Sabrina Carpenter is familiar with a slow burn—a slow burn to fame, that is. Her music career started in 2014, but a full decade later, Carpenter is just now facing real recognition for her talent. With six studio albums under her belt, her latest, Short n’ Sweet, is her first to get the coveted top position of the Billboard 200.
Carpenter released the album’s lead single, “Espresso,” the day before performing for her first time at Coachella in April. A calculated move, Sabrina captured people’s attention with her new sound. The almost-80s feel of the pop song deemed the track to be the “song of the summer” by both her fans and peers in the music industry. Clever lines like “I mountain dew it for you” roll right off the tongue and make “Espresso” the perfect song for both a boost of energy in the mornings and a drive by the beach in the afternoon.
As buzz for “Espresso” grew by the day, Carpenter finally announced Short n’ Sweet in early June. Shortly thereafter, she released the album’s next single, “Please Please Please.” She shocked many people with the music video, which co-starred her actual boyfriend, rising actor Barry Keoghan. Moreover, many fans pointed out that the “Please Please Please” music video was a continuation of the plot in the “Espresso” video. As “Please Please Please” competed with “Espresso” for the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100, Carpenter found herself more popular than ever before.
On August 23, the long-awaited Short n’ Sweet finally arrived. As the title suggests, the album is just over a “short n’ sweet” 36 minutes. Its twelve songs are all co-written by Carpenter, clearly shown by her signature word plays all over the record. The sixth track, “Bed Chem,” is a perfect example, with lines like “see it in my mind let’s fulfill the prophecy.” Later on the record, her song “Slim Pickins” takes a country twist, as Carpenter goes acoustic while singing about the limited options a girl in this generation has when looking for love. Her vocals shine through during the song’s two and a half minutes. “Taste,” the opening track of the album, is the only song of Short n’ Sweet to have a music video, other than her previously released singles. Sabrina took her audience for another emotional roller coaster with the video, which costarred beloved actress Jenna Ortega.
Overall, Short n’ Sweet is a great success, receiving plenty of positive acclaim from renowned publications like The New York Times and Rolling Stone. On September 23, exactly one month after the album’s initial release, Carpenter kicked off the album’s tour in Columbus, Ohio. Since it is her first arena tour, fans are praising Sabrina’s live performances for Short n’ Sweet. We will just have to wait and see what’s next for Sabrina Carpenter after this “short n’ sweet” rise to fame.
