Pop star Sabrina Carpenter is done holding back—and she’s not sugarcoating her feelings when it comes to people criticizing her for singing about sex. In a bold and honest new interview with Rolling Stone, the Grammy-winning artist opened up about her frustration with the backlash surrounding the sensual themes in her music and performances. Her message to the critics? Look in the mirror—because those are the exact songs you’ve been streaming and sharing the most.
Carpenter, whose latest single “Manchild” is already making waves, addressed the controversy surrounding the overtly sexual content in some of her biggest hits. “It’s always so funny to me when people complain,” she said. “They’re like, ‘All she does is sing about this.’ But those are the songs that you’ve made popular. Clearly you love sex. You’re obsessed with it.”
This clapback comes as Carpenter continues to dominate headlines and stages during her Short n’ Sweet Tour. One moment that’s frequently spotlighted online—and often taken out of context—is the now-viral “Juno” segment of her set. In that scene, Carpenter mimics various sexual positions as she performs the line, “Wanna try out some freaky positions? / Have you ever tried this one?”
The clip often goes viral night after night, but Carpenter insists she can’t control what fans choose to share. “There’s so many more moments than the ‘Juno’ positions,” she explained, “but those are the ones you post every night and comment on. I can’t control that.”
Beyond the stage and the music, Carpenter got real about the double standards she feels women—especially female artists—are facing in the industry today. “I truly feel like I’ve never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more and scrutinized in every capacity,” she said. “I’m not just talking about me. I’m talking about every female artist that is making art right now.”
She pointed out the contradiction between the public’s embrace of “girl power” and the constant judgment women still face, especially online. “You’d think it’s all about women supporting women, but the moment a woman wears a dress on a red carpet, people rush to say something cruel within the first 30 seconds of seeing it.”
Carpenter is also breaking from traditional industry norms when it comes to album rollouts. Despite the success of her Grammy-winning 2024 album Short n’ Sweet, she’s already announced her next album Man’s Best Friend, set for release on August 29. The announcement came just a week after the release of Manchild, and she’s unapologetic about the quick turnaround.
“If I really wanted to, I could’ve stretched out Short n’ Sweet much, much longer,” she said. “But I’m at that point in my life where I’m like, ‘Wait a second, there’s no rules.’ If I’m inspired to write and make something new, I would rather do that.”
Carpenter’s words signal a clear message: she’s not playing by anyone else’s rules—and she’s not going to tone herself down to make others more comfortable.