On April 23, 2024, pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter released her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet. Named for the length of Carpenter’s relationships, the artist’s stature, and the brief duration of the album itself, Short n’ Sweet features twelve songs that explore different aspects of (often toxic) romance. The album has been eagerly anticipated by millions of fans after the two singles preceding the album topped global charts. Though the album received mixed reviews from critics, fans have had a positive reception, with the artist’s recent social media posts receiving millions of likes and thousands of positive comments. This fall, Sabrina Carpenter will be touring North America, beginning in Columbus, Ohio on September 23 and ending on November 15 in Los Angeles. The Short n’ Sweet Tour arrives in Chicago on October 13 at the United Center.
Though Sabrina Carpenter is currently best known for her hit single “Espresso,” her music career began long before 2024. During her teenage years, she starred on Disney Channel and released her first single in 2014; however, her first song achieving widespread popularity was “Thumbs,” released in 2017. Though the single didn’t chart on Billboard’s Hot 100, its music video has 255 million views and is the most viewed video on Carpenter’s YouTube channel to this day. Carpenter’s early success, though paling in comparison to her current fame, played a crucial role in building her a loyal following and recognition in the music industry.
The road to Short n’ Sweet started several months prior to its release last Friday. In fact, the events that came before the album’s release played a large part in its current success, namely the release of “Espresso,” the lead single of the album. The song and its companion music video were posted on April 11 of this year, garnering immediate success. With its catchy melody and witty lyrics, “Espresso” was soon caught in the heads of listeners around the globe. The song also circulated on TikTok, which exposed many more people to both the song itself and Sabrina Carpenter as an artist. By the time “Please Please Please” was released in June, Carpenter’s audience had more than doubled, driving the second Short n’ Sweet single to top the US Billboard Hot 100, her first song to do so. Though her popularity has been steadily growing for the past two years, these two singles propelled her career to new heights. When “Espresso” was released, Carpenter had 36 million monthly listeners on Spotify. Now, she has nearly 80 million.
Along with Short n’ Sweet, a music video was released for “Taste,” the first song on the album. Featuring Wednesday actress Jenna Ortega, the video follows Sabrina as she attempts to murder her ex’s girlfriend, only for the other woman to retaliate in a similarly bloodthirsty manner. For the rest of the song, Jenna and Sabrina inflict fatal wounds on each other in increasingly comical situations as they fight over Sabrina’s ex-boyfriend, only for Jenna to accidentally kill him with a chainsaw. Neither of them seem particularly concerned by his death, and leave his funeral joking about his shortcomings. “You kill me,” Sabrina laughs as the screen fades to black.
In the music video, a lot of things happen in a short period of time, and due to the shocking factor of the graphic violence, it’s difficult to pick up every detail on a first watch. But with a second watch and some research, it becomes clear that there are several layers to the story and the visuals accompanying it. First of all, the video references multiple iconic movie scenes throughout. The most notable reference is to the movie Death Becomes Her (1992). The movie follows an actress who vows revenge against her ex-fiancé’s wife, eventually leading to a bloody feud between the two. In both the movie and the “Taste” music video, one of the women receives a shotgun blast through the torso, the man they were fighting over falls into a pool, and they reconcile and attend his funeral, mocking the eulogy. Another notable comparison is that in the music video, Sabrina and Jenna appear to be immortal and able to survive multiple fatal wounds. In the movie, the two women drank potions to become immortal. There are several other horror movie references in the music video, including nods to scenes from Halloween Ends, Kill Bill, and Psycho, among others.
References aside, however, Sabrina Carpenter’s new video reflects several aspects intrinsic to her ‘brand’ as an artist. First of all, her music videos are connected to each other in some way. In this case, the three Short n’ Sweet music videos create a loose storyline. At the end of “Espresso,” Sabrina gets arrested, and when “Please Please Please” begins, she is in jail. At the end of “Please Please Please,” Sabrina kisses the duct tape she placed over her lover’s mouth, and at the beginning of “Taste,” viewers can see a teddy bear with lipstick-stained duct tape over its mouth. This kind of continuity is fun for fans to pick out and can certainly be used as a marketing strategy to increase anticipation for upcoming singles and albums. Second, the video creates contrast between the coy character of Sabrina Carpenter and the violent imagery and situations that occur in the music video. Listening to her music on its own, a listener would expect her music videos to be either light and romantic or sensual at the very most, when many, including “Feather” and “Please Please Please,” involve situations in which her seemingly sweet character sharply juxtaposes the violence and fighting going on around her. However, “Taste” takes this idea to another level. This time, Sabrina is the one initiating the violence, though she still maintains her character throughout.
As for the album itself, it’s both varied and fun. The songs all have distinct sounds, but all fit the catchy pop vibes that Sabrina Carpenter is known for. A personal favorite is “Sharpest Tool,” which is a softer song with a catchy pre-chorus. Some other songs on the album include “Good Graces,” which is a song that seems like it could be heard in the cosmetics section of a retail store, “Slim Pickins” and “Coincidence,” which bring in an acoustic guitar for a hint of country, and “Dumb and Poetic,” which is a slow yet snarky song about a man who portrays himself to be an intellectual with a moral high ground when really he’s just manipulative. The songs all have clever lyrics, but some aren’t particularly thought-provoking or have a deeper meaning. Of course, this isn’t something that is always necessary. There is a place in the world of music for songs that are fun to sing along to and put on a fun summer playlist, just as there is a place for songs with layered metaphors that are often quoted on dark artwork and noir photos. However, though Sabrina Carpenter is a talented vocalist and composer, I believe that equal parts of her value as an artist comes from the creative vision displayed in her marketing and music videos. As mentioned previously, the continuity between her videos, while not exclusive to her as an artist, is a clever choice to get people talking about her music, and the character that she plays is fun and memorable. Sabrina Carpenter is today’s pop superstar, and though it’s a possibility that “Espresso” was the height of her career, I think she will only continue to grow.
