This year, Sabrina Carpenter is nominated for six Grammy Awards, including Best Album and Best New Artist. Her album, Short n’ Sweet, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 Charts and stayed there for three weeks. The two lead singles of the album, “Espresso”, and “Please Please Please”, peaked at number three and number one of the Billboard Hot 100. Today, Sabrina is traveling around the world headlining her fully sold out arena tour.
While this year has been extremely successful for Sabrina, her career wasn’t always like this. Many people aren’t aware of the fact that she had released five studio albums before Short N’ Sweet.
After growing up as a child actress on the Disney show Girl Meets World, the pop star signed a five-album record deal with Disney-owned label Hollywood Records. Sabrina has acted in movies and TV shows, she’s been on Broadway, and she’s been making music for ten years. So, the big question is: why is she only blowing up now?
The answer is simple yet important: branding. Branding, marketing, and PR have played a huge role in Sabrina’s seemingly overnight success. It’s no secret that Sabrina has major talent and is an incredibly hard worker, but those things have been constant throughout her career.
The question of what caused the fame isn’t about talent because that’s always been there. It’s about what she’s changed over the years. So let’s talk about the three main things that have caused the pop star’s songs to be constantly stuck in your head.
First hair, makeup, and outfits. This may be the most significant aspect in the singer’s rebrand. Many people, when asked about Sabrina, think of her signature curtain bangs, her iconic glowy blush, and her classic knee-high platform heels. This is because she has ingrained this image into our brains so that any time we see pastel colors or bouncy blonde waves, we think of her. All of these stylistic choices were instituted because of the new album, to give listeners some imagery.
Next is association. In whatever industry, the people and things you associate yourself with say a lot about you. One of the most important associations that Sabrina had to end was her time with Disney. As previously mentioned, she signed a five-album deal with Disney’s record label which, in a way, trapped her. It forced her into the musical category of “teen pop.” Many of Disney’s child actors that choose to pursue music end up cutting their ties with the network in order to establish their own image.
When it comes to people, Sabrina knows exactly who to hang out with. In August of last year, it was announced that Carpenter to open for fellow singer-songwriter Taylor Swift on The Eras Tour. The two toured all over Latin America, Australia, and Asia together and have become close friends. This is a prime example of knowing who to associate with, as Taylor is one of the most influential and powerful artists right now.
The last of the factors that have caused Sabrina Carpenter to reach success are her brand deals. One brand deal that helped get Carpenter a lot of recognition was her campaign with the lounge-wear brand Skims. With this campaign, Sabrina was able to steer away from the idea of being perceived as a little Disney kid, instead being portrayed as a young adult woman. And, of course, after the advertisement came out, sales for the brand skyrocketed.
In an era of rapid rises to stardom and short-lived fame, Sabrina Carpenter’s journey has been a slow but steady one. She’s built an incredible fanbase, broken countless barriers, and made quite the name for herself. It’ll be a tough fight at the Grammys, but with her newfound style, identity, and brand, Sabrina might walk away with a few awards.
