- Sabrina Carpenter has graced the cover of Vogue for the first time
- In the interview, the singer discussed the track that rocketed her to stardom last summer – Espresso
- Carpenter also talked about her childhood, and the decision to take her wardrobe in another direction
Sabrina Carpenter may have been in showbiz for 15 years, but it was last summer that her career really took off.
The singer, 25, saw her career rocket in 2024, largely thanks to the decision to perform her track, Espresso, at Coachella.
However, Carpenter has now revealed that her label, Island Records, wanted the first single from her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, to be Please Please Please.
While that song did eventually earn her her first number one in the US, and also reached the top of the UK charts, Carpenter is pleased she stood her ground with Espresso.
“There’s something about this song that, if I’d never heard it before, and I heard it live for the first time, I would understand it,” she revealed in her first cover story with Vogue. “I was definitely being swayed in another direction, but I knew deep down that it was this song. I was afraid of disappointing people for, like, five minutes. And then I was like, ‘No.’”
Carpenter also talked about Espresso’s inception during the interview – admitting that it was because of her writing break decisions.
After renting a house in the French town of Chailland, situated around three hours outside of Paris, Carpenter said the place was deserted.
“When I tell you it was a ghost town – all there was was this house, an empty church, and then like five minutes up the road there was a creperie,” she explained. “I would write for a bit, I would start something, and then I would go on a walk, and I would get an espresso from this creperie.”
Carpenter added, “I was writing all these sad songs, and Espresso was like the one breath of fresh air. In the midst of all of it, I was like, ‘This is still such a huge part of me – this mentality and the sense of humor and the playfulness.’”
Sabrina Carpenter brands herself ‘stubborn’
Describing herself as “a stubborn little spirit”, Carpenter’s career began aged nine, when she applied for a Miley Cyrus-endorsed singing contest – in which she eventually finished in third place.
“After that contest ended – did not win, got to meet Miley, though, big perk – I kept doing it because I just loved it so much,” she continued. “I also felt like I was finding my voice through covering other people’s songs.”
Her dad had turned a small closet into a recording space. “It was like a Harry Potter closet under the staircase,” she said. “He painted it purple and put padding on the walls for me and my microphone in there. And I just felt super legit.”
Sabrina Carpenter addresses stage outfits
Although she recently had to defend the outfits she wears on stage, Carpenter also addressed her decision to wear more risque clothes.
“I started wearing outfits that felt more like myself. And then it sort of bled into, like, I was writing these songs that felt more and more like my personality,” she revealed.
“I remember feeling inspired by images of women that felt very strong and hyper feminine. And then being like, ‘If only she said what she was actually thinking.’”
And while she does come across as a caricature at times, Carpenter assured fans that the whole performance is very much her.
“Short n’ Sweet is absolutely me,” she said. “There’s no, like, alter ego. But it’s definitely a more emphasized version of me.
“It’s interesting because I’m able to dress in this way where you would kind of expect to hear like a voice from the ’60s. But then, when I’m speaking to the audience, I’m just myself.”
