Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter grew up in East Greenville, Pennsylvania, and was homeschooled with her sisters. She began dancing at age two, studying voice at six, and uploading YouTube videos of herself singing songs by artists including Christina Aguilera, Adele, Taylor Swift, and Patsy Cline. Her father built a recording studio in the family’s basement to support her musical interests.

Carpenter placed third in The Next Miley Cyrus Project singing competition after entering as a child. She moved to Los Angeles at 13 to pursue entertainment work and made her first credited acting appearance in a 2011 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Early roles included appearances in The Goodwin Games, Orange Is the New Black, Austin & Ally, and the animated series Sofia the First.

Carpenter’s breakthrough came with Girl Meets World, the Disney Channel spin-off of Boy Meets World. She played Maya Hart, the best friend of Rowan Blanchard’s Riley Matthews, across the show’s 72 episodes from 2014 to 2017. Carpenter also recorded the series’ theme song with Blanchard and appeared in other Disney projects, including Adventures in Babysitting, Milo Murphy’s Law, and Sofia the First.

Her recording career developed alongside her Disney work. She released the EP Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying in 2014 and signed with Hollywood Records, issuing the albums Eyes Wide Open in 2015, EVOLution in 2016, Singular: Act I in 2018, and Singular: Act II in 2019. She also toured in support of EVOLution and later opened for Ariana Grande’s Dangerous Woman Tour.

After signing with Island Records in 2021, Carpenter released emails i can’t send in 2022. The album included “Nonsense,” which became known for the improvised outros Carpenter performed during concerts, and “Feather,” which reached number one on Billboard’s Pop Airplay chart. The album’s deluxe edition, emails i can’t send fwd:, followed in 2023.

Carpenter’s mainstream breakthrough accelerated with “Espresso,” released in 2024, and “Please Please Please,” her first number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Both appeared on Short n’ Sweet, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The album earned her six Grammy nominations and two wins, for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance for “Espresso.”

Her seventh album, Man’s Best Friend, followed in 2025 and also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. Its lead single, “Manchild,” debuted at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The album’s cover, depicting Carpenter on all fours in front of a male figure, prompted criticism and debate over whether the image was degrading or satirical. Carpenter explained that the project represented women being conscious of their lack of control.

Carpenter continued acting after Girl Meets World in films including The Hate U Give, The Short History of the Long Road, Tall Girl, Work It, Clouds, Tall Girl 2, and Emergency. The Short History of the Long Road, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, was her first leading film role. She executive produced Work It and contributed to its soundtrack.

In 2020, Carpenter made her Broadway debut as Cady Heron in Mean Girls. Her planned engagement ended after two performances when the COVID-19 pandemic shut Broadway theaters, and the production did not reopen. She later hosted and performed on Saturday Night Live, executive produced the Netflix special A Nonsense Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, and appeared as a guest star and executive producer on The Muppet Show special.

Carpenter’s music career has also included major touring associations. She opened for Taylor Swift during selected Latin American, Australian, and Singaporean dates of The Eras Tour in 2023 and 2024, an opportunity she called a childhood dream. Carpenter later appeared on the title track of Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl.