Sabrina Carpenter has ascended from “song of summer” contender to full-fledged pop star with an album that fuses pop with country, and comedy with vulnerability, all while maintaining a chokehold on the internet.
In the week since its Aug. 23 release, Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet has received resounding praise on social media from her fans, famous friends and critics alike. Tracks like “Taste” and “Bed Chem,” which lean into Carpenter’s raunchier side, have already been given the TikTok-trend treatment, with lyrics like “You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissing you” and “Where art thou? Why not uponeth me?” being lip-synced en masse.
So if it feels like the 25-year-old star is everywhere, it’s because she is.
“Espresso” marked Carpenter’s first release of 2024. The infectious and seemingly ubiquitous track served up a retro-pop vibe that has since become synonymous with the self-proclaimed 5-foot-tall pop star. But it wasn’t long before speculation about its online dominance and the forces that got it there began to brew.
The caffeinated hit earned Carpenter her first No. 1 on the Global Spotify Chart and has since been recognized as one of the platform’s top five songs of summer. But the app’s speculated obsession with “Espresso” has left some unimpressed.
Vox reported that Spotify users were suspicious as to whether the streaming service was being paid by Carpenter’s label, Island Records, to play “Espresso” at every opportunity. One user claimed that the track was recommended to her while she was listening to 2000s pop punk. Another accused the platform of “forcing” the song into his techno-based rotation.
While there’s no evidence to support the theory that Island Records did, in fact, strike up a deal with the streamer, the online chatter has ultimately benefited Carpenter. Spotify, despite not addressing the allegations outright, told Yahoo Entertainment that opportunities for streaming growth are available to all artists.
“Our extensive and expanding collection of playlists, programs and promotional opportunities are available to artists at every level,” a Spotify spokesperson said. “We are delighted to witness exceptional talents flourish on our platform and beyond. The remarkable growth of fan bases for artists like Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar, Sabrina Carpenter and Shaboozey on Spotify is a testament to their hard work and artistry.”
Of course, Carpenter’s influence has also poured over to video-based platforms like TikTok. Ahead of the album’s release, fans were given a Short n’ Sweet in-app experience that included a profile frame and the option to complete interactive tasks to access an exclusive TikTok effect. The feature came on the heels of Carpenter’s meteoric summer on the app, with “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” sparking the creation of more than 7.5 million videos combined.
On Instagram, a very MySpace-coded rollout has also made it possible for fans to expand their ability to engage with the album online. Launched on Aug. 22 in collaboration with Carpenter, the Meta-owned platform now allows users to add a snippet of any Short n’ Sweet song to their profile. The feature isn’t limited to songs from Carpenter’s new album, though it’s likely that 30-second tastes of songs like “Good Graces” and “Slim Pickins” can be heard on innumerable Instagram profiles around the world.
“As one of the pop stars of the moment, Instagram worked with Sabrina to tease a never-before-heard song, ‘Taste,’ ahead of her album release Short n’ Sweet,” a representative for Instagram told Yahoo.
Fans were also treated to a surprise on album release day. In addition to debuting 10 new tracks, Carpenter released the music video for “Taste.” The album’s third single has already netted the singer another streaming record.
Starring Carpenter and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice actress Jenna Ortega as enemies-turned-partners-in-crime, the campy three-minute video is packed with a slew of visual references and nods to cult films like Psycho, Ginger Snaps, Kill Bill and Jennifer’s Body. Earning more than 12.78 million YouTube views in 24 hours, “Taste” is now Carpenter’s most successful music video debut on the platform.
The Wednesday actress even joined Carpenter’s famous fans in singing the album’s praises online.
Ortega shouted out her “Taste” co-star and encouraged her followers to stream Short n’ Sweet. Taylor Swift urged her 283 million followers to “go support our girl,” while Kendall Jenner said she hasn’t stopped listening “for days.” Singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams declared her love for Carpenter’s brain and Saturday Night Live comedian Bowen Yang commended Carpenter for creating an album with “no skips” — both of which Carpenter has saved to her Instagram highlight reel. Finneas, Troye Sivan, Maren Morris and Madison Beer have also taken to social media to usher in the Short n’ Sweet era.
But don’t expect Carpenter’s hold on the internet to loosen anytime soon.
On Aug. 29, the “Dumb & Poetic” singer unveiled the limited, digital release of the bonus track “Busy Woman.” The pop star is also scheduled to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 11. Less than two weeks after that, she’ll descend on Columbus, Ohio, to kick off the North American leg of her hotly anticipated “Short n’ Sweet Tour” with special guests Amaarae, Griff and Declan McKenna.
Needless to say, Carpenter’s booked and busy — but you’ll likely hear all about it online. After all, she’s virtually inescapable.
