If you’ve been on social media in the past year, you’ve probably seen or heard her: Sabrina Carpenter, one of 2024’s greatest breakout artists, dominated the music industry in 2024. She achieved many notable awards and became an internet sensation through the release of her single “Espresso” and album “Short n’ Sweet,” which broke countless records and topped charts everywhere. The former Disney Channel star achieved immense success and grew her fanbase exponentially in 2024, which gave her room to influence pop culture. What did she accomplish in 2024, and what made her so successful?
Notable Moments in 2024
Carpenter entered 2024 after opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour on her international shows in Latin America, Australia, and Singapore. Swift, another major singer in the industry, helped set Carpenter up for her year of success. Her final appearance on the Eras Tour was on March 9th, and soon after she started gearing up for the release of “Espresso” on April 11. The song proved an immediate hit, peaking at the number three spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and becoming Carpenter’s first song on the top ten portion of the chart. A day later, she released the “Espresso” music video and performed it live at the major music festival Coachella. In May, Carpenter appeared on the red carpet at the Met Gala and performed live on SNL. Her success didn’t stop there, however, as she announced her 6th ever album “Short n’ Sweet” in June and released it in August. The album, which included “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” (another previously released single), continued her streak of success. It topped countless charts globally, and at one point all twelve songs in the album appeared on the US Hot 100 chart.
Having reached global levels of fame after “Short n’ Sweet,” Carpenter’s next move was to announce her tour for the album. The tickets for her first show sold out within minutes of the sale opening, a testament to the glittery and energetic sensations her performances would become. Her concerts even helped attendees participate in the upcoming election. HeadCount, a nonprofit organization that helps musicians promote participation in American democracy, reported that Carpenter helped register over 35,000 voters and prompted over 260,000 voters to engage in activities outside of registering.
Carpenter’s year of success made a mark on the music industry. When Grammy nominations were announced in November, Carpenter earned a whopping 6 nominations for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards. These nominations include Best New Artist, Best Pop Vocal Album, Album of the Year for “Short n’ Sweet,” Song of the Year for “Please Please Please,” and “Espresso” was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. The winners of these awards will be announced when the Grammy Awards are held on February 2nd, 2025. Carpenter commented in a Billboard article that being nominated for a Grammy was an honor and a dream of hers since childhood.
Carpenter’s Path to Success
Despite Carpenter being nominated for Best New Artist, she has released 6 albums throughout her 10-year career as a figure in the industry. Carpenter has been making and producing music since she started her career as a Disney Channel star on “Girl Meets World,” but why is she just becoming popular now? One reason for her recent success is that her latest album, “Short n’ Sweet,” has been driven by a distinctive marketing switch. If you’ve seen a picture of Sabrina Carpenter this past year, it’s probably the picture of her on the front of her “Espresso” single or “Short n’ Sweet.” In those shots, her distinctive personality and image are hard to miss. She branded herself in 2024 as a feminine and humorous personality, which has helped boost her new album. Her style adds to that persona as she is often seen sporting bows, sequins, and various shades of pink. Her switch from Disney Channel star to mature pop icon helped her connect to new audiences worldwide in an older age range than she was able to previously.
To help reinforce her new image, Carpenter took advantage of brand deals with companies like Skims and Dunkin. Announced in April and December (respectively), Carpenter’s brand collaborations have given her an opportunity to capitalize on her album’s playfulness and humor. The drink she is partnering with Dunkin to make, for example, is called “Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso,” a nod to her single from April. In her live appearances on popular shows like SNL, Carpenter also made sure to use the spotlight to get audiences to know her entertaining personality.
Besides the marketing behind it, “Short n’ Sweet” itself is an incredibly versatile album. With song titles like “Dumb & Poetic,” “Slim Pickins,” and “Bed Chem,” Carpenter manages to weave themes of love, heartbreak, frustration, and vulnerability into one 36-minute album. Each song is a story within itself of situations and feelings that are relatable to wide audiences. This versatility is what helped it catapult to success, as audiences across various age ranges could relate to different aspects of Carpenter’s struggles and emotions. When writing the album, Carpenter allowed herself to become vulnerable, as many of the songs were references to personal struggles and relationships that she’s had. Her honesty and vulnerability in her lyrics branded “Short n’ Sweet” as not only a pop album but an emotional track record of Carpenter’s past, helping audiences connect with her.
Overall, Sabrina Carpenter left an indelible mark on the pop music industry in 2024. Her rise to pop icon status in 2024 was nothing short (and sweet) of incredible, and her emotional, honest music brought a new kind of vulnerability to the pop music scene. In an interview with Rolling Stone, she reflected on her big year saying that 2024 was “childhood dreams coming true” for her. Now that 2024 is in the rearview, Carpenter likely has another year of success ahead of her, and her fanbase and pop music fans can’t wait to see what she has in store for 2025.
