ANALYSIS | Sabrina Carpenter’s Big Break

Photo Credit: Jo Hale/Redferns via Billboard

In 2023, many had never heard of the soon-to-be pop icon Sabrina Carpenter, but with her hit single “Espresso”, Carpenter skyrocketed up the charts and soon millions knew her name.  

Carpenter has had a thrilling year. Her viral song “Espresso”, which was released on Apr. 11, reached number one on the charts in the US and UK. “Espresso” is the fastest song to exceed a billion streams in Spotify history, reaching 1.2 billion streams in 146 days, according to the World Music Awards. 

When her second single of the year “Please Please Please” came out on June 6,  it went straight to number one on the Billboard Hot 100. She became the third female artist to ever achieve both the number one and two spots on the UK singles chart with “Please Please Please” and “Espresso.”

Billboard Charts says that Carpenter “is the first artist in 71 years to spend 20 weeks at No. 1 on the charts in a single calendar year.” A few days later, Billboard stated that, “Sabrina Carpenter is on fire!”

The pop superstar also just smashed the record for the most weeks spent at No. 1 in a single year on the UK Official Singles chart, showing that she’s truly in a league of her own. Her hit single “Taste” has now spent seven consecutive weeks at the top of the charts in the UK. Taking into account her previous singles this year like “Espresso”, which spent seven weeks at No.1, and “Please Please Please”, which spent five weeks in No. 1, the popstar has officially racked up 19 weeks at No. 1 in 2024. 

Beyond her hit singles, Carpenter performed at her first Coachella this April as a headliner, and she also starred in new Christmas special on Netflix called A Nonsense Christmas. From being an opener for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour to joining Swift as a surprise guest for an acoustic set, Carpenter has certainly found the spotlight.

Arguably, this is only the beginning of Sabrina Carpenter’s stardom. On Aug. 23, her highly anticipated 6th studio album Short n’ Sweet was released and broke records in a matter of weeks. In September, she began her Short n’ Sweet Tour in the United States, and has now concluded all concerts in the US and Canada. She return to the stage next year for the European leg of the Short n’ Sweet Tour. 

For the first time, Carpenter has been nominated for not just one, but six Grammys for the 2025 ceremony. At her Grammy nomination, Carpenter referred to herself as, “the Best Old Artist,” commenting on her previous presence in the music industry. 

Along with her previous background in acting — specifically on the hit tv show Girl Meets World – social media played a key role in her sudden popularity. Her hit single “Espresso” was trending on all social media platforms, which kept increasing her popularity. Her famous line in “Espresso”, “I’m working late, cause I’m a singer,” captured TikTok fans in the spring, with over 107 million posts using the sound bite.

While her rise to stardom has been quick, Carpenter still has an extremely promising future ahead of her. Vogue Business commented on Carpenter’s popularity, stating that, “Carpenter holds particular resonance with Gen Z consumers, thanks to her tongue-in-cheek humour. From her lyrically playful and provocative outros, to debut single “Nonsense,” to catchy one-liners in “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” Carpenter’s music has helped her create a compelling persona for audiences to align with.”