As you walk around campus, it’s hard to spot someone who’s not wearing headphones. Music is an essential part of college life, especially at Michigan, where the only other sound is the construction on State Street. While every student has their own unique music taste, I recently found out something surprising: after asking 20 girls what they had been listening to most recently, 12 of them answered with Sabrina Carpenter. The pop icon released her latest album, Man’s Best Friend, this past August, which has undeniably taken campus by storm.Â
Carpenter’s career has completely taken off in the last 5 years. Originally known for her role in the Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, Sabrina Carpenter embarked on a sharp career shift from primarily television and film to solely music. She is known for her self-aware and relatable lyricism, which has cemented her as one of the most popular voices for young women in the 2020s. Man’s Best Friend is the perfect counterpart to her debut album, emails i can’t send, while highlighting a new version of Sabrina that has experienced a new, fuller range of the raw female experience. This album encapsulates the essence of being a young woman trying to get through the mess of it all, whether it’s hilarious or heartbreaking.Â
Sabrina Carpenter is magnetic to college-aged women, as she uses her music to connect directly with her fanbase. It’s hard not to find at least one lyric that resonates with some aspect of your life (even when you think no one else can relate). She hits the perfect equilibrium of empowering young women while also embracing softness and the courage to express her unfiltered emotions. Her song “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” narrates her repetitive, toxic relationship, while “Goodbye” showcases a more confident side of Sabrina that walks away as the bigger person. Man’s Best Friend dives deep into the confusing nature of being twenty-something and acting like you have it all together, while in reality, you’re a wreck. This album represents all of the different shades of girlhood, from the rush of texting someone you shouldn’t, or the pit you feel in your stomach after a breakup. Sabrina expresses the universality of being young and female through these emotions that can feel so isolating and individual.
There is a communal connection between young women and Man’s Best Friend. Even as I walk down my dorm hallway, I can faintly hear Carpenter’s melody through the walls. There’s a shared experience of listening to Sabrina Carpenter that truly makes girls feel more like themselves; it’s not just like elevator music that everyone dismisses, it’s music that resonates with people and inspires them. It’s the music you blast while you do your makeup and the music you listen to on repeat when you can’t get over that one situationship. With a song for every emotion, Sabrina Carpenter has single-handedly become the soundtrack of the 2020s twenty-year-old.
There’s a generational appeal behind Sabrina Carpenter. Differing from other popular artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Lizzy McAlpine, and Billie Eilish, Sabrina takes a new route into communicating girlhood through her wit and authenticity. She twists the narratives of being the crazy ex or overly sensitive girl into art, exposing her own faults in her songs while confronting issues many women face. In her song “My Man on Willpower,” Sabrina talks about how her ex used to love her but now rejects her: “He used to be literally obsessed with me, I’m suddenly the least sought after girl in the land,” This totally niche but somehow relatable experience is sung with real emotion; Sabrina is able to convey her experience effortlessly, connecting to this generation of young women with ease.Â
But why are we so drawn to Carpenter? Is she secretly hypnotizing us through her tunes? Enrapturing us with her sparkly charm? No, people are just naturally drawn to those who resemble their own values and personalities. According to the National Institutes of Health, similarity-based attraction is the concept that people inherently gravitate towards those who display similar traits to them. As Sabrina opens up and is authentically herself, fans are pulled to her because she creates such a relatable atmosphere. It’s something not every artist can do, yet she does so perfectly.Â
So, next time you hear Carpenter’s lyrics echoing from someone’s wired headphones, don’t be too shocked. Her music, transformative and real, is the new anthem to our generation. Sabrina Carpenter is more than just a pretty blonde with a good voice; she is an idol who can somehow touch every girl’s heart. Here’s to a Man’s Best Friend fall, where every confused college girl is taking on her days one song at a time.Â