If you only know Sabrina Carpenter as the girl who sings about being "Short n' Sweet" or the one who basically took over the world with Espresso, you're missing a massive chunk of the story. Like, a decade’s worth. Long before the diamond-encrusted corsets and the viral "Nonsense" outros, there was a fourteen-year-old girl with a guitar and a very specific, acoustic folk-pop sound.
Honestly, it’s wild to look back at Can't Blame a Girl for Trying now.
Released in March 2014, this wasn't just some random Disney starlet throwing a single at the wall to see what stuck. It was the blueprint. While the rest of the world was catching up to her during the emails i can’t send era, the real ones remember the "Can't Blame a Girl for Trying" music video where she was just a klutzy teenager making mistakes in a suburban house. It felt human. It still does.
What Most People Get Wrong About Sabrina's Start
There’s this weird narrative that Sabrina Carpenter just "appeared" out of thin air in 2022. That’s just not true. She was grinding for years. When Hollywood Records dropped Can't Blame a Girl for Trying, she was still finding her voice, but the talent was already undeniable.
A lot of people think she wrote this one herself since she’s such a prolific writer now. Actually, it was co-written by a then-rising star named Meghan Trainor, along with Al Anderson and Chris Gelbuda. Meghan actually performed it at a songwriter's expo back in 2012 before handing it over to Sabrina.
💡 You might also like: Why Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Actors Still Define the Modern Spy Thriller
You can hear that classic Meghan Trainor "sass-meets-sweet" vibe in the lyrics, but Sabrina made it her own. It’s got this midtempo, swingy folk feel that was way different from the heavy EDM-pop that was ruling the radio back in 2014. It peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart, which isn't exactly a number one hit, but for a girl who hadn't even debuted on Girl Meets World yet? That’s impressive.
The Production Secrets
The track was produced by Brian Malouf, and if you listen closely, it’s surprisingly complex for a "teen pop" song. We’re talking:
- Acoustic guitars that actually drive the melody.
- A glockenspiel (yes, really) played by Jim McGorman.
- Real body percussion.
It wasn't over-processed. It sounded like a girl in her bedroom, which was exactly the point. Malouf mixed the track at Cookie Jar Recording in Sherman Oaks, and he kept Sabrina’s vocals front and center. She has a range from $A3$ to $F5$ in this song, and even at fourteen, she was hitting those notes with a level of control most adults don't have.
The Music Video and That Cactus Incident
The video was directed by Kinga Burza, and it’s basically a masterclass in "adorable awkwardness." The concept was simple: a girl who keeps messing up but doesn't really care.
📖 Related: The Entire History of You: What Most People Get Wrong About the Grain
Sabrina has talked about the shoot being a bit of a disaster in the best way. She was filming in a house in a suburban neighborhood—some fans claim it was the same house used in Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, but that's one of those internet rumors that's hard to pin down. What we do know is that she actually got hurt on set.
During one of the "vignette" scenes where she's acting clumsy, she actually hit a cactus and started bleeding. She just kept going. That’s the Sabrina work ethic. It’s that same "the show must go on" energy she brings to her massive stadium tours today.
A Radio Disney Staple
If you were a kid in 2014, you couldn't escape this song. It premiered on Radio Disney a day before it hit iTunes, and it eventually won a Radio Disney Music Award for "Best Crush Song" in 2015.
It’s funny to think about now, especially since her newer stuff is... well, definitely not for Radio Disney. But you can see the threads. The humor, the self-deprecation, the "I’m a mess but I’m trying" attitude—it all started right here.
👉 See also: Shamea Morton and the Real Housewives of Atlanta: What Really Happened to Her Peach
How the EP Shaped Everything Else
The Can't Blame a Girl for Trying EP only had four songs, but it set the stage for her debut album Eyes Wide Open.
- Can't Blame a Girl for Trying: The flagship.
- The Middle of Starting Over: A song often compared to early Taylor Swift.
- White Flag: A more vulnerable, mid-tempo track.
- Best Thing I Got: A soulful, piano-driven closer.
She wasn't just a "Disney kid" making music because she had to. She was an artist who happened to be on Disney. There’s a difference. While her peers were doing high-energy dance-pop, Sabrina was leaning into folk-rock and acoustic arrangements. It made her stand out, even if it took the general public another nine years to realize how good she was.
Why It Still Matters in 2026
Looking back from the perspective of 2026, Can't Blame a Girl for Trying is like a time capsule. It reminds us that "overnight success" usually takes a decade.
When Sabrina won Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance at the 2025 Grammys, there was a lot of talk about her being a "Best New Artist" nominee. People were annoyed because she'd been around forever. But the truth is, this song was her "entry-level" moment. It gave her the foundation to experiment with the synth-pop of Evolution, the R&B vibes of Singular, and finally the polished, satirical pop of Short n' Sweet.
If you haven't listened to it in a while, go back and give it a spin. It’s short—only 2 minutes and 49 seconds. It’s sweet. And honestly? You still can't blame her for trying.
To truly understand the evolution of Sabrina Carpenter's discography, start by comparing the acoustic simplicity of this debut with the heavy production of her Short n' Sweet tracks. Pay close attention to her vocal delivery; you'll notice that while her range has expanded, that signature conversational "wink" in her voice has been there since day one.