Just weeks away from the biggest night in music, Sabrina Carpenter no doubt hopes she’ll return home from the Grammy Awards with a trophy – or six!
The 25-year-old songstress had screamed and cried with joy on her tour bus while watching a live announcement of her half-dozen nominations, which include the coveted Best New Artist trophy.
It’s an award that Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa and Adele have previously won. However, Sabrina’s hardly a “new artist”, having released six albums over the past decade. In fact, despite her mega-hit Espresso only propelling her to the global spotlight last April, the singer has had a steady rise filled with trials and heartache.
Not so long ago, the Bed Chem musician was a self-described “emotional wreck” while grappling with her identity. It has been an ongoing struggle since she started out in showbiz at a very young age. Sabrina began vocal lessons at six. She was just nine when she began posting covers of Adele, Christina Aguilera and Taylor Swift on YouTube.
Her dad David built a recording studio at their Pennsylvania home. Before long, she placed third in a singing competition run by Miley Cyrus, then landed a record deal. Another coup promptly followed – a life-changing lead role in Disney’s Girl Meets World.
Nearing 18 as the show ended in 2017, Sabrina encountered the same hurdle Miley, Selena Gomez and Hilary Duff faced while they transitioned to adult popstars. She had to shake off her Disney image. She released a couple of provocative albums. However, she later decided she needed to “make some mistakes”, rather than continue trying to sustain her angelic public image.
“I wanted to still be young while I’m young,” she explains. “To go through your life trying to be a little robot angel, you’re going to have many regrets later. That’s why during that time, I was a little bit of an emotional wreck.”
Sabrina’s since embraced her cheeky nature and sexuality, and it has paid off. She’s opened for her idol Taylor, hit number one in dozens of different countries, performed at Coachella, appeared on Saturday Night Live, scored a Netflix holiday special and earned Grammy nods for 2023’s Short N’ Sweet.
Ironically, her rise has been anything but short and sweet. Her latest achievements came a decade after she released her first single, Can’t Blame A Girl For Trying.
In 2024, Sabrina said, “There were so many things I dreamt of doing as a little girl that I got to do this year. That felt like such a cool, sweet bucket-list moment for my younger self.
“I had a plan in my head that it was all supposed to happen earlier. I feel so prepared for these moments. If I was 17 or 18, I would’ve been way more nervous and intimidated.”
As she revels in her success, there’s increased attention in her personal life. Fans believe the lyrics to her song Because I Liked A Boy – “Now I’m a homewrecker, I’m a slut, I’ve got death threats filling up semi-trucks” – confirmed she was the “blonde girl” in Olivia Rodrigo’s hit Driver’s License.
Meanwhile, there’s strong speculation that Short N’ Sweet references her rumoured romance with Shawn Mendes. The stars are said to have dated while he was on a break from Camila Cabello.
After 12 months together, Sabrina recently split from Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan, 32. He had proudly gushed that her Grammy nominations were “brilliant”. People speculated he’d had an affair with influencer Breckie Hill, 21. However, we hear it was their busy schedules that were to blame.
Speaking to Kiwi radio star Zane Lowe about a prior split last August, Sabrina confessed, “I was in a really, really different mental place,” adding that she’d been in relationships with the wrong people. “We either learn it the hard way or we are a miracle and then we end up marrying that person.”
When it comes to criticism of her racy outfits, Sabrina isn’t afraid to speak up. She says, “l do still get the occasional mother that has a very strong opinion on how I should dress. To that, I just say, ‘Don’t come to the show.’
“It’s unfortunate that it’s ever been something to criticise because, truthfully, the scariest thing in the world is getting up on a stage in front of that many people and having to perform as if it’s nothing. If the one thing that helps you do that is the way you feel comfortable dressing, then that’s what you’ve got to do.”
Haters aside, Sabrina’s entering the new year knowing she has overcome hurdles and heartache to achieve many of her bucket-list accomplishments, like her hero Taylor. She says she was just so shocked when Taylor asked her to open for her on the Eras Tour, she hurled her phone across the room.
“It’s a surreal thing,” she shares. “I covered one of her songs when I was nine years old. Throughout my life, she was also an artist, a songwriter and businesswoman who I’ve always admired. So to call her a friend and be a part of something as iconic as this tour… I still can’t process it.”
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