Sabrina Carpenter: A “Short n’ Sweet” Rise to Fame with a Shot of “Espresso”

By now, I am positive you have heard the name, Sabrina Carpenter, whether it is on TikTok, Instagram, or other social media platforms. Over a year ago, however, not so much. As Sabrina Carpenter shows with her new album “Short n’ Sweet,” all it takes is one year to rise to stardom.

Sabrina Carpenter has always been in the public eye. Born in Pennsylvania in 1999, Carpenter started her acting career in 2010 as an extra in the American television series Law & Order. Two years later, she starred in a Disney Channel original, Girl Meets World, which became immensely popular in a short period of time. Currently, all three seasons have over two million average views. However, due to a change in audience in 2017, Carpenter decided to focus on her music career.

Although Carpenter pursued her acting career first, music was her first love: While filming Girl Meets World, Carpenter released her first musical single, “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying.” Her first single currently has over 68 million streams on Spotify. Carpenter only grew in popularity as she continued to release music.

However, it was not until Carpenter released her album emails i can’t send in the summer of 2022 that she experienced a significant jump in popularity. This album charted and peaked at number 23 on Billboard, with bonus track  “Feather” charting in the top 40 of the Hot 100. Moreover, the title track of her album, “Nonsense,” has reached over one billion streams. Many people discovered Sabrina Carpenter through social media in the summer of 2022, when the pandemic was nearing its end. Despite “Feather” and “Nonsense” charting, Carpenter was still not extremely well known compared to other more popular artists.

Her rise to stardom came shortly after, though – almost a year later, Carpenter’s popularity skyrocketed. Carpenter released her most popular, “Espresso,” which would be featured in her new album Short n’ Sweet. After around five months, “Espresso” reached over 1.3 billion streams on Spotify. As soon as this single was released, it topped many charts and became a hit on many social media platforms. “Espresso” hit number one on the Billboard Global 200 chart and it stayed within the top three for all 14 weeks of summer. It is the only song with the “perfect record in that stretch” (Billboard). With its catchy lyrics, rhythm, and melody, “Espresso” became the song of the summer. In the chorus and verse of the song, Carpenter writes:

“Say you can't sleep, baby, I know

That's that me espresso

Is it that sweet? I guess so

I'm working late 'cause I'm a singer

Oh, he looks so cute wrapped around my finger”

The repetitive phrase “That’s that me espresso” gets stuck in almost everyone’s head, whether they like it or not. A popular trend on TikTok emerged from this part of the song: “I’m working late ‘cause I’m a singer.” In this trend, numerous people show how they are busy with their hobbies or work. Another trend made from these same lyrics is a difficult riff that people perform to show off their singing skills.

Nearly two months later, Carpenter released a new song called “Please Please Please,” topping numerous charts just as “Espresso” did.. “Please Please Please” reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, which is arguably more selective and harder to achieve than the Billboard Global 200. “Please Please Please” is an upbeat song with catchy lyrics that tell the story of loving someone that others do not approve of or do not like.

Another two months later, Carpenter released her first full-length album, Short n’ Sweet, which became her most popular album, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, and stayed there for three consecutive weeks without faltering. This is Carpenter’s first album to reach number one on the Billboard 200. Short n’ Sweet also became a certified platinum album by the Recording Industry Association of America. The qualification for becoming a certified platinum album is that the album has sold over 100 million units. The title track in the album, “Taste,” also already has over 290 million streams on Spotify.

With the success of “Espresso” and “Please Please Please”, Carpenter announced her world tour, “Short n’ Sweet,” just a month before the release of the album. Her North American leg of the tour consists of 29 different locations and 29 different arenas. Arenas, not just typical concert venues. Almost every location of the tour sold out despite the tickets reaching over $500 before fees and the resale tickets reaching over $1000. As Carpenter continues on this tour, the price of the tickets will only rise.

For a twenty-five-year old, Sabrina Carpenter has made a huge impact on the world. Carpenter went from being a charismatic child actress to an aspiring musician to a global superstar. As she continues to grow in popularity, Carpenter will become a role model to young people all over the world as they can look up to Carpenter as a girl who achieved her dreams by persisting and never giving up.

Bibliography

Caulfield, Keith. "Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' Debuts at No. 1 on Billboard 200." Billboard, 3 Sept. 2024, www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/sabrina-carpenter-short-n-sweet-number-one-billboard-200-debut-1235765351/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Dailey, Hannah. "Sabrina Carpenter's 'Short n' Sweet' Certified Platinum." Billboard, 27 Sept. 2024, www.billboard.com/music/music-news/sabrina-carpenter-short-n-sweet-certified-platinum-1235787539/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Genius. genius.com/artists/Sabrina-carpenter/albums. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

"Sabrina Carpenter - Spotify Top Songs." KWORB, kworb.net/spotify/artist/74KM79TiuVKeVCqs8QtB0B_songs.html. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Soto, Josiah. "How to Buy Sabrina Carpenter Concert Tickets for the Short n' Sweet Tour." Biography, 25 Sept. 2024, www.biography.com/bio-buys/a62265227/sabrina-carpenter-short-and-sweet-tour-tickets. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.

Trust, Gary. "Sabrina Carpenter's 'Espresso' Is Billboard's No. 1 Global Song of the Summer for 2024." Billboard, 4 Sept. 2024, www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/sabrina-carpenter-espresso-number-one-global-song-of-the-summer-2024-1235766400/. Accessed 3 Oct. 2024.