Sabrina Carpenter

She first gained recognition as a Disney Channel personality, playing lead roles in the comedy series Girl Meets World (2014–2017) and the adventure comedy film Adventures in Babysitting (2016).

Sabrina Carpenter
Carpenter in 2020
Born	Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (1999-05-11) May 11, 1999 (age 24) Quakertown, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupations	Singer actress
Years active	2011–present
Works	Discography songs concert tours
Relatives	Nancy Cartwright (aunt)
Musical career
Genres	Pop teen pop dance-pop R&B electropop
Labels	Hollywood Island
Website	sabrinacarpenter.com

Carpenter made her acting debut in 2011, with an appearance on the crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2011) and a recurring role on the sitcom The Goodwin Games. She has since starred in feature films such as Horns (2013), The Hate U Give (2018), The Short History of the Long Road (2019), Clouds (2020), and Emergency (2022), as well as the Netflix productions Tall Girl (2019), Tall Girl 2 (2022), and Work It (2020), the latter of which she executive-produced.

Within music, Carpenter first signed with Hollywood Records in 2014 and released her debut single "Can't Blame a Girl for Trying", followed by an EP of the same name. She went on to release the studio albums Eyes Wide Open (2015), Evolution (2016), Singular: Act I (2018) and Singular: Act II (2019) in the 2010s; three of her singles—"Almost Love", "Sue Me" and "Alien"—topped the US Dance Club Songs chart.

Carpenter shifted to Island Records in 2021 and released the single "Skin", her first song to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Her fifth studio album, Emails I Can't Send (2022), became her best-charting album on the Billboard 200 chart, supported by the US Pop Airplay top-10 singles "Nonsense" and "Feather". She opened for Taylor Swift at the Eras Tour in 2023 and scored the first Hot 100 top-10 song of her career with the 2024 single "Espresso".

Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter was born on May 11, 1999, in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, to David and Elizabeth Carpenter, and raised in East Greenville. She has three older sisters and was homeschooled. Around the age of 10, she began posting videos on YouTube of herself singing Christina Aguilera and Adele songs. Her father built a recording studio for her to fuel her passion for music. In 2009, she placed third in a singing contest, The Next Miley Cyrus Project, run by Miley Cyrus.

2011–2015: Acting breakthrough and Eyes Wide Open

 

Carpenter's first acting role was in 2011 in a guest role on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Around the same time, she performed as part of the Hunan Broadcasting System's Gold Mango Audience Festival program in China, singing "Something's Got a Hold on Me". In the summer of 2012, Carpenter had a recurring role in the Fox sitcom The Goodwin Games. She appeared in Horns (2013) and also recorded "Smile" for the compilation album Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust, inspired by the Disney Fairies film series; the song charted on Radio Disney. She also had a recurring role as Princess Vivian in Sofia the First, for which she also performed the song "All You Need" with Ariel Winter.

In January 2013, Carpenter was cast in a Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, a spin-off of Boy Meets World, as Maya Hart. The show consisted of 72 episodes, and concluded on January 20, 2017. Carpenter recorded the show's theme song alongside her co-star, Rowan Blanchard.^{[citation needed]} Prior to 2014, Carpenter signed a five-album deal with Disney-owned then-label Hollywood Records. In March 2014, Carpenter released her debut single, "Can't Blame a Girl for Trying", which was co-written by Meghan Trainor. The single received positive reviews and titled her debut EP of the same name that was released in April 2014. In July 2014, Carpenter contributed lead vocals to the Disney Channel Circle of Stars cover version of "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?". She also recorded "Stand Out" for the Disney Channel movie, How to Build a Better Boy, which premiered in August 2014. She released her first Christmas single, "Silver Nights", that same year.

In January 2015, Carpenter released "We'll Be the Stars". It served as the lead single for her debut studio album, Eyes Wide Open, which was released on April 14, 2015 and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200. The album is primarily a teen-pop album with elements of pop folk. According to Billboard, it sold over 12,000 copies in its first week. Upon release, the album received positive reviews and went on to win two Radio Disney Music Awards. The album was followed with a second single, "Eyes Wide Open". In August, Carpenter performed at the D23 Expo. In December, Carpenter released her second Christmas single, "Christmas The Whole Year Round".

2016–2017: Evolution

 

In February 2016, Carpenter released the standalone single titled "Smoke and Fire". She performed the song at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards. In June 2016, Carpenter also starred in a Disney Channel Original Movie, Adventures in Babysitting (2016) alongside Sofia Carson. For the film, the two performed the theme track, "Wildside", together. Later that year, she also appeared in a Pasadena Playhouse production of Peter Pan and Tinker Bell: A Pirate's Christmas. In August, Carpenter headlined the Bethlehem's Musikfest festival. She also began voicing Melissa Chase on Milo Murphy's Law.

In October 2016, Carpenter released her second studio album, Evolution which debuted on the Billboard 200 at number 28, selling 13,000 copies in its first week. The album produced two singles including "On Purpose" and "Thumbs" with the former being nominated for a Radio Disney Music Award, and the latter peaking at number one on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart and was later certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Two promotional singles were released from the album including "All We Have Is Love" and "Run and Hide". Carpenter performed "Thumbs" on The Today Show and Late Late Show with James Corden. She embarked on her first headlining concert tour, the Evolution Tour, in autumn of 2016.

In March 2017, Carpenter performed the theme song for the Disney Channel show Andi Mack. In May, Carpenter featured on the single "Hands" with The Vamps and Mike Perry. In July, Carpenter released the single "Why", which received positive reviews, and peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, becoming her second entry on the chart. It was also nominated for a Radio Disney Music Award. In the summer of that year, Carpenter embarked on her second headlining concert tour, the De-Tour. She also opened for Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman Tour in São Paulo.

In October 2017, Carpenter featured on the song "First Love" by Lost Kings. In December, Carpenter released a cover of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas". That same year, she also released covers of "Sign of the Times" and "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch" with British singer Jasmine Thompson and violinist Lindsey Stirling respectively.

2018–2020: Singular and film roles

 

In March 2018, Carpenter featured on the song "Alien" by Jonas Blue. The song reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart and number 12 on the US Dance/Electronic Songs chart. The duo also performed it on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. In May, Carpenter was included in Nylon magazine's "25 Gen Z'ers Changing The World". In September, Carpenter appeared in The Hate U Give, based on the novel of the same name.

On November 9, 2018, Carpenter released her third studio album, Singular: Act I, which received positive reviews. Set to be released as one album, Carpenter announced that the album would be split into two acts with second act set for release in early 2019. The album garnered two singles, "Almost Love" and "Sue Me", which both reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs chart. Two promotional singles also preceded the album: "Paris" and "Bad Time". Carpenter promoted the album on The Today Show, as well as Live with Kelly and Ryan.

In March 2019, Carpenter embarked on her third headlining concert tour, the Singular Tour. That same month, Carpenter also featured on Alan Walker's single, "On My Way", alongside Farruko. In June 2019, she starred in the drama film, The Short History of the Long Road. The film had had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and was released by FilmRise. It received positive reviews with Carpenter's role being praised.

On July 19, 2019, Carpenter released her fourth studio album, Singular: Act II. The album received positive reviews upon release and found Carpenter exploring more personal topics than her previous works, including themes of anxiety and self-reflection. Three singles were released for the album including "Pushing 20", "Exhale" and "In My Bed". To promote the album, she performed on Good Morning America's Summer Concert Series and released a promotional single titled "I'm Fakin" ahead of the album's release. In September 2019, Carpenter appeared in a Netflix film, Tall Girl. She was also cast in an adaption of The Distance From Me to You.

In February 2020, Carpenter released an R&B single titled "Honeymoon Fades" which was received positively by critics. A month later, she made her Broadway debut in Mean Girls. The show closed mid-month due to the COVID-19 pandemic closing Broadway. On January 7, 2021, it was announced that the show would not be reopening on Broadway even when it was safe for Broadway theaters to reopen. In May 2020, she performed "Your Mother and Mine" on the ABC broadcast television special, The Disney Family Singalong Volume II. She also had a recurring role in Royalties for which she performed "Perfect Song" for the soundtrack.

In July 2020, Carpenter released the single, "Let Me Move You", for the Netflix film Work It, in which she also starred and executive produced. Her role received generally positive reviews. The film's soundtrack featured Zara Larsson's "Wow", which led to Carpenter featuring on the remix of the song, released in September of that year. In October, Carpenter starred in the Disney+ film, Clouds, based on the life of Zach Sobiech. She also contributed to the film's soundtrack. In December 2020, Carpenter was listed under Forbes' 30 Under 30 list in the Hollywood and entertainment category.

2021–present: Emails I Can't Send and tours

 

In January 2021, Carpenter announced that she had signed with Universal Music Group's Island Records. Her first single under the new record label was "Skin", released on January 22, 2021. The song debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming her first entry on the chart. Carpenter performed the song on The Late Late Show with James Corden and at the 32nd annual GLAAD Media Awards. In September 2021, she appeared in the third volume of Prime Video's special, Savage X Fenty Show.

On September 9, 2021, Carpenter released "Skinny Dipping", the lead single from her then-forthcoming fifth studio album. She released "Fast Times" on February 18, 2022 as a follow-up single. That same month, she appeared in Tall Girl 2. In May 2022, Carpenter appeared in Amazon Studios' comedy-drama thriller film Emergency which had premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival that January.

On July 15, 2022, Carpenter released her fifth studio album, Emails I Can't Send, which debuted and peak at number 23 on the Billboard 200 with 18,000 album equivalent units sold, making it her highest entry on the chart to date. The album was further promoted with the singles: "Vicious" and "Nonsense". Peaking at number 56 on the Hot 100, "Nonsense" was certified Platinum by the RIAA, and reached the top-10 on the US Pop Airplay chart. In August 2022, Carpenter announced the Emails I Can't Send Tour, which began in September of that year.

In March 2023, Carpenter released a deluxe edition of Emails I Can't Send. One of the bonus tracks, "Feather", was released as the final single for the album in August 2023; it peaked at number-one on the US Pop Songs chart and number 26 on the Hot 100, becoming her highest charting songs on both the charts. She performed the song at the pre-show for the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards and at Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2023. In October 2023, the music video for the song was released to polarised reception for its visuals filmed at the Blessed Virgin Mary Catholic Church in Brooklyn, New York. Carpenter responded to the controversy by saying that advance permission had been granted and added that "Jesus was a carpenter".

In June 2023, it was announced that Carpenter would be the opening act for the Eras Tour by Taylor Swift for a number of its Latin American, Australian and Singaporean shows throughout 2023 and 2024. Carpenter released a cover of Swift's "I Knew You Were Trouble" (2012) as a Spotify special and stated that opening for Swift is a "childhood dream come true". Carpenter described her experience at the Eras Tour as "unlike any crowd I've ever played to before". On November 17, 2023, Carpenter released a Christmas-themed EP titled Fruitcake, featuring "A Nonsense Christmas" which was released a year earlier. In March 2024, Carpenter featured on Norwegian singer songwriter Girl in Red's single "You Need Me Now?".

On April 12, 2024, Carpenter released the single "Espresso". The same day, she performed at the 23rd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival as part of the announced line-up. "Espresso" marked the first top-10 single of Carpenter's career on the Hot 100 chart, peaking at number seven.

 

 

Carpenter credits Christina Aguilera (left) and Rihanna (right) as her major influences

Musical styles

Early in her career, Carpenter was described as a "teen pop" singer. Later on in her career, Carpenter began to embrace pop music, with I.D. writer Barry Pierce noting that after the release of Emails I Can't Send, she "can rightfully claim the title of fully fledged popstar". Carpenter felt that her transition from a Disney-star was hard, with Pierce noting that she has since had more autonomy over her work. Carpenter noted in an interview with Vogue that her "prior music put forth a facet of herself that she didn't feel was authentic at the time". Her stage presence has also been praised with Vogue writer Chelsea Sarabia noting that "as an artist and performer, [Carpenter] wields the full range of human expression as if it were an instrument of its own".

Carpenter's albums contain elements of folk pop, acoustic, country, electropop and house music. Her albums post-Singular: Act I have delved into styles such as dance-pop, trap, hip-hop, and R&B. On her sound, Carpenter noted that her music has "elements of everything". Alex Hopper of American Songwriter remarked storytelling as a motif of Carpenter's songs.

Influences

Carpenter named R&B as a genre that often influences her work. She cited Christina Aguilera and Rihanna as her biggest musical influences. Carpenter stated that Aguilera's 2002 song "Beautiful" helped her "showcase and develop [her] own voice, citing Aguilera's vocals as an inspiration. She has also named Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Etta James as early musical influences, and cited Taylor Swift and Lorde as her songwriting influences. She claimed that Swift's live performances and work ethic have inspired her.

 

Products and endorsements

In 2017, Carpenter endorsed Converse's Forever Chuck campaign alongside Rowan Blanchard, Alton Mason and Cole Sprouse. In 2018, she became a brand ambassador for Aéropostale. She also became a brand ambassador for Samsung USA in 2021, as part of the company's "Team Galaxy" partnership program. She performed at the Galaxy Creator Collective event hosted by Samsung in March 2022. Additionally, following her album's release in 2023, she also performed a livestream concert at Samsung and Billboard's Summer of Galaxy annual event.

In April 2024, Carpenter endorsed and modeled for new pieces for a campaign for Skims' Fits Everybody and Stretch Lace collections. She noted that "[she] loved the femininity of the whole creative" and "[she's] always been a fan of the brand."

Fragrances

In September 2022, Carpenter released her debut fragrance in partnership with Scent Beauty, titled Sweet Tooth. The fragrance was nominated as a finalist by the Fragrance Foundation Awards for 'Fragrance of the Year'. In 2023, Carpenter announced her second fragrance, Caramel Dream.

Philanthropy and activism

Throughout her career, Carpenter has actively supported charitable organizations. In 2016, Carpenter became an ambassador for the Ryan Seacrest Foundation and visited children's hospitals across the country on their behalf. That same year, for the release of her single "Smoke and Fire", Carpenter released merchandise with proceeds going towards American Red Cross's 2Steps2Minutes campaign which brought awareness to fire safety.

In 2017, Carpenter performed at the We Day California event. That same year, Carpenter partnered with DoSomething's Love Letters Challenge, aimed to combat isolation for senior citizens. Carpenter has been an avid supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and in 2018, she participated in writing a love letter to the community for Billboard. She noted that "When [fans] come to my shows with pride flags, screaming the lyrics at the top of [their] lungs, I hope [they] feel an overwhelming rush of love and safety". In April 2020, Carpenter appeared in a charity version of "If the World Was Ending", which supported Doctors Without Borders during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• Eyes Wide Open (2015)
• Evolution (2016)
• Singular: Act I (2018)
• Singular: Act II (2019)
• Emails I Can't Send (2022)

Headlining

• Evolution Tour (2016–2017)
• The De-Tour (2017)
• Singular Tour (2019)
• Emails I Can't Send Tour (2022–2023)

Opening act

• Ariana Grande – Dangerous Woman Tour (2017)
• The Vamps – Middle of the Night Tour (2017)
• Taylor Swift – The Eras Tour (2023–2024)

Film

Television

Stage