It seems like whenever I turn on my car radio, a Sabrina Carpenter song is playing. Carpenter began her career as an actress in 2011 with a guest appearance on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” After a few more acting roles, there was not much to hear about Carpenter. A lot of her fanbase was young and has since grown up. So why did Sabrina Carpenter become so popular again?
Many people know Sabrina Carpenter from “Girl Meets World,” a spinoff of the ‘90s sitcom “Boy Meets World,” where she stars alongside Rowan Blanchard. That same year, Carpenter started releasing music that became popular due to her large fanbase from the show.
Carpenter’s most viewed music video on YouTube was the 2017 release, “Thumbs,” up until her most recent videos surpassed the view-count. Carpenter’s music remained very popular during her time on “Girl Meets World,” and for a few years after. She collaborated with numerous artists, such as Alan Walker on the song “On My Way” and Sofia Carson on “Wildside,” which was used for the movie “Adventures in Babysitting.”
In 2021, Olivia Rodrigo released a song titled “drivers license.” The song is about Rodrigo’s breakup, and many speculated that the song was also about Carpenter due to the following lyrics: “And you’re probably with that blonde girl/Who always made me doubt/She’s so much older than me/She’s everything I’m insecure about.” This had gotten under fans’ “Skin,” and Carpenter received a lot of backlashes that she may have interfered with the relationship between Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett.
The song has now surpassed a billion streams and was widely popular in 2021. Because of its popularity, it put Carpenter back into the spotlight, though not in a good way. In response to the backlash, Carpenter released “All Because I Liked a Boy” in 2022, where she revealed that she had received numerous death threats and derailing comments. This response caused a lot of people to sympathize with her.
That same year, Sabrina Carpenter launched her first perfume, Sweet Tooth, along with a new album, merchandise and tour dates. “You Can’t Blame a Girl For Trying” (and succeeding) to build a loyal fanbase through a strong presence on social media and constantly coming out with something new. Carpenter’s packed schedule demonstrates that her popularity isn’t just “Nonsense.” It shows her constant activity and innovation, which many find captivating.
Social media often boosts songs to fame, which is true for many of Carpenter’s recent songs. Fans resonated with “Espresso,” sparking trends that included attempts to recreate the song’s riffs. Her song “Feather” inspired a viral dance trend with people mimicking her iconic concert performance. Carpenter has done a good job of figuring out a young audience’s Taste for music and what is popular; people find her and her songs very relatable. “Please Please Please” gained significant attention as well, especially because it featured and confirmed her relationship with famous actor Barry Keoghan, a relationship that caught many by surprise.
Sabrina Carpenter’s accomplishments throughout the years and talent have helped her build a successful career. Former child actress Carpenter is one of the most popular singers of our generation. Last week, her song “Espresso” won the MTV Video Music Award for Song of the Year, beating famous artists such as Taylor Swift, Post Malone and Kendrick Lamar. I’d keep my “Eyes Wide Open” if I were you because it seems that Sabrina Carpenter keeps coming in with hit after hit.