Sabrina Carpenter is, quite literally, everywhere these days. She’s famous for filling our cups heads with Espresso, making a groundbreaking debut at Coachella and SNL, and releasing her long-awaited album Short n’ Sweet.
Whether you’re scrolling through TikTok, looking for some new fashion inspo, or hitting play on Spotify — it’s hard to escape the presence of this talented pop princess.
But it wasn’t always red carpets and chart-topping hits for our girl, Sab. She began as a regular kid with a YouTube channel and a dream. So the question remains: How did she get her start and what actually made Sabrina Carpenter famous?
While it may seem like Sabrina skyrocketed to fame overnight, her career has actually been over 10 years in the making. From cryptic lyrics to crazy conspiracies, here’s the inside scoop on how the Taste singer became a household name.
How did Sabrina Carpenter get famous?
Jump to:
- Uploads Cover Song to YouTube
- Goes on ‘The Next Miley Cyrus Project’
- Lands Her First Acting Job
- Music Career Starts to Take Off
- Signs to Island Records
- Throws Shade at Olivia Rodrigo
- Becomes a Style Icon
- Joins Taylor Swift On Tour
- Blows Up On TikTok
- Secures Her First Number 1
- Triggers a Spotify Conspiracy Theory
- Starts Dating Barry Keoghan
1. Sabrina Uploads Her First Cover Song to YouTube
Seriously, guys, if you’ve not seen Sabrina’s early YouTube videos, you’re missing out on some prime content…
Way before she was touring with Tay Tay, like, waaay before (we’re talking 2009), Sabrina posted an adorable cover of Taylor’s track Picture to Burn on YouTube. And it. is. gold.
With oodles of sass, charm, and charisma, she clearly had the “it” factor from the start, and continued to pursue her passion for singing, regularly posting covers of her fave songs on YouTube.
Sabrina had singing lessons in school when she was a child. Her singing teacher was the same instructor that taught her mom years earlier.
2. Sabrina Goes on ‘The Next Miley Cyrus Project’
Around the same time as uploading on YouTube, Sab submitted a video to the singing competition, The Next Miley Cyrus Project (led by Miley Cyrus herself). She was lucky to land a spot, which she claims helped her break into the industry:
“I think that definitely helped start my music career and start a fan base,” she told The Morning Call in 2018.
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3. Sabrina Lands Her First Acting Job
Shortly after the contest, Sabrina was well on her way to finding fame, as she started to get noticed by some major industry players. After coming third on The Next Miley Cyrus Project, the star landed a small guest role on Law & Order: SVU, and by 2012, Disney came calling!
Sabrina rose to fame as a child star when she finally got her Disney breakthrough. At just 13 years-old, the star was already making a name for herself as feisty teen Maya Hart in Girl Meets World.
Fun fact: Sabrina even recorded the show’s theme song!
Sabrina landed a small guest role on Law & Order: SVU at just 11 years old. She also had a recurring role in The Goodwin Games.
4. Sabrina’s Music Career Starts to Take Off
Thanks to her newfound success, Sabrina managed to snap up her first ever record deal with Disney-owned Hollywood Records. At just 14 years-old, she eventually released her debut single, Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, off her first album, Eyes Wide Open, which saw an influx of Carpenters join her fanbase.
Though Eyes Wide Open gave us a taste of Sabrina’s talent, it was her 2016 album, EVOLution, that really put her on the map. With bops like Thumbs and On Purpose, Sabrina started to carve out her own unique sound, bringing us catchy teen pop beats with super-relatable lyrics.
Sabrina got more famous after going on tour with her album twice, first bringing fans the EVOlution tour in 2016, then wowing audiences with the De-Tour in 2017.
Oh, and let’s not forget — she also toured with Ariana Grande that same year! This was clearly the start of something big for the young songstress.
Sabrina’s debut single, Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying, off her first album, Eyes Wide Open was released in 2014.
5. Sabrina Signs to Island Records
Being a Sabrina fan pre-2021 meant you were either a hardcore Disney devotee or spending way too much time on Tumblr (IYKYK). Despite releasing four albums with Hollywood Records, by the end of 2020, she still didn’t have a major hit, and many Carpenters started to question whether Disney was letting her down on the “promo” side of things.
But all that changed when she signed with Island Records…
After joining Island and releasing Skin, Sabrina instantly became a star, racking up 10 million streams in 48 hours and securing her first top 40 hit. Her 2022 LP Emails I Can’t Send “marked the beginning of a really freeing and artistic time” [via Variety], and earned Sabrina her highest entry on the Billboard 200 (23) at the time.
The Island PR team were clearly doing something right! (Oh, and Sabrina, of course).
6. Sabrina Throws “Shade” at Olivia Rodrigo
Why else was Skin so widely talked about? Here’s a clue: it involves drama.
In 2021, Olivia Rodrigo dropped her hit single Drivers License — a song speculated to be about Rodrigo’s ex Joshua Bassett. At the time, fans started to zero in on the mention of an older “blonde girl” (aka Sabrina). Then, amid all the chaos, Sabrina released Skin and the internet went wild, fixating on the lyrics: “Maybe you didn’t mean it. Maybe blonde was the only rhyme.”
Nobody knows whether Sabrina *actually* had beef with Olivia. But one thing’s for sure, the supposed “feud” certainly catapulted Sabrina into the spotlight!
7. Sabrina Becomes a Style Icon
2022 was a *major* style moment for Sab.
She not only switched up her hair — yes, we’re talking about those iconic curtain bangs — but she was also spotted rocking some seriously stunning outfits at some of the most talked about fashion events. From her stunning gold ensemble at the American Music Awards 2022 show to her statement minidress with a heart cutout, Sabrina showed the world that she’s a fashion force to be reckoned with!
Sabrina often dresses in babydoll dresses (with hearts and kisses) and platform shoes.
8. Sabrina Joins Taylor Swift On Tour
Imagine the look on Sabrina’s face when she found out she was going to be sharing a stage with Taylor Swift — it must have been the ultimate “pinch me” moment!
In 2023, Sabrina joined Taylor on her sell-out Eras Tour, opening the show in Mexico, Argentina, and Brazil. Clearly just a *teeny* bit excited after hearing the news, Sabrina took to Instagram, writing: “trying to process this but alas i shant…CANT WAIT TO JOIN THE ERAS TOUR IN LATIN AMERICA…thank u @taylorswift u the 1 :’) this is a dream come true.”
Joining Taylor on tour is what really made Sabrina Carpenter famous, and enabled her to become a chart-topping, viral superstar.
Sabrina first met Taylor backstage at one of her Reputation shows.
9. Sabrina Blows Up On TikTok
While on the Eras Tour, Sabrina shared countless clips of her incredible performances, and it wasn’t long before we were seeing her face on every feed and FYP.
So, what was the secret to her TikTok success? If you hadn’t already guessed… it had something to do with those iconic Nonsense outros! Not only did fans make a trend out of dancing to the song, but Sabrina’s improvised cheeky outros on tour would also make the rounds online, giving her a reputation of humor and hotness combined.
Every Sabrina stan can remember this one: “He said where you at I said I’m busy / Sipping on tequila getting tipsy / Con mis chicas in Mexico City”
Muy impresionante, Sabrina!
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10. Sabrina Secures Her First Number 1 Hit
Sabrina was obvs on our radar way before 2024, but it was her viral coffee-tinged hit, Espresso, that officially took the star from Disney darling to mainstream music icon. I mean, I dare you to order an Espresso without instinctively humming this song right after. VIRAL, I’m telling you!
Not only did her track reach number 1 in the UK singles chart, but it also reached the top spot in the Global 200 chart, and stayed in the top 3 for 14 whole weeks!
How did Sabrina feel after releasing the song of the summer? “This was one of those times in my life where it was just like, I just thought I was the sh-t in the moment,” she told Apple Music.
Girl, you still are!
While Espresso is Sabrina’s most famous song, she landed her first number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with Please Please Please.
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11. Sabrina Triggers a Spotify Conspiracy Theory
We’re all too familiar with celebrity scandals and unexpected plot twists, but even we didn’t see this one coming…
Not long after the release of Espresso, some Spotify users started to wonder whether Sabrina’s label had slipped Spotify “a little something” to promote her track.
At the time, many users pointed out that no matter what they were listening to, Espresso would pop up in the queue, sometimes even autoplaying after a song finished.
Was something suspicious going on? We’ll never know for sure. But let’s be real — if it means we get to hear more of Sabrina — we’re not mad about it!
12. Sabrina Starts Dating Barry Keoghan
As if 2024 wasn’t busy enough for Sabrina, it was also the year that she finally found love! Sabrina’s love life was thrust in the spotlight as soon as word got out that she was dating Saltburn star Barry Keoghan.
The singer first locked eyes with Barry at Paris Fashion Week at the start of 2024, and despite rumors that the pair have been “on and off,” Barry’s adorable social media comments suggest that they’re still going strong!
Please, please, please, Sabrina, don’t let the doubters get you down — we’re rooting for you!
Sabrina Carpenter is clearly having a moment, and that moment is here to stay! From those early YouTube covers to owning the stage with Tay, Sab is living proof that hard work and staying true to yourself pays off (even if you have to throw a little shade along the way)!
Do you think she’ll reinvent herself again? Or will she keep her pop princess status for many years to come? Share your thoughts in the comments!
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