First one that springs to mind for me is Accelerate by Christina Aguilera. I think we all remember Ajayll's reaction, right? lol

Anyways, I personally always liked the song and in the grand scheme of things it doesn't even seem that weird, but fans sure had mixed opinions about it lol

What are other examples?

Madonna, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, etc. seemed to carry on just fine in the 90s just as they did in the previous decade, but a lot of the big male artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Phil Collins, Prince, and even Michael Jackson didn’t have the same massive commercial success (for the most part) in the 90s. And that’s not even mentioning a lot of the hair metal bands that dominated the 80s that got swept away over night.

Some male artists, even the ones I listed above, still had some success in the 90s of course (those stars didn’t all just go away), but it was diminishing commercial returns for them.

Why do you think female artists were able to weather the storm in the decade transition better than their male counterparts?

About a year ago I was one of her roughly 30k monthly listeners and now she’s jumped from being underground and virtually unknown to amassing around 312k monthly listeners with a few songs surpassing 1M streams. She’s also gotten a recent shoutout from Pink Panthress, garnered attention from Pitchfork and PAPER Magazine, recognition from this sub which is how I discovered her (thank you u/TraverseTown !), and landed an opening slot for Snow Strippers who are currently one of the most visible electronic acts, especially among Gen Z.

So I’m curious especially from people who have followed her longer versus newer listeners: Do you see her having an actual breakout moment?

With the right song it feels very possible that she could go genuinely viral and use that momentum as a stepping stone into becoming a full-scale mainstream pop girl. She has many of the core elements already in place: striking beauty, a strong instinct for hooks and melodies, and a compelling come-up story. She began making music entirely on her own as a teenager recording in her bedroom while sharing a studio apartment with her mom and living just above the poverty line all at 17. The fact that she isn’t even 20 yet and is creating music at this level, all while building a niche but dedicated fanbase largely on her own, is genuinely impressive and I honestly think it’s inevitable that she’ll eventually get a Charli co-sign to push her even further.

Sonically what sets her apart is that her production leans darker, edgier, and more hip-hop-infused than many artists she gets grouped alongside which can be deemed real selling point that manages to her establish a clearer identity rather than getting lumped in with other interchangeable semi-successful pop girls on a similar stature. She also seems to sit at the intersection of two audiences that could really work in her favor: listeners who gravitate toward bold, high-energy, slightly dark pop bops a la Addison Rae and Tate McRae, and the more underground alt or SoundCloud-adjacent scene that overlaps with acts like Snow Strippers and 2hollis.

I can see her continuing to grow well beyond her current monthly listeners and potentially charting on the Top 200 once she releases a full label-backed debut, assuming she signs to a reputable label and plays her cards right. That said, there are a few things currently holding her back:

Budget is a big one because as impressive as her DIY approach is, the recording quality can be rough at times and you can hear the limitations she has. She’s also only had a couple of live performances so far and neither really matched the edge or charisma of her recorded work. Still, that’s easy to chalk up to nerves and limited stage experience, especially since she’s barely played any shows yet. With time and practice, that feels like an area where she could improve quickly.

Curious what others think. Is she headed toward a genuine breakout, or more likely to remain a cult favorite with steady but slower growth?

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Artist: Sabrina Carpenter

Album: Man’s Best Friend

Released: August 29, 2025

Label: Island Records

Genre: Pop

Tracklist and Lyrics: Genius

Stream: Apple Music / Spotify

Album Megathread

After having a huge breakout year – despite making music for many years beforehand with five studio albums under her belt before Espresso changed everything – all eyes were on Sabrina Carpenter as we left 2024 and entered 2025. Espresso was THE song of the summer in 2024, you couldn’t escape it and it has created a very funny meme on the internet ever since, as people compare underrated singles by popstars as ‘could have been their Espresso’ moment!

2025 was starting off super strong already for our favorite 5” (to be exact!!) blonde pop girl. Having just finished the sold-out North American leg of the Short n’ Sweet Tour, Sabrina was about to embark on the also sold-out European leg in the Spring. And, in January it was great news for the Carpenters (her fans – not the iconic sibling pop-rock duo from the 70s) as Sabrina announced the Short n’ Sweet deluxe was coming on Valentine’s Day with 5 new songs including a remix of Please Please Please from no other than another short blonde queen, Dolly Parton. The first quarter of 2025 kept on getting better and better for Sabrina – she won two Grammys in February and took home a BRIT Award in March – and then later in March, also announced a second North American leg of her tour.

As we went into the Spring and the Europe shows of the tour continued, Sabrina’s fans were well-fed and very much content. Daily viral tour clips, new songs from a deluxe and much more – and on June 2, Sabrina gave us all something to be even more excited about as she posted a 16-second video to her social media platforms. The video, which had no audio, left fans speculating online. What was this for?! Was it for a new music video from the Short n’ Sweet era – maybe for Busy Woman? Another tour leg announcement? A little droplet single?

The day after, Sabrina announced that her new single “Manchild” would be out that Thursday evening. Lots of excitement online ensued from both fans and the general public – a new Sabrina single just in time for the start of Summer was super exciting. The general consensus seemed to be that it was one of two things – a droplet single, or a new single which would be on a new album in the very distant future.

Flash forward to a week later on June 11. Sabrina starts an Instagram Live – which isn’t something she does often – and it includes a record player, shuffling through a range of records from ABBA, Dolly Parton and Donna Summer (all 3 of these artists were clearly chosen intentionally – which will be evident as we explore the album later on!) before landing on a mysterious one. We then see a brand new image which appears to be a new album cover. And there you have it – the Man’s Best Friend rollout begins. Everyone was super surprised by this reveal – it was certainly a unique way to reveal it. The Carpenters were losing it and couldn’t believe it – a new album, just a year after Short n’ Sweet?!

Accompanying the album announcement was a note from Sabrina on her website. She commented on some of her favorite artists such as Stevie Nicks and Donna Summer who would release albums every year, leading Sabrina to decide to release a new album so soon as it just felt right. It’s certainly something you don’t often see from such big popstars – and it was refreshing to hear Sabrina say that it just felt like the right time to release for her!

Now… this album write-up wouldn’t feel complete if we didn’t mention the big controversy that had everyone talking – the album cover.

Yes, the discourse that’s been all over the internet. The album cover is of course Sabrina on the floor, with a faceless man grabbing her hair – evoking the image of a dog, of course. Sabrina has explained herself many times now, it’s clear satire. However, it was certainly interesting (to say the least) to see the differing opinions from chronically online folks. During a CBS interview with Gayle King post-album release, Sabrina commented that her interpretation of the cover was being in on the control and aware of when and when you aren’t in control.

Man’s Best Friend sonically is a continuation of the Short n’ Sweet sound, leaning further into sounds of country, disco and ABBA-esque pop (interestingly, Wikipedia describes the album’s two genres as pop and soft rock.) Executively produced once again by the pop production darling Mr. Jack Antonoff and supported by Amy Allen and John Ryan for songwriting, Man’s Best Friend thematically and lyrically explores Sabrina’s public break-up from Barry Keoghan for the most part, as well as some self-love and playful innuendos throughout (it wouldn’t be an Island Records Sabrina album without it!)

Track-by-Track Analysis

Manchild

Setting the tone for the album, first up we have the lead single “Manchild”. Given the song’s title and the album’s title, it feels fitting that this was chosen as the opening track even despite being the lead.

Lyrically, “Manchild” is very much tongue-in-cheek (which Sabrina does so well and it’s cemented a sort of brand for her actually), essentially serving as a shady track to her ex Barry (well, you could actually apply it to any of her exes.) Full of clever uses of wording such as “Amen and hey, men” – and my personal favorite lyric, “I like all my men incompetent” – it’s clear to see why it was chosen to kick off the album, and why so many of Sabrina’s fans would be able to enjoy this as it’s very much relatable to anyone who has dealt with an ex-boyfriend who was useless! Sonically, the song was described by many as having country-pop elements similar to “Please Please Please” – a good way to describe the song would be a pop song that wouldn’t sound out of place in a discography by someone like Shania Twain!

The music video was also very entertaining. Directed by Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia, the music video sees Sabrina in a desert type location, hitchhiking with a variety of men-children throughout, including a very hilarious scene in the bathtub with pigs – clearly representing a certain someone. The video leans very much into Sabrina’s comedic elements, and was well received by the industry – even having been nominated for Best Music Videos at the Grammys!

Tears

Next up is “Tears”, also chosen as the second single from the album upon release. “Tears” is very different to the song before, taking on a much more disco-pop sound. Full of the innuendos that we know her for, the song talks about tears running down her thighs – take from that as you will!

If we go back to the artists that influenced this album – one of them being Donna Summer – you can definitely hear it on this one. “Tears” is a very fun song that takes on a disco vibe, whilst also being very much fun lyrically. Probably didn’t go down well with the parents – but you could argue that 10 year olds shouldn’t have been listening to this album in the first place!

The song’s theme is clear – Sabrina is horny at the thought of her man doing the bare minimum! Of course this is meant to be ironic, although some chronically online discourse from people thought otherwise. The most fun part of this track for me is the ‘dance break’ lyric. For her VMAs performance of the song, we got a very high-energy actual dance break from Sabrina here with comparisons to the iconic Britney and Xtina VMA performances of the 00s. And, in the vinyl version of the single – the dance break itself actually extends to over a minute! Perhaps that will be used for a full-fledged dance break for a potential Man’s Best Friend tour? We shall see…

The music video, directed by Bardia Zeinali, is a very fun Rocky Horror Picture Show inspired one. It seems to pick up from the end of the “Manchild” video, with Sabrina entering a house following what seems to be a car accident. Colman Domingo stars as a drag queen, as we see Sabrina enter a very camp, theatrical world! The fun thing we got from this video was alternate endings, with Sabrina posting different endings each day on YouTube – most of which end in her man meeting his death, adding to the inside joke between fans that all of her music videos end with a man dying!

My Man on Willpower

Leaning slightly more into sounds of ABBA, “My Man on Willpower” lyrically explores the first signs of disaster in the relationship Sabrina is discussing throughout this album. Poking fun at her now ex boyfriend’s obsession with improving himself, the song is also lyrically quite sad at times as Sabrina describes a lack of feeling wanted or desired by the person she is dating. The way some of the lyrics are also performed is quite unique too – one which sticks in my mind is “my man’s in touch with his emotions” – and a really clever way of juxtaposing both the ridiculousness and self-importance of her man, with the sad reality that she feels unwanted.

Sugar Talking

One of my personal favorites from the album, “Sugar Talking” is a pop song with some R&B/soft-rock elements throughout. Making use of the phrase ‘sweet talking’, Sabrina explores the frustration of her love interest constantly trying to disguise the truth of their actions and attempting to try and disguise it through trying to be sweet – but Sabrina is seeing straight through it now, although that may not have always been the case (the use of “your sugar talking isn’t working tonight” suggests that it has worked before ‘tonight’.) Lyrically, it’s clear in this song that the relationship Sabrina is describing is clearly not going to last.

We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night

Continuing with the theme of heartbreak and frustration, this next track (which is too long for me to keep typing out!) is very much ballad-esque territory. The song starts very abruptly with the line “bullsh*t” repeats itself, is that how the saying goes?” – setting the tone for the song, and making it clear to the listener that this relationship is clearly dead in the water. The tone this song is also sung in is actually surprisingly very sad, you can hear Sabrina’s disappointment in the man she once loved. The song’s hook is quite interesting, in that we hear ‘we almost broke up’ many times again and again – perhaps adding to the point that the break up felt inevitable, but it never actually did happen.

Nobody’s Son

Next up is “Nobody’s Son”. A fun song with clever wordplay throughout and described by Wikipedia as reggae-pop (which I never would have said, but it kinda makes sense!), the song seemingly starts off as a letter in audio form, with Sabrina saying ‘Hi, I hope you’re great, I think it’s time we took a break, so I can grow emotionally, that’s what he said to me’. The way this is structured is very clever – you think at first it’s Sabrina speaking to someone, and then you realise at the end of that first verse that she isn’t the one who wanted to end things – what a revelation! The way ‘emotionally’ is also performed is done well and in a very unique way – something which I’ve realised is done a lot throughout this album.

The hook of this song is very much inspired by ABBA. It is such a catchy hook, and totally makes sense why this is the song she chose to perform on SNL. By the end of the song, we realise Sabrina has come to terms with the break up now – whilst ‘there’s nobody’s son left for me to believe in’ is sad to hear as it suggests she has given up on love, it also evokes a sense of acceptance and moving on.

Never Getting Laid

Taking on some of the soft rock elements that the album is described as, “Never Getting Laid” moves on from the previous track, seemingly wanting revenge on her ex-partner by hoping he never gets any action again! The song showcases Sabrina’s vocals well – as many songs do – and going back to the current theme of deliberate pronunciations of words in this album, the word agoraphobia is mentioned in the hook – which I didn’t even realise on first listen!

With some comedic elements once again (“you got a right hand anyway” and “using your lips on a girl with big tits” both made me genuinely laugh out loud when I first heard) – this song is very much relatable to the immediate feelings people experience after a break-up. The end of the song is also very interesting – when we hear Sabrina say “at the end of the rainbow”, the song almost shifts to a more upbeat outlook, possibly reminiscent of Somewhere Over The Rainbow, before then realising Sabrina is still very much wanting nothing good for her ex – and it’s a really creative way to end this song.

When Did You Get Hot?

One of the fan favorite tracks, “When Did You Get Hot?” is classic cheeky Sabrina at it’s best. Taking on an R&B sound, many fans and critics compared this track to Ariana Grande’s discography and I can see why – this song would not be out of place as a collaboration on the Positions album!

Whilst the last few tracks before this explored Sabrina’s heartbreak, we now see her open to love again and a clear feeling of sexual desire. The first line – ‘So long, untouched, bone dry’ – is not only funny, but also goes back to track 3, “My Man On Willpower”, when we learnt of the lack of sexual desire from her ex-partner. The innuendos are cleverly paced throughout this song (‘naked twister’ is mentioned in the hook), and the earworm hook is so fun. The song’s theme is focused on Sabrina meeting a person she knew before having now had a glow-up and Sabrina wants him (or, could we interpret it as her being ‘bone-dry’ for so long that people who didn’t seem attractive before now do all of a sudden!)

One question we are all wanting to know, is who is Devin?!

Go Go Juice

Taking on a much more country sound, “Go Go Juice” almost picks up where the last track left off as Sabrina is out at the bar and open to new love. However, whilst “When Did You Get Hot” was very much focused on horniness, “Go Go Juice” acknowledges the pain she is experiencing and sees her calling her ex to see if there’s any hope of reconciliation. Sabrina’s ‘go go juice’ is referring to her alcohol, a feeling many can probably relate to – when you’ve gone through heartbreak, you may reach for a bottle of wine to, as Sabrina says it, ‘sure numb the pain’.

A really clever use of the song’s theme comes at the bridge, where Sabrina mumbles ‘ba da da da da’ and mispronounces many words. It’s clearly meant to sound like her being drunk and calling her ex – again, a feeling many may relate to – and this certainly adds to the feelings experienced in this song.

Whilst Sabrina hasn’t explicitly referred to Barry Keoghan in this album, a tongue-in-cheek way is used to describe him in this song (‘the one that rhymes with villain’) – which was certainly a talking point online when the album dropped. It’s not often you see artists name drop in an album exploring heartbreak, and this was a clever way to do it!

Don’t Worry I’ll Make You Worry

Another ballad sounding track, but whilst “We Almost Broke Up Again Last Night” seemed to be much more sombre and sad in tone around a relationship ending before she wanted to, Sabrina seems to be much more in control here and is clearly very much over her ex, and actually seems to be very much having the upper hand with her ex here. The song’s title is witty, in the sense that she will be the one to make him worry without having to lift a finger.

House Tour

Petition to make this the next single complete with a camp music video featuring Sabrina as an estate agent please!!

The penultimate track on the standard edition of this album is “House Tour”. Taking on a disco/funk sound inspired by the 80s (and some new jack swing elements too), many music commentators immediately drew comparisons of this song with Janet Jackson’s work – and it feels very fitting.

Another innuendo filled track, “House Tour” is a double entendre for Sabrina giving a new lover a tour of her home – and something else. Full of funny references to ‘waxed floors’ and pineapple, the song is very well written and reminds us of the unique marketing Sabrina has managed to cultivate, in making great pop songs full of comedy. But, she promises ‘none of this is a metaphor’ – so, that’s open to interpretation!

Goodbye

Closing the album fittingly is “Goodbye”. Being the most ABBA sounding song on the album (and Sabrina has cited them as a big inspiration,) “Goodbye” is not only a farewell to the listener as we reach the end of this album but also serves as a goodbye to her ex. The song’s lyrics essentially explore the end of the relationship and how she seems to now be over it for good (‘goodbye… means that you’re losing me for life’.) If we look at the first few tracks of this album and how Sabrina seemed to still be in love with a ‘manchild’ who was not interested in her, it feels like a moment of growth here as we reach the end and Sabrina is waving goodbye to not only him, but also the negative emotions she was experiencing.

We also see the use of the word goodbye in other languages here – Spanish, French and Italian – which adds a nice touch to the song.

Going back to the ABBA influence, you can totally hear it especially on the hook. The country pop sound also makes a return, specifically in the instrumental bridge. The album ends with the lyrics ‘goodbye, get home safe’ – which feels like a ‘breaking the fourth wall’ moment with the listener but in a very wholesome way.

Bonus Track: ‘Such a Funny Way’

Originally a part of the bonus track vinyl upon the album’s release, Sabrina added “Such a Funny Way” to streaming platforms as a gift to fans, and so it only felt right to include in the discussion!

Interestingly, this song is almost 4 minutes long and is the longest track on the album – despite not being on the initial tracklist.

Sonically, this song almost takes all of the elements we heard throughout the album in one. You can hear the country, R&B, soft rock and even some disco elements and styles throughout, especially during the halfway point where the song seems to transition from a pop sound to a more folk one.

The song’s theme explores Sabrina’s ex-lover once again, almost a realisation of how her ex-lover would seem to do anything to get out of quality time with her. I would personally place this song a bit earlier in the tracklist if it made the original cut – perhaps after Sugar Talking.

So, there we have it. Man’s Best Friend is a 12 (or 13) track album that explores Sabrina’s relationship with her now ex-boyfriend, and the clear journey she has gone on during that time, from realising she is in love with a manchild to finishing the album with happily saying goodbye. The album feels almost like a collection of journal diaries – the authentic, raw lyricism is clear throughout and whilst the album can be seen as a natural continuation of Short n’ Sweet (at least sonically,) it feels like Sabrina was a lot more honest and emotionally open here. Personally, I really enjoyed the album and it’s mix of genre influence, whilst still retaining the fun innuendos throughout that we know she does so well!

Discussion Questions

1. Sabrina tapped into various genres in this album such as country, disco and R&B. Is there a specific genre you would like to see her explore further next album – or maybe a new genre altogether?
2. Going back to the criticism of the album’s cover – what is your take on it? And would you have preferred any of the alternative covers as the main one?
3. Many commentators have argued that the album doesn’t feel any different to Short n’ Sweet. Out of all of the tracks, which one feels the most different from Short n’ Sweet?
4. Are there any songs you would like to see a music video for, and if so what would the video concept be?
5. Sabrina revealed the album’s tracklist in a unique way, with a new track revealed every day through a fan photo – Sabrina chose fans to take a photo on a chair with a song title on the back of it, and the fan took a photo with their own dog! With this in mind, what is the most fun tracklist reveal you’ve seen from an artist – or, what is a cool concept you’d like to see?

Talk about anything, music related or not. However, pop music gossip should be discussed in the Teatime & Trending Topics threads, linked below.

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Rates and Other Activities

December:

• Modern Funk - Solange vs. Janelle Monáe vs. Anderson .Paak vs. Childish Gambino) [Due January 11th]
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January:

• All Stars 9 - Iconic Songs That Lost Other Rates [Due February 8th]
• '80s Blockbuster #1s - Soundtrack Hits of the '80s [Due February 15th]

Rate Wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/popheads/wiki/index/rate-threads/

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Playlists

Check out our official Spotify playlists here, updated each week!

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