Image from Brig Newspaper. Top: Short n’ Sweet Album Cover Art.
On August 23, 2024, Sabrina Carpenter released her much awaited album, Short n’ Sweet. This album contains a variety of different songs that explore themes of love and delve into Carpenter’s personal life. The album is also swarmed with controversy after several lyrics seem to publicly attack Carpenter’s supposed ex-lovers, like Shawn Mendes.
One song that specifically made headlines was “Taste.” Sabrina sang, “And singin’ ’bout it don’t mean I care / Yeah, I know I’ve been known to share.” When she says she’s been known to share, she is supposedly referring to her previous love triangle between Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo in 2021 and the current one with Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello. The controversy was fueled even further after Carpenter performed “Taste” at the VMAs where both Mendes and Cabello were present.
While some have listened to the album specifically to learn more about Carpenter’s controversies, others just enjoyed the rhythm and lyrics of the songs, which range from slow heartfelt songs like “Sharpest Tool” to fast up-beat songs like “Espresso.” Kavya Vikram, a junior at Washington and longtime Sabrina Carpenter fan, says her personal favorite is “Sharpest Tool.” “The lyrics of ‘Sharpest Tool’ were really meaningful and I really liked how the chorus went, and I liked that it was a bit more mellow.” She said that she separates the artist from their art and didn’t really consider any controversy regarding Carpenter when listening to the album.
While some people are enjoying the experimentation in this album, others were underwhelmed. Anwita Gandesiri, a junior at Washington and bigtime Girl Meets World fan, said, “I feel like after ‘Espresso’ and ‘Please, Please, Please’ I had higher expectations. So some of the songs really hit, but others don’t.”
Although Sabrina’s music is well liked, a lot of her fame is also due to the 90s aesthetic she has adopted for her album. Whether it be her voluminous hair or bright pink blush, there have been countless reels and tiktoks of people trying to copy her style. Kavya Vikram said, “Her nineties aesthetic is so cute. It gives Barbie. I feel like she’s made a good image for herself.”
As Carpenter reaches the peak of her career, there are rising questions about the next steps in the pop star’s career. Anwita Gandesiri says, “I’ve loved Sabrina Carpenter’s acting since Girl Meets World, and I would love to see her get back into it.” Gandesiri also said that she would love to see Carpenter in the role of Rapunzel. There has been speculation that Carpenter will star in the live action of Tangled, and while these are just rumors, many fans think Carpenter perfectly embodies Rapunzel.
Overall, Carpenter’s journey has certainly been one of many ups and downs. From getting her first big break on Girl Meets World, to getting engulfed in love triangles, and finally releasing “Short and Sweet,” she has made a place for herself in many people’s hearts. Carpenter has taken pop music by storm and has contributed to the resurgence of the genre. As Carpenter grows her career, many are keen to see what she has lined up next.
Avni Mishra is a junior at Washington High School. She grew up in Fremont, California. This is her first year at the paper and she is interested in writing about politics, local businesses, and book/movie reviews. She is also part of Whs DECA and has been doing Indian Semi-Classical dance for the past eight years. She hopes to become a print journalist in the future!