From being a Disney darling to being one of most critically acclaimed pop princesses in the world, Sabrina Carpenter has been through a lot in the entertainment industry to get to where she is now.
2024 was a year the 25 year old will never forget as it was the year of Sabrina Carpenter, you couldn’t get enough of her distinct personality and extreme feminine nature. Her humor dazzled many and her style influenced the latest fashion trends. Not to mention, her songs are always playing left and right. Songs like “Espresso,”, “Please Please Please” and “Bed Chem,” are never not on the radio.
Before we talk about where the pop star is now, let’s rewind to take a look back at the beginning of her astonishing career. Many fell in love with the Philadelphia native during her stint as Maya Hart on the Disney Channel series “Girl Meets World.” She would go on to star in many other projects during her acting days.
Co-existing with her Disney persona, she released four albums with Hollywood Records. Die-hard fans will defend these albums with their lives, but unfortunately only one song, “Thumbs” made a significant impact on her career. However following the release of her final album with Hollywood Records in 2019, Carpenter took a small hiatus from releasing new music.
She wouldn’t find herself in the spotlight for some time. That was until her public drama with fellow Disney alum Olivia Rodrigo in 2021. Following the release of Rodrigo’s smash hit “drivers license,” fans made speculations left and right about the singer’s relationship with “High School the Musical: The Musical: The Series” star Joshua Bassett. In an attempt to tell her side of the story, Carpenter released “Skin.”
The song did not go over well and the internet continued to puppeteer the drama and make accusations that the girls hated each other. Thankfully, I can report that the beef has seemingly been settled as Rodrigo and Carpenter were spotted hugging and making conversation at the 2025 Grammy awards.
In 2022 Carpenter made her first full-length album after three years with her new record label Island Records, titled “emails i can’t send.” Containing pop perfection hits like “Read your Mind,” and deep heartfelt songs like “because i liked a boy,” which gives us a page from her diary during the public feud with Rodrigo. “emails i can’t send” not only was a new album but a new era for Carpenter.
Her entire look was center of it all with hearts and her infamous platform boots being a main theme in her attire and brand. However one song in particular, “Nonsense,” was the true beginning of her rise into ultimate stardom.
In early 2023, “Nonsense” blasted up the charts thanks to viral clips of Carpenter adding lyrics to the end of the song that were witty and a little raunchy. Dubbed “Nonsense outros,” Carpenter changed the final lyrics of the song everytime she performed on her “emails i can’t send” tour. The changes kept people on their toes wondering what she was gonna say the next night of her tour. Taking advantage of her time in the spotlight, Sabrina released a deluxe version of her album titled “emails i can’t send fwd:” in August 2023. From the deluxe album, “Feather” was the breakout hit.
From then on, her stardom skyrotted. She was invited to open for global sensation Taylor Swift on her glorious Eras Tour. There, more and more people fell in love with her joyful personality and her ability to light up the stage. Her stage presence is one of the reasons I, and the rest of her fans, love her so much.
Ending her time as opener for Swift, Carpenter began to branch out and in the spring of 2024, “Espresso” was born. The global phenomenon “Espresso” was released as a special treat for her fans before her performance at Coachella 2024. “Espresso” still currently rests at the top of the charts and was personally my song of the summer as it was for so many others. It was and still is a global hit that will forever be remembered as the song that changed Sabrina’s career.
Once again taking advantage of the spotlight shining on her, Sabrina announced another single, “Please Please Please,” and a brand new album, “ Short n’ Sweet”, which was released on Aug. 23rd 2024. “Short n’ Sweet” was once again a global success. It personally is my favorite album especially after the recent release of it’s deluxe version on Feb. 14, including three brand new songs and a collaboration with the legendary Dolly Parton.
“This project is quite special to me and I hope it’ll be something special to you too,” Sabrina said to her forty-five million Instagram followers.
My favorite Sabrina Carpenter songs will forever be “Read your Mind,” and “Don’t Smile,” but currently I am obsessed with her new song from the deluxe version of “Short n’ Sweet,” “Couldn’t Make It Any Harder.”
Carpenter is reaching success I couldn’t even begin to describe. Her tour for “Short n’ Sweet,” which I had the ultimate privilege of attending, is once again, a viral success. Her stage presence is like no other, which was one of the main reasons that she was a headline performer at this year’s Grammy awards, even taking home two awards that same night. It also made her a target for a Netflix special featuring her Christmas EP “Fruitcake” which was release during the holidays in 2023. The special had guest stars including fellow pop princess Chappell Roan, Tyla, Shania Twain and more. “A Nonsense Christmas” highlighted her ability to bring a smile to her audiences face. The holiday special included funny skits along with festive performances.
Sabrina Carpenter has a distinct style that has been an influence for much of the population. Her bouncy blowout curls hairstyle alone went viral for its old Hollywood look, making an appearance in her latest collaboration with Dunkin Donuts. Her hair even landed her a partnership with Redken and she is now the face of their new line of hair care products. Her overall attire is also influencing people with her bedazzled body suits and old hollywood glam. Hearts and kiss marks are a staple in her wardrobe.
Last but not least, Carpenter’s playfully striking lyrics that can be described as a bit explicit are a significant part of her reputation. Her ability to weave innuendos into her songs while still making them PG-13 is one of her most unique qualities. Yes, her “playful” nature has caused some controversy, but it is a part of her brand and her fans can’t get enough of it.
The Vogue cover star is a pop icon whose career is still reaching new heights and I truly am so excited for what the future holds for my favorite artist.
Cecilia Ribas • Mar 6, 2025 at 7:38 pm
On March 3rd, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “Disney Darling Turned Pop Princess”. This article was both informative and a fun read as it went through the evolution of Sabrina Carpenter into the global popstar that we know and love today. Castillo did a phenomenal job at captivating the reader through the highs and lows of what it means to be a celebrity and being placed into a constant spotlight of both praise and disdain. Starting with her first big hit on Disney Channel’s “Girl Meets World” Sabrina Carpenter and her character have touched the hearts of many, in which they display an immense amount of resilience and strength in face of adversity. Castillo talks about how on Carpenter’s newest album there is controversy around her rather risqué lyrics, it only adds to her uniqueness and puts her aside from the rest of the pop girlies. Castillo states that “Don’t Smile” is one of her favorite songs of Carpenter’s, and I have to totally agree! It is an underrated song that truly captures the feeling that sometimes it’s okay to not be okay and allow yourself to feel sorrow. This article was a joyful read, in which Castillo does a marvelous job of giving readers information about Miss Carpenter so that they can enjoy her music even more now knowing about her fight to be where she is today. Great Job, Kayla!!
Sincerely,
Cecilia Ribas
Shae Parkhill • Mar 5, 2025 at 9:44 am
On the third of March, 2025, Corydon journalist Kayla Castillo wrote an enticing article called “Disney Darling Turned Pop Princess” that introduces the long journey of Sabrina Carpenter. Castillo’s article does a brilliant job of highlighting the rough path of anyone trying to make their way into the world of celebrities. Castillo starts her article at the very beginning, Carpenter’s first acting job that gained notice, Disney’s “Girl Meets World.” This would have also been the perfect opportunity to include another one of Carpenter’s roles in the Disney movie “Clouds,” which introduced her vocal talent. The movie was based on Zach Sobiech, his best friend Sammy Brown (played by Carpenter), and their band, A Firm Handshake, who became an overnight sensation with the hit song, “Clouds.” This was, in my opinion, an essential step in Carpenter’s career that deserved to be mentioned.
Castillo moves on to speak of the presumed drama with another Disney star, Olivia Roderigo, which in all its ugliness, only added to Carpenter’s fame and ended up working in her favour. Castillo makes sure to include that all is well between the two pop stars, as they were seen making conversation together at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
As Castillo works her way through Carpenter’s career, she finally gets to the era we all know, the “Short n’ Sweet” album. The album was encouraged after her success with the hit single “Espresso” and became one of the most listened to albums in the summer of 2024. Castillo states that Carpenter’s tour was also a wild success, her stage presence and bright personality making her shows widely enjoyable. Although there was controversy with some of her content, it is important to note that Carpenter did not advertise her music to children; with her quick, explicit innuendos and “playful” nature it’s clear that her music isn’t for a younger audience. Her style also contributes to this controversy, specifically her touring outfits, and bouncy Hollywood blowout. However, I agree with Castillo that this only adds to her charm.
To end, the thing that I loved most in Castillo’s article was the fact that she states how Carpenter’s career had a rocky start, filled with disappointments over failed albums and acting jobs. This creates a sense of reality that makes Carpenter’s success all the more exciting and worth it. Amazing job, Kayla!
Brina Duncan • Mar 5, 2025 at 9:34 am
On March 3rd, 2025, Kayla Castillo wrote an article titled “Disney Darling Turned Pop Princess”. In this article, Castillo highlights several aspects of Sabrina Carpenter’s career. Sabrina Carpenter’s latest album, “Short n’ Sweet,” has been overall a major hit as it is topping charts and receiving critical acclaim. Castillo explains how Sabrina’s success has led to many sold-out tours, showcasing her popularity and strong fanbase. Additionally what I was surprised about was that Sabrina has received several award nominations, further validating her success and talent overall in the music industry. Considering her nominations, how many awards has she won throughout her career?
Castillo also mentions a public feud with fellow singer Olivia Rodrigo, which has also gained a significant amount of media attention and added to Sabrina’s fame. Despite this public drama, Sabrina has remained focused on her career, and continues to produce music and perform amazing for her fans. Castillo makes it clear that Sabrina’s hit songs such as “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” can be known for their catchy melodies and relatable lyrics, which can resonate with a wide audience.
This article concludes by Castillo noting that Sabrina Carpenter’s stardom is on the rise, and she is likely to remain as a prominent figure in the music industry for many years to come. Castillo includes key details of brands or collaborations that Sabrina has been a part of, such as Dunkin Donuts, as well as being the face of Redken for her signature blonde bouncy curls. Castillo perfectly ends the article by revealing that Sabrina’s lyrics can be described as sometimes inappropriate, but still making them PG-13 is a key part of one of her unique features. Kayla Castillo perfectly establishes that the pop icon Sabrina Carpenter is still reaching new highs with her rise to fame, and has overall had increasing success in the music industry.