Carpenter is more than her sexualised music suggests – she’s talented, supreme and has our backs
“I’m so f**king horny!” As the new princess of pop, Sabrina Carpenter, sings the “Juno” lyric to the sold out O2 Arena, the word “horny” flashes up in pink lights on the screen behind her. There’s a nine-year-old girl in front with her mum and a cluster of maybe 11-year-olds behind me – we’re all screaming the line back to her, along with the rest of her 20,000 fans. It’s a simple branding – and effective, it turns out.
Since Carpenter burst into the mainstream in April 2024 with summer-tastic bop “Espresso”, she’s been dripping in controversy over complaints about her “hypersexual” appearance, lyrics and performances. Many parents of her tween fans are up in arms, accusing the 5ft singer of playing up her child-like appearance in perverted Lolita fashion. It’s not Sabrina’s responsibility to parent her fans, but lyrics about doodling hearts by your crush’s name and using the phrase “make me Juno” (meaning pregnancy, referencing the 00s film Juno about a 16-year-old school girl getting pregnant) certainly feels like a purposeful school girl connotation.
Recently, there was a frenzy of criticisms about her lingerie-clad Brit Awards performance being “soft porn”, which garnered hundreds of Ofcom complaints. Carpenter always maintains it’s just a bit of fun and she simply loves a cheeky innuendo.
In any case, for the past year it feels like you can’t go a day without hearing Carpenter’s name, yet, from her sex appeal to who she’s dating, the talk is so rarely about her actual music.
I’m a fan of her music. I’ve played this Short n’ Sweet album on repeat since it came out at the end of August 2024. But I didn’t enjoy the try-hard gags and innuendos of her weird Netflix Christmas special, and I’m torn about her whole seemingly sex-obsessed act. But her music is catchy, incredibly fun to sing, and it just makes you feel great. What more can you want from a pop act, really? I disagree with the suggestion she’s an act low on genuine emotion – she’s far from the sort of dull Dua Lipa brand of pop we’ve come to hold dear – but, whatever you think of her, one thing you can’t deny is her meteoric ascent.
This time last year, Carpenter was best known as Taylor Swift’s support act. Now, her chart-topping album Short n’ Sweet album has won two GRAMMYs and a BRIT, she’s graced the cover of Vogue, dueted with Dolly Parton, and, in July, she’ll headline two nights at BST Hyde Park, of which the 140,000 tickets sold out in minutes.
It may seem like she was granted pop stardom overnight, but actually this is her sixth album. As she reminds us in the show, she first played the O2 as a support act aged 18 (for The Vamps in 2017). Now, fans from 79 countries have bought tickets for her O2 shows this weekend, according to viagogo.
The big question is: can she live up to her TikTok-fuelled hype?
Put simply, yes. From the 60s variety TV show theme to the Barbie dreamhouse-esque penthouse set, the wow-factor is instant and dizzying. It is high glamour and it is big budget. Sabrina Carpenter herself has her signature bouffant curls, and sparkling outfits evoking a Hollywood starlet of a bygone era – there is nothing child-like about this.
Big bitchy belter “Taste” opens the show in a glitzy dance number, offset next with the much more low-key and vulnerable “Slim Pickins”, whose lyrics from “Guess I’ll end this life alone” and “A boy who’s nice that breathes / I swear he’s nowhere to be seen” hit the nail on the head for dating relatability, and the confusing trauma of it all.
One of many chills came during “Lie To Girls”, which takes on a whole new layer of power when echoed back by the sea of girls, women and mothers. The chills continue when we scream lyrics in unison for “because I liked a boy”, “Coincidence”, and “Good Graces”. Frankly – and truly surprisingly – the overwhelming takeaway from this evening is such a strong, beautiful sense of sisterhood.
Sure, “Bed Chem” features an extremely raunchy sex scene amidst a Grease-esque slumber party, where she splays her legs and mimicks receiving oral sex. But the show doesn’t feel like it centred around this. It feels more about supporting each other through feeling crap about boys.
When we scream “I’m so f**king horny!”, it isn’t an act put on to look sexy for boys – it is girl-to-girl honesty. Carpenter may not be marketed as a “girl’s girl”, but I have no doubt she has our backs.
She’s polished but without being devoid of personality, and her lyrics are heart-achingly relatable. Carpenter works the stage and crowd like a pro; her voice is powerful and effortless. Her shiny packaging is sex, but she’s whip-smart, cutthroat, and full of strength.
Even if it is pretty shocking seeing swarms of young girls wearing Carpenter’s football shirt crop top merch with “69” on the back and red lipstick stain tattoo transfers all over their necks, I leave feeling genuinely empowered – on International Women’s Day, no less.
Perhaps this quote from Carpenter ties up her signature humour in a tongue-in-cheek bow best: “Happy International Women’s Day! Just remember, you’ve never done anything wrong in your life.” And if you’re taking her literally you’re missing the point.
