The Revival of Sabrina Carpenter: From Disney Trenches to Main Pop Girl (EXCLUSIVE INFO)
Photo: Aissaoui Nacer / SplashNews
This post has been done for months so all I ask is for your forgiveness…
finished in June but published in October... it has to be mental illness.... right?
Sabrina Carpenter went from that-girl-Olivia-Rodrigo-was-singing-about to THAT GIRL with the pop hits of 2024.
And all I gotta say is… if you believe you deserve it and work hard enough, sometimes you might actually achieve it.
That last time I spilled tea about Sabrina Carpenter was in November 2023 when her team tried to make her PR with Shawn Mendes work…
October 2024: Editing-Angela here… what’s hilarious is that when I wrote this post (before Sabrina’s album release) there was no such thing as Shawn & Sabrina drama… but now, that’s all that has been happening for months so expect a post spilling some scandalous tea next but yes… I said what I said… a PR!
There I emphasized how badly Sabrina wanted to be a mainstream success:
Check out the full article here.
And unlike the majority of people who are now tuning into the revival of Sabrina Carpenter, I had my eye on her for a while.
I think I was 1 out of the 26 people who used to listen to her albums pre-Espresso and I would always wonder why she couldn't chart on Billboard. The way she would flop was very intriguing because she had good music and the “look.”
i ate this song up sjdhsajdks
And yet… her first Billboard entry was Skin when Driver’s License spotlighted her to the general public for the first time.
I always included her songs in my seasonal playlists, going back to Eyes Wide Open to Thumbs to Sue Me to Fast Life, so when I watched the music video for Espresso and heard it for the first time, I said OH, this is going to be a hit.
And it was.
Listen, I thought she missed her mark and chance at mainstream success. And guess what? So did her label, but not Sabrina.
Disney era
“Sabrina Carpenter was favored by Disney at the beginning of her career to be the next Disney it girl. They thought she could be the “real life Hannah Montana” because she had the look and she was quirky. But unfortunately for Sabrina, she debuted on Disney at a time when Disney ratings were at their lowest and no one cared for anyone there.
They stopped trying with her when she couldn’t produce an organic hit. To not chart on the Billboard Hot 100 once was career suicide, especially for a Disney star.” — my source
What I find so interesting is how no one associates Sabrina with Disney. She isn’t credited as a former Disney star and no one brings up her Disney upbringing during this new rebrand of Short N’ Horny Blonde©
@aesha.b0 Another position unlocked 🔓 ✨️ #sabrinacarpenter #ShortnSweet #shortnsweettour #NewYorkShortnSweet #juno #fyp ♬ Juno - Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina’s show, Girl Meets World premiered on June 27, 2014, and it was successful… before it got canceled.
As my source said, Sabrina was favored and spotlighted to be the next IT Girl for Disney. Disney was looking for the new Miley, Demi, and Selena considering at this point in the time, those 3 OGs were finding mainstream success after fully leaving Disney.
Miley was doing her thing with Bangerz, Demi with Heart Attack & her self-titled, and Selena with Come & Get It and Stars Dance.
So Disney shifted focus to Sabrina and Dove Cameron mainly. Laura Marano was also a pick because Austin & Ally soundtracks did pretty well, but no one was really there for them. Olivia Holt was also once a big contender, but that never panned out.
Disney was truly in the trenches trying to find their new faces of music.
I remember being told that Dove Cameron was the main pick because they felt she was going to be the new Demi in the sense that the Descendes franchise was bringing in mainstream success with If Only charting on the Billboard Hot 100 at #94, Night Falls #84, It’s Going Down #77, and Rotten to the Core at #38.
These weren’t Camp Rock type numbers but they were something.
Sabrina was pretty much ignored when she couldn’t deliver the numbers—a practice that is very common in the industry—but everything changed when Olivia Rodrigo came onto the scene.
Olivia arguably brought a mainstream eye back to Disney, especially with the High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: The Soundtrack (what the actual f) brought some mainstream success by charting on the Hot 200 chart and with All I Want debuting at #90 on the Hot 100.
At first, you’re probably like “wtf #90 was deemed successful for Disney?" well when their stars couldn’t crack the Hot 100 and were legit celebrated for charting on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart… they wanted to take what they could.
Olivia’s career trajectory is interesting because, to my knowledge, she wasn’t signed to Hollywood Records under Disney. She was and is currently signed to Geffen Records (owned by Interscope) so she was able to escape the HWR curse… iykyk
TikTok and The Mainstream Spotlight
Driver’s License catapulted Oliva to #1 and with TikTok, the love triangle drama put a spotlight on Olivia, Sabrina, and Joshua Bassett.
It was the battle of “Who could capitalize first?” and Sabrina was tuned in.
“Once she got over the mass hate and the everyone hates me saga , she got to plotting. She’s very smart and she’s leading her campaign head-on today.” —my source
We see the Love Triangle concept still helping her today:
@scandalousmedia Sabrina Carpenter is The Other Woman™ yet again… this time around with Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello… thoughts? #sabrinacarpenter #shortnsweet #shawnmendes #camilacabello #taste #sabrinacarpentertaste #junegloom #lovetriangle #barrykoeghan #popculture #gossip #scandalousmedia #celeb @Sabrina Carpenter @Camila Cabello ♬ 1989混音 (QzQ Remix) - TaylorSwift
After being put on the shelf and accepting C lister status, Sabrina knew she had 1 shot to capitalize and 1 shot only.
TikTok was a fairly new platform and before it got oversaturated with music and creators, there were a handful of occurrences where a person had ONE SHOT ONLY. Some of it happened by pure luck—would Drivers License have been #1 if that person didn’t make a TikTok of the drama leading to millions and millions of likes and views?
Who knows if Doja Cat would be where she is today if Say So didn’t go viral on TikTok?
Charli D'Amelio and Addison Rae were 2 of the first few dancers on TikTok to go viral and even though many would argue they didn’t have anything special, they still filled that role of TikTok celebrity FIRST. And when you’re the FIRST to do something, there are more eyeballs on you.
We saw this phenomenon with Zayn Malik when he left One Direction and Camila Cabello when she left Fifth Harmony.
I even emphasized then that Camila wanted to leave first and in a dramatic way to capitalize as soon as she could.
^ 2016 tea still aging well… oh esm—Scandalous Media, you will always be famous!
TikTok took the industry by storm and it had everyone like
The Taylor Swift effect
Taylor likes to do this thing where she takes a breakthrough artist (or an up-and-coming one) under her wing to “help” them but this also keeps her attached to trending artists. It’s a mutual symbiotic relationship.
She couldn’t wait to take Camila Cabello under her wing because Fifth Harmony was on the verge of combusting apart and Camila was being primed for mainstream success.
We also saw this with Lorde back in 2013, but Lorde couldn’t stand the whole act.
Taylor does this often and she famously wanted to do it with her former baby, Olivia Rodrigo, but we all know how that went down…
Whether you believe this or not, out of spite, Taylor took Sabrina Carpenter under her wing. I said what I said
The cards definitely lined up for Sabrina Carpenter.
And as I told you guys a while back, no one was truly upset about being a target in the love triangle drama (except maybe Josh who couldn’t capitalize on it and is actually really sweet) because it all meant more popularity and money.
It’s Sabrina’s Espresso and we’re all drinking it…
Sabrina feels like a new breakthrough artist because, for all these years, no one was tuned in besides me and the 26 fans who used to listen to her albums.
She appears to be a fresh breath of air in the industry but understand that she’s an industry veteran. Sabrina feels like a debut artist who does everything perfectly because, over the years, she built up the stamina, experience, and work ethic.
But… she’s not a debut artist and yet her 10-year irrelevance makes her seem like one… she’s a debut artist with 10 years of experience which is why everything she’s doing is literally perfect.
“I feel like Sabrina would have hit it mainstream had she been on Disney at a time when the franchise wasn’t dying, but because most people knew her from the Drivers License drama and her time on Disney has since expired, she had a bunch of new eyeballs on her. Island Records was interested in her and she started referring to her emails i can’t send album as her first album for the “new Sabrina.” — my source
Reddit comments following the announcement of Sabrina signing with Island Records on January 26, 2021:
Sabrina is that person who is capable but never got the credit or accolades. So when she FINALLY got this mainstream fame, she’s been SOAKING IT TF UP and you can tell.
“Once Sabrina found mainstream success with Nonsense and Feather, she knew it was time to capitalize and her team was on board. At first, she was doing anything to go viral hence the very sexual Nonsense outros but she was willing to do anything to be #1. She was very determined and no one could stand in her way. Also, she had the budget.”
Sabrina did something very smart in this revival and it was differentiating herself. She wasn’t attached to either a person or a specific drama.
She shined bright as an individual… and according to my source… she did this on purpose.
Remember what my source said earlier… she is a seasoned industry veteran.
“She had an idea of who she wanted to become. She didn’t want to be known as the next Olivia Rodrigo. In fact, she wanted to be the exact opposite of Olivia. At least at first.
She also didn’t want recognition for being shady either. She panicked a bit when the public turned on her even more with Skin.
She wanted to be a fun pop star, kind of like Britney Spears being known for her stage presence, outfits, and bops as opposed to having ultra-personal songs. Especially since Sabrina wasn’t going through anything mind blogging. She genuinely wanted to perform and sing.
She learned so much from Taylor about holding yourself high and staying true to your vision.”
I don’t know if we got a monster in the making or what because Sabrina is lowkey a genius.
A big thing Sabrina is doing that’s going to help her, in the long run, is personalizing her music. Her fun and catchy lyrics are one thing, but to be a funny pop star is another.
@scandalousmedia Did Sabrina Carpenter unintentionally save New York? Eric Adams indictment apparently leads back to the Feather music video… #sabrinacarpenter #ericadams #sabrinacarpentermsg #newyork #msg #feather #sabrinacarpenterericadams #popculture #gossip #scandalousmedia #celeb @Sabrina Carpenter ♬ Bed Chem - Sabrina Carpenter
In this day and age, a lot of fandoms don’t know the personality of their faves (some of them don’t even have a personality) so for Sabrina to go viral for her personality, that’s big in building a brand with fans.
Hailey Bieber for example had a hard time connecting to her audience because people didn’t know what to connect with her on besides being part of a love triangle. Are you the victim or the other woman? It was something that took a toll on her brand for a very long time until she made the poster child for the clean girl aesthetic.
Even when Sabrina celebrated Please Please Please getting to #1 on Billboard, she included a tweet of a twitter user saying that they’ve never seen anyone fumble a second single this hard…
She also went viral for her funny Leonardo DiCaprio birthday cake.
she's so funny ngl
“A lot of things Sabrina is going to start doing is going to come off as effortless because to most people, this their first time hearing of her, but the truth is, she is media trained and has a lot of industry insight in her pocket. So what might come off as effortless, is a decade of experience.
She is loving the fame and basking in it for sure. I have nothing bad to say about her, to be honest. She’s really sweet and funny. The only thing I’d watch out for are the lengths she’ll go to keep and expand her fame.” — my source
I haven’t heard anything bad about Sabrina. The only semi-bad thing I’ve heard is when I told you guys that she doesn’t understand how popular Olivia Rodrigo is because she felt like she was more capable. Which like… what does her fame have to do with you… like we are living in an era where Olivia and Sabrina are both in the mainstream eye and I for one did not see that happening.
October 2024: Editing-Angela back… it’s interesting to read this now after the Shawn & Camila drama because of the tea I got recently about how the label is even pushing for this agenda to continue… but I shall spill later … (sorry if that’s traumatic to hear because does “later” mean this month or 2027? I don’t even know 😳 jk jk… I shall not torture yall longer).
@scandalousmedia This is how Camila Cabello & Shawn Mendes responded to Sabrina Carpenter at the VMAs… and so the drama continues! #sabrinacarpenter #shortnsweet #shawnmendes #camilacabello #taste #sabrinacarpentertaste #vmas #godspeed #junegloom #nobodyknows #theotherwoman #lovetriangle #barrykoeghan #popculture #gossip #scandalousmedia #celeb @Sabrina Carpenter @Camila Cabello @Shawn Mendes ♬ TASTE - Tom 🕯️🎀
I never saw Sabrina making it out of the trenches of the Bubbling Under chart let alone topping the Hot 100, but credit goes where credit is due. Not to mention Short N’ Sweet’s massive debut on Billboard… over 300k units and staying at #1 for THREE WEEKS?
Insane.
She’s a great performer, she’s interesting to look at it, and she’s releasing good music. Her music before Espresso was nice, but it wasn’t that good.
When I would put her in my playlists, I needed filler songs that I would skip, but sometimes would enjoy if I was not paying attention or maybe trying to merge on the highway... and that best describes Sabrina pre-Espresso.
She’s now on her first arena tour and this is big because she’s always been either an opening act or on a theater tour. She did 4 theater tours… The Short n' Sweet Tour is her fifth concert tour and first arena tour.
Judging from the videos I’ve seen about the production, stage design, funny video at the end of the concert, or the entire theme of this big sleepover … everything is perfectly articulated and this is something I have been begging pop stars to do again.
It’s not often you see someone pop off in the mainstream world after being in the industry for so long, this is why debuts are so important because it’s that first impression that lasts. But in the case of Sabrina, Espresso is their first impression. It’s very interesting.
Short N’ Sweet has some great songs on it… her lyrics are hilarious and her aesthetic perfectly fits her. All the visuals from the tour are also very pleasing to the eye.
Sabrina and Barry Keoghan’s Relationship
I don’t even know where to start with this so I’m just gonna include what my source said.
“Either they have an open relationship or this is all for business despite them not being as publicized as most PRs. I have heard it was a setup because he’s fairly new in terms of mainstream media because most people know him from Saltburn and as we discussed before, Sabrina wanted to be in a relationship to bring her some relevancy. It’s all good for business.
He parties a lot and I’ve heard of him hooking up with different models that’s why I’m questioning the extent of his relationship with Sabrina. Did you see how he basically abandoned his baby mama and new baby to go play boyfriend to Sabrina Carpenter?” — my source
Barry and Alyson Kierans, a Scottish dentist and Orthopedic Therapist, dated for some time and they had a son together.
But it seems like Barry is a deadbeat father because he left Alyson to raise their son alone which is evident by the comments that Alyson liked under this picture:
And then randomly when it was rumored they were broken up, he posted with his kid in August.
“Sabrina isn’t looking to be in a committed relationship. She’s just having fun. Barry is like someone who fills the time while keeping her company in the tabloids. She knows he’s messy and she takes everything as a joke.” — my source
Sabrina just like me… can’t let a joke go. I would literally be choking on food but would sacrifice oxygen to tell a bad joke.
But what my source said makes sense because this is what Sabrina said when asked about Barry:
I believe there is some sort of real aspect to his relationship with Sabrina, but I also believe that they’re both experiencing fame on a different level than before so they’re only 1 chapter of the whole book.
I see a breakup happening during the Short N Sweet Tour depending on how the tour goes.
My source tells me that they have skirted around the breakup for a while which was recently rumored on social media, but the 2 put a band-aid on the relationship by continuing social media interactions.
And if People Magazine is getting the exclusive photos, then I know you’re setting up pap walks…
What are your thoughts on Barry and Sabrina?
Let’s wrap it up…
I don’t know how I completely feel about Sabrina.
I think she’s really funny, pretty, a great performer, and she has some good bops.
There is not much I can complain about and that’s coming from a legal hater.
Well… she’s innocent unless proven guilty.
She’s proving a lot of people wrong (me included) considering I never thought she could get a top 5 on Billboard let alone capitalize with a #1.
She’s dedicated and she wants it bad enough. And she’s doing a great damn job at it.
But most importantly…
What do you guys think?
This is our first in-depth post on Sabrina so I want to know what the readers think considering you guys always offer some additional insight.
Let me know if you have any questions because Sabrina is an artist I’ve been watching from afar without commenting on so I got random stored tea.
Sorry for being inactive but I will not say much anymore about that because I will make it up to you guys! Actions will prove it I promise, pls forgive us 😔
xoxoxox,
Angela & Alana
I hope you guys enjoyed this post! Be sure to let us know what you think and what future posts you want to see in the comments down below!
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