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Sabrina Carpenter has been in the entertainment and music industry since 2011, beginning her path to stardom as an actress. But it wasn’t until 2024, when her hit song, ‘Espresso,’ grabbed everyone’s attention and stayed in the top charts for months. Slowly growing into a household name, Sabrina Carpenter has worked her way to the top and is here to stay. In this article, we will cover all things Sabrina Carpenter, including:
- Sabrina Carpenter’s Beginnings
- Sabrina Carpenter’s “Overnight” Fame
- Sabrina Carpenter’s Fashion Statement
- Sabrina Carpenter’s Controversy
The Path to Stardom: Sabrina Carpenter’s Beginnings
Acting Career
Sabrina Carpenter was born on May 11, 1999, in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, USA. Her first notable acting role was in 2011, in an episode of season 12 of ‘Law and Order: SVU.’ From there, she booked features in multiple other acting roles, such as ‘Phineas and Ferb,’ ‘Sofia the First,’ ‘Orange is the New Black,’ and ‘Horns.’ But in 2013, Carpenter earned her big break on the Disney Channel show, ‘Girl Meets World,’ which is a sequel to the 90s hit television show, ‘Boy Meets World.’
Sabrina played the character of Maya Hart, opposite to the main character, Riley Matthews. And this role captured the heart of many, projecting Sabrina Carpenter into the world of Disney Channel. She has been featured in other shows such as ‘Austin and Ally’ and in the Disney Channel Original Movie, ‘Adventures of Babysitting.’ Alongside stars such as Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato, Sabrina Carpenter got her start as a “Disney Channel star.”
Her stint at Disney Channel led Carpenter to more roles. Most notable are ‘The Hate U Give (2018),’ ‘Tall Girl (2019),’ ‘Work it (2020),’ ‘Clouds (2020),’ and ‘Tall Girl 2 (2022).’ After 2022, Carpenter decided to take a step back from acting to pursue her true passion of singing and performing.
Singing Career
At twelve years old, Sabrina Carpenter signed her first record deal with Disney Music Group’s Hollywood Records. With that label, she released four albums:
- Eyes Wide Open (2015)
- Peaked #43 on the US Billboard 200
- EVOLution (2016)
- Peaked #28 on the US Billboard 200
- Singular Act I (2018)
- Debuted #103 on the US Billboard 200
- Singular Act II (2019)
- Debuted #138 on the US Billboard 200
These albums all did fairly well and all received positive reviews from fans and critics, but Carpenter had a lot more to prove to herself and her supporters. She was not yet a household name.
By January of 2021, Carpenter had finished her contract with Hollywood Records and signed with Island Records. From there, she released three albums and is still currently signed:
- emails i can’t send (2022)
- Deluxe edition: emails i can’t send fwd (2023)
- Bonus track: “Feather” peaked at #21 on Billboard Hot 100
- Deluxe edition: emails i can’t send fwd (2023)
- Short n’ Sweet (2024)
- Man’s Best Friend (2025)
The Rise to Fame
Though Carpenter had made somewhat of a name for herself, it wasn’t until the release of her single “Espresso” from her Short n’ Sweet album that her career really skyrocketed. “Espresso” was released in April of 2024 and immediately hit the Top 100 list and peaked at #3. In June of 2024, Carpenter released her second single from the Short n’ Sweet album, titled “Please Please Please,” which became her first #1 hit song. These two songs garnered so much excitement for the album that once it was released in August of 2024, it debuted at No.1. In just a month after its release, Sabrina Carpenter earned herself a platinum album, with over a million copies sold.
The success and popularity of Short n’ Sweet earned Sabrina Carpenter multiple nominations in the 2025 Grammy Awards. She won two Grammys that night for Best Solo Performance for “Espresso” and Best Pop Vocal Album. On September 24, 2024, Carpenter began her highly anticipated headlining arena tour, which included both American and European tours. Both legs of the tour were sold out before opening night to the point that Carpenter’s team added a third leg of the tour in America, which extended the tour until April 4, 2025.
In August of 2025, Carpenter released her most recent album, Man’s Best Friend. Its featured single, ‘Manchild’, peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Sabrina Carpenter continues making a name for herself.
The Carpenter Look
Though being in the industry for so long, it was only once Short ‘n Sweet blew up that her audience began to notice her fashion and overall look. Her style can be described as “flirty” as well as mixing “Old Hollywood influences with contemporary trends.”
All in all, Carpenter puts effort into creating and sustaining a certain degree of femininity in her outfits or makeup looks. Most of her outfits revolve around pastel colors, the use of sequins, lace, and sheer fabric, and the overall accentuation of her body. One of her most known motifs is the kiss mark, specifically on the back of the shoulder-- which was featured on her Short n’ Sweet album cover.
The Short n’ Sweet Tour
The three images above perfectly depict the aesthetic that Sabrina Carpenter is mainly known for. The pastels, sequins, sheer fabric, and a lot of sequins and glitter. She uses three main silhouettes for her tour. The first being the baby doll night gown with high garters, and showing her affinity for more delicate and softer looks. A more seemingly “innocent” look, but then bringing in the sexual component with the thigh-high garters. The second is a lingerie body suit with a thigh-high garter. In this specific instance, she shows off her iconic kissy lips motif. Carpenter takes pride in showing off her sensuality. The third is the more tame of outfits, but a two-piece matching set of a top and a short skirt.
Her iconic hair and makeup should not go unnoticed, as both became viral trends on TikTok that people tried to recreate. Scott King styled Sabrina Carpenter's blowout and curtain bangs, and it earned her a sponsorship with Redken. Her makeup look was created by Carolina Gonzalez, who wanted to create something feminine, sensual, and universally flattering. The makeup look went so viral that Vogue wrote an entire tutorial, branding it Sabrina Carpenter’s signature look.
Controversies
Sabrina Carpenter vs. Olivia Rodrigo
Carpenter’s first single to ever go on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Skin,” released in February of 2021. This was an alleged response and comeback to Olivia Rodrigo’s single, “Driver’s License,” that went absolutely viral that year. The rumor was that there was a love triangle between the two girls and actor/singer Joshua Bassett, and that Bassett first dated Rodrigo but quickly moved on to Carpenter.
Rodrigo’s debut album, Sour, is rumored to be about her relationship with Bassett and the feelings of being left for a different girl. Fans went absolutely feral about the situation and all the rumors, sending death threats to Carpenter. Later on, Carpenter released “because i liked a boy” in response to all the hate she received.
No official statements were put out, confirming or addressing the whole situation, but eventually, people moved past it.
“Feather” vs. Catholic Church
Sabrina Carpenter made headlines after getting heavily criticized by the Catholic Church in 2023 for the music video for her song, “Feathers.” In the video, Carpenter films inside and outside of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn, New York, and dances sensually around the altar in an inappropriate outfit. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn criticized the video and Carpenter for being sacrilegious and disrespectful to the point that the church’s pastor, Monsignor Jamie Gigantiello, was fired.
To hit back at the controversy, Carpenter iconically wore a “Jesus was a Carpenter” shirt at her Coachella performance in April of 2024. She also hit back that she did nothing wrong as she got the appropriate and legal permission to film in the space.
“Man’s Best Friend”
Sabrina Carpenter’s most recent controversy surrounded the album cover of her most recent album, “Man’s Best Friend.”
Though Carpenter has never made any effort in her image to stray away from sensuality, this particular image sparked a lot of controversy amongst women. Critics called it demeaning and offensive to women, reducing women to objects and supporting the outdated ideology that women should be submissive to men. Some critics said that it “promotes an element of violence and control,” and many criticized the message it could send to young girls who listen to her music.
Carpenter responded that her critics needed to “get out more.” Her interpretation of the album cover was a woman’s awareness of her lack of control – meaning she’s in control of how little she is in control. She defended her photo, claiming that her true fans know
what she stands for and represents. She did not expect there to be so much backlash.
Sabrina Carpenter is one of the fastest-growing stars, already being acknowledged as a “pop princess.” From being a childhood Disney Channel star to a Grammy-winning singer and style icon, we hope this article caught you up on the icon that is Sabrina Carpenter. If you want to check out more articles on fashion-forward celebrities, like Timothee Chalamat, check out our article on The Extravagant and Elegant Political Fashion of Timothee Chalamat.
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