Many Disney actors have dreamed of building music careers alongside their TV shows. Artists like Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez, and Miley Cyrus helped define this path, balancing acting careers with successful music careers. Sabrina Carpenter followed a similar path, first gaining recognition for her role in the Disney Channel show Girl Meets World. While filming the show, she began releasing music, including her debut album, Eyes Wide Open. However, she was still largely seen as a Disney star rather than a serious artist, despite releasing four albums during this period.
Once she left Disney and her initial label, Carpenter signed with her current label, Island Records, in 2021, but she gained public attention that year for a more heated reason. In January 2021, Olivia Rodrigo released her breakthrough song, “drivers license,” which depicted a rumored love triangle between herself, Joshua Bassett, and Carpenter. Once fans began theorizing that Carpenter was the rival “blonde girl” mentioned in the lyrics, the speculation quickly escalated into intense online hate. Despite the vagueness of the song lyrics, Carpenter received harsh criticism and even death threats from people who knew nothing about her and her romantic life.
Over time, the online tension towards Carpenter lessened as the three artists moved on with their careers. With the release of her fifth studio album, emails i can’t send, in 2022, Carpenter addressed the drama between her, Rodrigo, and Bassett in her song “because i liked a boy,” telling her side of the story and expressing the toll those threats had taken on her. Carpenter and Rodrigo have scarcely interacted since this release, but their photos together from the 2022 Met Gala and Rodrigo’s recent praise of Carpenter’s work suggest that the two are on good terms.
Carpenter’s massive breakthrough as a musician didn’t come until the Eras Tour in 2023. As an opener for Taylor Swift, she was introduced to a wider audience, which helped shift public perception after the “drivers license” scandal. Her performance of “Feather” at the Eras Tour went viral, and her revitalized fame carried into her album, Short n’ Sweet, which became a major success. Songs like “Espresso,” “Please Please Please,” and “Taste” became widely popular and solidified her place in the mainstream pop scene. These hits turned Carpenter into a household name and proved she could be more than just that “blonde girl.”
Carpenter released her latest album, Man’s Best Friend, in 2025, continuing this streak of success. Although some fans felt it didn’t reach the same cultural peak as the Short n’ Sweet singles, it maintained her relevance and showed her continued growth as an artist. Tracks like “Manchild” and “Tears” highlighted her signature style of upbeat, satiric tunes. Overall, Carpenter’s career reflects the challenges of transitioning from a Disney image to a respected artist. Despite public hate, she has built a career that continues to grow, and she has already made her mark in the music industry.