Sabrina Carpenter was well-known prior to her newly found mainstream success. Her career began on the Disney Channel series, Girl Meets World, in 2014. Right around this time, her first single was released. Although her musical traction didn’t begin until around 2020, stardom was in her sights. Whether the plethora of movies and media, including Clouds, Tall Girl, and The Hate U Give, or the albums she released in this time frame.

She had her first entry in the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2021, with her single “Skin.” The following year, her first major entry in her discography, Emails I Can’t Send, was released. Featuring “Nonsense,” she was boosted into stardom, and she even opened for the Eras Tour for Taylor Swift. She has since followed up with the singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” of which she has finally hit true pop-star level numbers on the charts.

Early Life

Carpenter was born on May 11, 1999, in Quakertown, Pennsylvania. She was introduced to music young, as her father was a part of a band. Carpenter also had three older sisters (Sarah, Shannon, and Cayla) of majority were performers themselves. She was known for her outgoing personality as a child. Growing up, her and her family grew up in a tight-knit environment.

By the age of ten, Sabrina began uploading videos of herself singing on YouTube. These covers quickly began garnering attention, bringing notice to her name. This led her father to construct Sabrina’s first recording studio in a closet of their home. She cites her early influences as: Christina Aguilera, Whitney Houston, and Adele. By the age of 13, her family relocated to Los Angeles.

The Big Screen

Sabrina landed her first acting role in 2011, as a guest on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Although just a guest role, this was just the beginning. In the following summer, she starred in her first recurring role in The Goodwin Games. She started her Disney career the year following, recording “Smile” for a Disney compilation album. Sabrina appeared in the 2013 film, Horns, as well as playing Princess Vivian in Sofia, the First.

In 2013, she was finally casted as Maya Hart in Girl Meets World, a Disney reboot of the show Boy Meets World. The show ran for 72 episodes over four years, with Sabrina featured the whole duration. She also sang the theme song for the show alongside co-star Rowan Blanchard. The same year, Carpenter signed to Hollywood Records.

Upon signing to Hollwood Records, Sabrina went straight to work. She released her debut single, “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying,” in 2014. The single was co-written by Meghan Trainor and garnered much success amongst a younger target. Her debut EP, of the same name, was released in April of 2014. To finalize that year, she contributed vocals to another Disney compilation album, recorded “Stand Out” for Disney, and released her first Christmas single: “Silver Nights.”

Musical Debut

Sabrina followed up her 2014 success with releasing “We’ll Be the Stars” in January of 2015. This was the lead single for her debut project, Eyes Wide Open, which was released three months later. It peaked at number 43 on the Billboard 200, selling just over 12,000 copies in the first week. The project also went on to win Sabrina two Radio Disney Music Awards. In August, she went on to perform at the D23 Expo.

In February 2016, Sabrina released “Smoke and Fire,” going on to perform the track at the 2016 Radio Disney Music Awards. June saw Carpenter star in Adventures in Babysitting, alongside Sofia Carson. The pair sang “Wildside” for the film. Two months later, Carpenter headlined Bethlehem’s Musikfest Festival. This was her first major headlining gig in her young career.

In October of the same year, she released her sophomore album, Evolution. The project debuted at number 28 on the Billboard 200. The project had two major tracks: “Thumbs” and “On Purpose.” The latter was nominated for a Radio Disney Music Award. “Thumbs” peaked at number one on Billboard‘s Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart and went on to be certified platinum. In Fall, she embarked on her first headlining tour, the Evolution Tour.

True Beginnings

Her Disney reign continued in March of 2017, where she performed the theme song of Andi Mack. In May, she was featured on “Hands” by the Vamps, a popular British boy band. Two months later, she released “Why.” The single peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100, and it was also nominated for a Radio Disney Music Award. She embarked on the De-Tour in the summer, and she also opened for Ariana Grande on her Dangerous Woman Tour.

In March 2018, she was featured on “Alien” by Jonas Blue. The song peaked at number one on the US Dance Club Songs Chart and number 12 on the Us Dance/Electronic Songs Chart. In June, she was featured in Nylon magazine’s “25 Gen Z’ers Changing the World,” one of her biggest feats yet. Carpenter starred in yet another popular movie, The Hate U Give, based on a novel of the same name.

At the end of 2018, she released Singular: Act I. Two singles, “Almost Love” and “Sue Me,” both reached number one on the US Dance Club Songs Chart, leading her to embark on the Singular Tour the following year. In July of 2019, she released the follow-up album, Singular: Act II, where she delved into more personal topics. By the end of the year, Sabrina was also found in Netflix’s Tall Girl, and an adaptation of The Distance From Me to You.

Broadway & Breakthrough

March of 2020 saw Carpenter take another big step, this time on Broadway. She made her debut in Mean Girls; however, the show made it to mid-March before the Covid-19 pandemic shut the show down. In July 2020, she released “Let Me Move You,” for the Netflix film she starred in Work It. Carpenter also recorded tracks for the Disney+ film, Clouds, in which she starred in as well.

Around this time, Sabrina was featured in Forbes‘ 30 Under 30 list in the Hollywood and Entertainment category. January 2021 saw Carpenter sign to Island Records, releasing “Skin” by the end of the month. She would also be seen in films, such as: Savage X Fenty Show, Tall Girl 2, and Emergency. She would also be teasing her next project, dropping singles “Skinny Dipping” and “Fast Times”

Emails I Can’t Send would be released in July 2022, debuting at number 23 on the Billboard 200. One song, “Nonsense,” would see mainstream success. Becoming TikTok famous, the song eventually peaked at number 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 and would later become platinum. She embarked on the tour for the project in September of that year.

Chart Topping

In March 2023, she released the deluxe version of her past album, featuring “Feather,” which peaked at number 21. It was announced in June that Carpenter would be one of the openers to the majorly successful Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. She released a cover of Swift’s hit, “I Knew You Were Trouble,” and she would cite Swift as one of her biggest idols. At the end of the year, she released Fruitcake, a Christmas-themed EP, and she eventually began a relationship with Irish actor, Barry Keoghan. She would perform at the 23rd Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in between releases on singles.

In April 2024, she released the lead single for her next project, “Espresso.” The song topped the Billboard Global 200 and peaked at number three on the Hot 100 Chart. The following single, “Please Please Please” would top the Hot 100 charts, and they remain in the Top 10 through the release of Short n’ Sweet. The album topped the Billboard 200, and she would embark on a tour for the album. She partnered with a handful of organizations to promote mental health support for the LGBTQ+ community.

Discography

• Eyes Wide Open (2015)
• Evolution (2016)
• Singular: Act I (2018)
• Singular: Act II (2019)
• Emails I Can’t Send (2022)
• Short n’ Sweet (2024)

Accolades

Radio Disney Music Awards –

• Best Crush Song – “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying” (2015)
• Best Anthem – “Eyes Wide Open” (2016)

BMI Pop Awards –

• Most Performed Song of the Year – “Cupid” (Twin Version) (2024)
• Most Performed Song of the Year – “Nonsense” (2024)

Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards –

• Favorite Viral Song – “Espresso” (2024)

Charts History

Peak Solo Chart – “Please Please Please” – Peaked at #1 for 1 Week

Longest Weeks on Chart – “Feather” – Spent 37 Weeks on Chart

Number of Top 10 Songs on Chart – 3 Songs

Peak Album Chart – Short n’ Sweet – Peaked at #1

Longest Album Chart – Emails I Can’t Send – Spent 49 Weeks on Chart

Number of Top 10 Albums on Chart – 1 Album

Peak Artist Chart – Sabrina Carpenter – Peaked at #1