The first time Sabrina Carpenter played Short n’ Sweet for fans, it was at a Spotify-hosted listening party in Los Angeles the day before the album dropped. The response? “I think in the moment they were still in shock about what they were hearing,” Carpenter tells Vogue.
We hardly need to tell you that Carpenter has had an astonishing year, enjoying her first number one hit with “Please Please Please” and the glow of a viral pop sensation with “Espresso.” If there were any doubts that Short n’ Sweet, her sixth studio album, could live up to its lead singles, they were quickly squashed with “Taste,” the record’s guitar-driven first track, which arrived with an instantly iconic visual co-starring Jenna Ortega.
The release of Short n’ Sweet served as an apt conclusion to what has undeniably been the summer of Sabrina—and the perfect runway for her nationwide tour this fall. But ahead of that, Carpenter spoke to Vogue about the “terrifying” experience of playing new songs for fans, the stiff competition for song of the summer this year, and being part of the new pop vanguard.
Vogue: When you see crazy stats associated with your music—like, that songs from Short n’ Sweet completely dominated Spotify’s Global Top 10 Debut chart—what goes through your mind?
Sabrina Carpenter: What’s overwhelming in the best way possible is that you work so long to make a project that you care so much about. Numbers, to me, don’t really feel real—they don’t make me feel happy, sad, or any emotion like music does. But it is something that the people around me in my life are like, “This many people are watching,” or “This many people are listening.” It’s a beautiful thing. Spotify’s been such a great partner, and they help me set up the first time any fans got to listen to the album, and that was a terrifying yet super exciting experience for me. They put so much love into the event and made sure that all of the girls and the boys had the best time. There were so many things to do with the album—everybody had kiss tattoos on their shoulders. That, to me, has been special to watch—for people to embrace the universe I’ve been building for the last couple years. To enjoy the music has been really beautiful, and I’m so grateful for them.