the spotlight as a child actress, she’d never experienced as much public attention as she did during the love triangle.
9Skin
Carpenter Released A Clapback
Like Rodrigo, Carpenter is a songwriter, and the only way she knew how to cope with the drama was to release her own song.The pop star debuted “Skin” only 14 days after Rodrigoreleased “driver’s license.” The song’s release further got the public talking about her with its lyrics “Maybe we could’ve been friends if I met you in another life” and “Maybe blonde was the only rhyme.”
All 6 Songs Sabrina Carpenter Performed For Her Tiny Desk Concert, Ranked
Sabrina Carpenter concluded her successful year by visiting NPR for a Tiny Desk concert. She performed six tracks from her 2024 album, Short n' Sweet.
The song expressed Carpenter’s frustration that Rodrigo had told her side of the story and the internet believed it without knowing Carpenter’s perspective. The singer also expressed thatshe wasn’t going to let Rodrigo or the song get under her skin.Unfortunately, the song didn’t make matters better; it only encouraged social media users to go after Carpenter and pin the singers against each other.
8Because I Liked A Boy
The Emails I Can’t Send Track Gave Further Context
The next song Carpenter released regarding the drama was “Because I Liked A Boy.” However,this time she wasn’t addressing Rodrigo, but speaking to the fans who had come after her. Carpenter sang about how all the drama started because she fell for a guy who had been with another popular star. She even includes the lyric “Dating boys with exes, no I wouldn’t recommend it.” Carpenter referenced how she’d been labeled as a “homewrecker” and a “s**t,” and had been accused of “stealing from the young.”
She also expresses her frustration at the world not seeing her for who she truly is, but creating their own narrative based on internet gossip. Carpenter drops a bomb at the end of the final chorus, admitting by the time all the drama unfolded,she and Bassett weren’t even together anymore.Carpenter’s point was that the drama was all so ridiculous and could’ve been avoided if she hadn’t developed feelings for Bassett. The song certainly got people talking and did its job as many expressed sadness over how she’d been treated.
7The Emails I Can’t Send Album
Carpenter’s 5th Studio Album Told Her Side Of The Story
The same day Carpenter released “Because I Liked A Boy,” she also dropped her fifth studio albumEmails I Can’t Send. Finally,Carpenter had her chance to give her side of the story, regarding the drama and the relationship itself.Carpenter’s prior albums had several pop hits, but they didn’t receive the publicity they deserved. However, this time around, all eyes were on her.
“When you’re insecure
Could be me, could be her
You just run to whoever is winning.”
-Vicious
In “Vicious” Carpenter sang about an ex who gave love and took it away and jumped between her and another girl. In “Tornado Warnings"she confessed to lying to her therapist that she wasn’t spending time with her exeven though she was. Then in “Skinny Dippin,” the popstar found forgiveness, calling the situation “water under the bridge.“Emails I Can’t Senddebuted at number 23 on the Billboard 200, the highest she’d ever debuted at the time.
6The Nonsense Tour Outros
A Tour Tradition Went Viral On TikTok
One of the most popular songs on Sabrina Carpenter’sEmails I Can’t Sendwas “Nonsense.” Carpenter was breaking into the spotlight at a time whenpromoting music on TikTok had become crucial.A sped-up version of the song gained a lot of traction on the app and Carpenter would go on to perform the song on Jimmy Kimmel and the 2023 VMAs pre-show.
However, what really popularized theEmails I Can’t Sendtrack was the iconic outros Carpenter did on tour. There is a short outro in the recorded version of “Nonsense” but Carpenter lengthened the outro when she sang it live. Just likeherShort n' Sweet"Juno” posesandTaylor Swift’s Eras Tour surprise songs, Carpenter would do a different outro at every show. This not only got fans going to the shows excited but also helped the song gain more traction when fans would post videos of the outros on TikTok.
This meant every night,people were checking the app to see what outro Carpenter was going to do. While many of them went viral, one of the most talked about was at a Los Angeles show when she sang the line “This song is not about Joshua Bassett.”
5Feather’s TikTok Virality
The Deluxe Track Was A Surprising Hit
To celebrate the success ofEmails I Can’t Sendand to thank her fans for their support, Sabrina Carpenter released her deluxe albumEmails I Can’t Send Fwd:in 2023. The album included four bonus tracks but “Feather” became the most popular.The song also went viral on TikTok.It was most frequently used in transition videos where users recorded themselves before and after getting ready to go out. Carpenter even utilized the trend when she was getting ready for one of her concerts.
The singer would go on to perform the song at the 2023 VMAs before transitioning into “Nonsense.” Carpenter released her music video for the song on Halloween 2023, but the star could never have anticipated what it would lead to.The biggest publicity “Feather” got came from its shocking connectionto New York City Mayor Eric Adams' indictment. Parts of the video had been filmed in a Brooklyn Church and Bishop Robert Brennan claimed Carpenter hadn’t gotten correct approval for what she was filming in the church. However, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello admitted to approving the video, putting him in the public eye and exposing his connections to the mayor. While the popularity of “Feather” was unfortunate for Adams, it was a surprising win for Carpenter’s career.
4Opening For The Eras Tour
Carpenter Joined Taylor Swift’s Record-Breaking Tour
After a pretty successful year, Carpenter had another one of her dreams come true when she joined the Eras Tour as an opening act in late 2023.The pop star has been a long-time Taylor Swift fan, regularly uploading covers of her songs on YouTube when she was a kid. With the Eras Tour, Carpenter had the opportunity to play in massive stadiums, introducing new fans to her music and showcasing her captivating stage presence.
As well as singing her hits like “Nonsense” and “Feather,” Carpenter would perform covers, much like she did on theEmails I Can’t Sendtour and continues to do on herShortn n' Sweettour. A few videos went viral on TikTok ofCarpenter performing songs like Olivia Newton John’s “Hopelessly Devoted To You"and ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.” The well-known song choices helped Carpenter relate to the audience and helped mould her into the ’70s-inspired diva she is today.
3Coachella Performance
Carpenter Went Viral In Palm Springs
As Sabrina Carpenter’s career rose, she had the opportunity to perform two weekends at one of the most anticipated music events every spring, Coachella. The star put on one of the most talked-about performances of the weekend, showcasing her music, stage presence, and unique stage design. It wasCarpenter’s first chance to design a big stage, with multiple sets, allowing her to fully express her creativity. Carpenter performed in front of a light blue motel and unbeknownst to the crowd, the shade of blue would become her signature color for theShort n' Sweetera.
Carpenter’s"Feather” mashup with The Cardigans' hit “Lovefool"was a fan-favorite moment from the set. Carpenter also amused crowds during “Nonsense” by sporting an oversized white t-shirt that read “Jesus was a Carpenter.” While the singer may not have been the headliner, her performance gained as much attention as if she had been.
2Espresso
Carpenter’s First Massive Hit
One of the biggest successes that came from Sabrina Carpenter’s Coachella performance was the debut of her single “Espresso.” Carpenter released the song right before Coachella weekend kicked off, but the music festival marked the first live performances of the song. The single was an immediate hit,cementing the phrase “Me Espresso” into pop culture history.The song debuted at number 7 on Billboard’s Hot 100 making it her first-ever top 10 hit. The song would peak at 3, and despite never hitting 1, it was a pathway to massive success.
Riding the success of “Espresso,” Carpenter released her single “Please Please Please” a few months later andthe Jack Antonoff-produced hit became Carpenter’s first number 1 song.“Espresso” would also go on to be parodied onSaturday Night Livein anAriana Grande sketch and got Carpenterher own drink at Dunkin Donuts. Currently, Sabrina Carpenter closes out herShort n' Sweettour with the single.
1Short N' Sweet’s Release
Carpenter’s Album Went #1
After climbing the ladder in pop music for nearly a decade, Carpenter released her first number 1 albumShort n' Sweet.The 12-track album chronicled another love trianglethe public had long forgotten by the album’s release. In early 2023, Sabrina Carpenter had a short-lived fling with singer Shawn Mendes before the star was seen kissing his ex-girlfriend Camila Cabello at Coachella, a year before Carpenter’s iconic performance.Short n' Sweetsongs like “Taste,““Sharpest Tool,” and “Coincidence” seem to reference the love triangle. However, Carpenter also dedicated a few tracks to her then-boyfriend Barry Keoghan.
“What a surprise
Your phone just died
Your car drove itself from LA
to her thighs.”
-Coincidence
“Bed Chem” was an immediate fan-favorite while “Juno” became the most talked about from herShort n' Sweettour. The album alsoled to Carpenter snatching her first two Grammysand putting on a show-stopping 2025 Grammy performance. On February 14th,Carpenter droppedShort n' Sweetdeluxe edition, featuring five bonus tracks including a “Please Please Please” duet with Dolly Parton.Sabrina Carpenter’s rise to pop stardom was a long time coming. It may have taken a few scandals to get there, but it was her hard work, talent, and persistence that really helped her become pop’s biggest star.
