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| Sabrina Carpenter performs onstage during the ‘Short n’ Sweet’ Tour |
Sabrina Carpenter isn’t holding back. The Grammy-winning pop star is standing tall against a wave of criticism surrounding the sexual nature of her lyrics and live performances. In a no-nonsense, empowering interview with Rolling Stone, Carpenter made it clear that she’s fully aware of the backlash—and she’s not here to play small or apologize for it.
With a smile and a shrug, she tackled the common critique that she only sings about sex. “It’s always so funny to me when people complain,” she said. “‘All she does is sing about this.’ But those are the songs that you’ve made popular.” In short: if the sexy songs are topping the charts, the audience is obviously the one tuning in. “Clearly you love sex. You’re obsessed with it. It’s in my show,” she added, pointing directly to the fans who elevate her bold tracks to viral fame.
One segment in particular, during her Short n’ Sweet Tour, has stirred up frequent online chatter—the now-infamous “Juno” moment, where Carpenter strikes a different sexual position each night while singing the lyric, “Wanna try out some freaky positions? / Have you ever tried this one?” The clip often goes viral post-show, fueling a cycle of praise, criticism, and think pieces about whether it’s “too much.” But as Sabrina pointed out, she doesn’t control what goes viral. “There’s so many more moments than the ‘Juno’ positions,” she explained. “But those are the ones you post every night and comment on.”
Beyond just defending her own performances, Carpenter spoke to a larger issue plaguing the music industry—how women, in particular, are constantly under the microscope. “I truly feel like I’ve never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more,” she said. “We’re in such a weird time where you would think it’s girl power, and women supporting women, but in reality... you have to say everything mean about it in the first 30 seconds that you see it.”
The scrutiny isn’t just about her lyrics—it’s also about her timing. Carpenter recently announced her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, which is set to drop on August 29, just a year after her Grammy-winning album Short n’ Sweet hit shelves. Some critics were quick to question the pace of her releases, but Sabrina again stood firm in her vision. “If I really wanted to, I could have stretched out Short n’ Sweet much, much longer,” she said. “But I’m at that point in my life where I’m like, ‘Wait a second, there’s no rules.’”
With her breakout single “Please Please Please” still riding the high of a Billboard Hot 100 No. 1, and the recent drop of “Manchild,” Carpenter is charging forward with full creative control. She’s not waiting for approval, algorithms, or industry norms to define her timeline. “If I’m inspired to write and make something new, I would rather do that,” she emphasized. “Why would I wait three years just for the sake of waiting three years? It’s all about what feels right.”
Sabrina Carpenter’s message is crystal clear: she’s owning her artistry, her sexuality, and her moment. Whether she’s singing about desire or defying expectations, she’s not making music for critics—she’s making it for the people who keep hitting replay.
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