- Sabrina Carpenter released her sixth album last Friday, August 23
- It didn’t take fans long to realize that some of the lyrics appeared to reference her former lover Shawn Mendes – and his ex, Camila Cabello
- Cabello has since shared a response to the album
What 2024 has really been missing is some messy pop drama – and now Sabrina Carpenter has delivered it in bucketloads.
The singer, 25, released her much-anticipated sixth album, Short n’ Sweet, on Friday August 23.
And it didn’t take long before fans realized that a lot of the tracks appeared to reference her brief romance with Shawn Mendes – and his ex-girlfriend, Camila Cabello, 27.
The two women both dated the Treat You Better singer, 26 – with Carpenter suggesting in her lyrics that there was an overlap between her and the former Fifth Harmony star in Mendes’s affections.
Here’s everything we know about how Carpenter spoke about the situation via Short n’ Sweet…
When did Mendes date Cabello?
First linked in 2014, Mendes and Cabello didn’t make their relationship public for another five years, when they were spotted kissing in a cafe.
“Honestly, this past year and a half was the first time I really experienced falling in love with another person,” Cabello revealed in an interview, which was released in September 2019. “I think there is so much more depth to love when you know you are in it with another person. You have so much more to say — I think that’s what makes me emotional.”
The pair continued their relationship for another two years – but then in a joint statement on November 18, 2021, the pair announced their split.
“Hey guys, we’ve decided to end our romantic relationship but our love for one another as humans is stronger than ever,” the former couple shared on their Instagram stories. “We started our relationship as best friends and will continue to be best friends. We so appreciate your support from the beginning and moving forward. Camila and Shawn.”
However, on April 23 last year, Mendes and Cabello were seen locking lips at Coachella festival. Fans were overjoyed by the reconciliation, but it wasn’t meant to be, and Cabello went on to speak about their attempt to get back together on the Call Her Daddy podcast.
“It was a fun time, it was a fun moment,” she said.
That’s all well and good – but it doesn’t appear to be the full story, because…
Mendes was also linked to Carpenter
In February 2023, Carpenter and Mendes were spotted on a date together, looking “verrrry comfortable”, and were then seen strolling around LA together just over a week later.
In March, the pair left Miley Cyrus’s album launch party together – and by the 13th of that month, a source had confirmed, “Shawn and Sabrina are seeing each other. They have been hanging out a lot and trying to keep things low-key. They were at a birthday party together a couple weeks ago and were cute together. Shawn is happy.”
While they may have been trying to keep things casual, fans were quick to notice that Mendes had been wearing a necklace featuring Carpenter’s birthstone for three months.
But on March 17, four days after the album launch party, Mendes revealed that he and Carpenter “were not dating” – and, of course, the infamous Coachella pics surfaced the next month.
Which tracks do fans think are a reference to Cabello and Mendes’s?
It all sounds very messy – and like any great artist, Carpenter appears to have channeled her feelings about the situation into her work.
The first track on the album is titled Taste, and she sings, “I heard you’re back together and if that’s true / You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you.”
She also appears to reference the love triangle in Coincidence.
Carpenter croons, “Last week, you didn’t have any doubts / This week, you’re holding space for her tongue in your mouth / Now shе’s sendin’ you some pictures wеarin’ less and less / Tryna turn the past into the present tense, huh / Suckin’ up to all of your mutual friends.”
In Sharpest Tool, she sings, “We never talk about how you found God at your ex’s house / Always made sure that the phone was face down / Seems like overnight, I’m just a b**** you hate now.”
While noone is namechecked in the tracks, it does appear that Carpenter is making a thinly veiled dig at Mendes and Cabello – but she didn’t stop there.
Which other tracks appear to reference Carpenter and Mendes’s romance?
Mendes seems to get another going over in another of the tracks.
In Dumb & Poetic, Carpenter roasts Mendes’s softboi behavior, singing, “Save all your breath for your floor meditation” (he has waxed lyrical about his love of the mindful practice), and, “I promise the mushrooms aren’t changing your life” (only a week ago, Mendes admitted to experimenting with the substance).
She even references Mendes’s fellow Canadian, Leonard Cohen. “Try to come off like you’re soft and well-spoken, jack off to lyrics by Leonard Cohen”, she belts – while Mendes recently announced that his upcoming self-titled album will feature a cover of Leonard Cohen’s song Hallelujah.
Have Mendes or Cabello responded to the album?
While neither Mendes or Cabello have directly made a statement about Carpenter’s new work, the Cuban singer did share a cheeky TikTok video, which fans believe to be in reference to the songs.
Choosing to bring her C,XOXO track June Gloom back into public consciousness, Cabello’s lyrics also seemed to address the situation.
“She’s cool, I heard. Won’t act surprised, I saw the pictures. We’re a house fire, for sure. Hope it’ll burn out, but it just gets bigger,” Cabello lip-synced in a video shared on August 25. “If she’s so amazing, why are you on this side of town? If you like her so much, what are you here trying to find out?”
Eek! While the drama has us cringing for all involved, it’s safe to say that Sabrina Carpenter is sort of an evil genius… and that’s why we love her.
