Sabrina Carpenter is taking her maneater persona to a whole new level. On Aug. 28, she celebrated the release of her new album Man’s Best Friend with a release party in a… cemetery? The self-aware singer seemed to be embracing her satirical comedy style, noting that the cemetery was a reference to some of her past memories, and her gravitation toward “killing men” in all of her music videos.
Carpenter sat down with actor Owen Thiele at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles during the party, which was hosted by Spotify. She told the Overcompensating star, “I used to come here and watch movies, and so I thought this would be a really special place to bring everybody. And since I’m always, like, killing men… it’s like a funeral and it’s also a new birth of a new album.”
Personally, I want Sabrina Carpenter’s witty remarks and perfect answers any time I’m faced with a hard question during an interview or test. Her earnest humility was shown through her words, “Thanks everybody that got that email and said I’m free,” as if everyone watching online wasn’t wishing they’d gotten the email, too. Somehow, Carpenter makes even the most contentious choices seem completely normal. All it takes is a good-humored remark and a well-placed laugh for the words, “It’s like a funeral,” to make complete sense to us all.Â
It does make sense to those of us who have been following Sabrina Carpenter’s career arc over the last decade. She has made the artistic choice to include horror-like elements tied to power struggle between men and women in relationships. In the 2018 music video for her song “Almost Love,” she played a Medusa-like character who turned men into stone when she kissed them. In “Feather,” a room full of gym bros accidentally committed a massacre fighting over her. In “Manchild,” the entire music video showcased cinematic fatalities of men. The only survivor at the end of these videos is Carpenter herself — definitely not the men.Â
It’s not the first time that a location has sparked controversy for Carpenter. In 2023, the artist released her “Feather” music video off of Emails I Can’t Send. The video was a humorous spin on being free from men, starring Milo Manheim, who met an untimely ending. In the video, Carpenter danced around a Catholic Church at his character’s funeral. The church in question was not happy with the content of the video. However, fans were definitely entertained, and Carpenter unapologetically embraced with a lighthearted statement that “Jesus was a Carpenter.”
Given the sentimental value of the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, a place known for playing films and hosting events, I think we can agree that Sabrina Carpenter was wholly embracing her love for cinema and all things camp. I’m all for bringing back pop stars who can have fun with their fans, and stay lighthearted even when they’ve blown up to mega-star status, like Carpenter herself.