From Posting Taylor Swift’s Covers, to Singing Next to Her at the Era’s Tour, to Being a Grammy-Winning Chart-Topper
Sixteen years ago, at the age of nine, Sabrina Carpenter started posting covers on YouTube. Now, she has been nominated for six Grammys, two of which she won because of the success of her 2024 album Short n’ Sweet. Carpenter used to post covers of her singing songs by Taylor Swift and Christina Aguilera, both of whom she has now shared the stage with.
Gaining more than 7 million monthly listeners on Spotify did not happen overnight, so the question that many are asking is: how did Sabrina Carpenter become famous? The answer is that it has been a long journey, with a lot of work that has yielded four albums, two EPs, and multiple singles, features, and collaborations. Add to that her consistency throughout all these years and her strong belief in herself and her artistry.
Disney Channel and Girl Meets World
While Sabrina Carpenter’s mainstream success is recent, she has been in the industry for more than a decade, working as an artist, songwriter, and actress. Her first appearance as a musician was when she released her first EP, Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, which became popular among young girls. During this same time period, she was known for co-starring on the show Girl Meets World on the Disney Channel, which led to her signing a contract with Hollywood Records to boost her music career.
More Acting, Mean Girls the Musical, and Singular Act II
Sabrina continued working as an actress and artist simultaneously throughout the years, appearing in movies such as Adventures in Babysitting, Work It, Tall Girl, Clouds, The Hate U Give, and many more. Her career as an actress began to skyrocket once she got offered the role of Cady Heron in Mean Girls the Musical on Broadway. However, her show dates were scheduled to take place during the height of the Covid pandemic and Broadway shut down before she could make her debut. During the pandemic, both her career as an actress and singer remained on hold until January 2021, when she released her album, Singular Act II.
Emails I Can’t Send
It was not until the release of her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send when Carpenter’s career started to really take off in the mainstream. Many argue that this album’s success had to do with her transition from Hollywood Records to Island Records, which may have shifted her target audience from young girls to young adults, therefore expanding her fanbase. While this might have had an impact, the genuine nature of her music and effective branding also played a predominant role in boosting her musical career.
Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett
Carpenter’s main inspiration for this album was her life experience as a young woman in her twenties going through a heartbreak. Most of the songs on the album address the media drama that surrounded Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett, two artists who were romantically linked and worked at Disney Channel at the time.
Carpenter’s song “Skin” is a direct response to Rodrigo’s song “drivers license,” where she addresses the implications that co-star Joshua Bassett cheated on Rodrigo with her. Carpenter and Rodrigo received positive and negative comments surrounding their work, which boosted their fanbases, social media followers, and the public’s awareness of them.
On Emails I Can’t Send, Carpenter expresses her side of the story, with pop hits such as “Nonsense” and “Feather.” Despite the drama behind the album, the songs have become fan-favorites.
‘Nonsense’
While we’re on the topic of fan-favorites, one of the highlights of Carpenter’s live shows has been engaging her audiences with city-specific outros for “Nonsense.” These outros consist of lines with double meanings that are often dirty, funny, topical, or all of the above. The unconventionality of her verses and her improvisational approach to lyrics created a lot of noise on social media and in traditional media.
Touring With Taylor Swift
Sabrina Carpenter began opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour in August 2023 and through 2024. Her association with Swift expanded her fanbase internationally, after performing at stadiums around the world. As Taylor Swift often focuses on amplifying female voices, she often invited Carpenter to share the stage with her.
The Short n’ Sweet Album and Tour
The light shades of baby pink and blue, the kiss tattoos on thighs, and the short skirts are more in-style now than ever due to Sabrina Carpenter’s great influence on her fans, who call themselves “Carpenters.” Her honesty and humor in both her songs and onstage makes the audience relate to the messages she is trying to convey through her music, inspiring others to be bold despite unfortunate love circumstances.
Her stage show for the tour promoting her Short n’ Sweet album features an elaborate set comprised of different rooms of a house, as well as a good dose of variety and unpredictable moments that lead these Carpenters to keep coming back, wondering: What outfit will she have on under her towel?; What member of the crowd (who may or may not be famous) will she “arrest” for being too hot?; What position will she try during “Juno”? And that has led to many sold-out concerts.
During the promotion cycle for Short n’ Sweet she expanded the creative aspects of her career from music to an entire brand where the artist began being associated with short skirts, dresses, and tying her hair with a bow. Her visuals were able to create a sense of community amongst the Carpenters for whom her music resonated the most. Effective branding and unique creativity led Short n’ Sweet to go platinum in late September of last year, making a strong impact on the Billboard charts.
Short n’ Sweet Wins Best Pop Vocal Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards
For her latest album, Short n’ Sweet, Sabrina Carpenter took the Nonsense “dirty talk” to the next level, topping Billboard charts mid 2024 when her song “Espresso” was seen as “The Song of the Summer” by the public.
After 10 years in the industry, Sabrina walked away from the 2025 Grammys with two awards; one recognizing her latest album, Short n’ Sweet, as the Best Pop Vocal Album and another nominating her song “Espresso” as the Best Pop Solo Performance. In her speech, she gave thanks to everyone who has had an influence on her career—including her mom, who drove her to her voice lessons as a kid. These words might have served as an inspiration to people struggling to see outcomes from their hard work, especially in the entertainment industry.
Carpenter proved that it is possible to reach set goals, even if it takes years to do so. By embracing her personality and believing in herself, she was able to keep doing what she loves and reach her maximum potential. After all, Carpenter’s long journey along with her songs, sparks hope for her audience.
