If you’ve spent any time on the internet lately, you’ve probably had a blonde woman in a vintage corset singing about espresso or "please-pleasing" someone stuck in your head for three days straight. Honestly, it feels like Sabrina Carpenter just spawned into the top of the charts out of nowhere. One minute she’s a former Disney kid with a dedicated but quiet following, and the next, she’s the first artist since The Beatles to land two initial top-three hits on the Billboard Hot 100 simultaneously.
That doesn't just happen by accident.
It’s been a wild ride watching the popular Sabrina Carpenter songs of the last year dominate every coffee shop, gym playlist, and TikTok feed in existence. But if you think this was an "overnight" success, you’re missing about a decade of groundwork. From her Girl Meets World days to her 2024 Grammy wins for Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album, Sabrina has been playing the long game.
The Songs That Made the World Stop Scrolling
It’s hard to overstate how much "Espresso" changed the trajectory of her career. Released in April 2024, right before her Coachella debut, it wasn't just a hit; it was a cultural reset for her brand. It hit number one globally on Spotify and stayed at the top of the UK charts for seven weeks. People were obsessed with the "me espresso" lyric, even if it didn't technically make grammatical sense. It was catchy. It was breezy. It was exactly what everyone wanted for the summer.
Then came "Please Please Please."
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If "Espresso" was the hook, "Please Please Please" was the sinker. Released in June 2024, it secured her first-ever number-one spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The music video featured her real-life boyfriend at the time, Barry Keoghan, which basically broke the entertainment side of Twitter. You’ve probably seen the memes. But beyond the gossip, the song proved she could pivot from disco-pop to a country-inflected, desperate plea for a guy not to embarrass her—and make it a stadium anthem.
Why "Nonsense" Changed Everything
Before the Short n' Sweet era, there was "Nonsense." This track from her 2022 album Emails I Can’t Send is arguably the reason she’s a superstar today. It’s a masterclass in how to use TikTok correctly.
The song itself is great—it’s got that R&B-pop vibe that people often compare to Ariana Grande—but the "outros" were the real genius. At every single tour stop, Sabrina would improvise a new, usually raunchy, rhyming outro tailored to the city she was in. These clips went viral every single night.
- She’d rhyme "London" with something scandalous.
- She’d make fun of herself.
- She’d wink at the camera.
By the time she retired the outros during the Short n' Sweet tour in late 2024 (using a fake "technical difficulties" screen), "Nonsense" had already joined Spotify's Billions Club. It turned her live shows into a "you had to be there" event.
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The "Short n' Sweet" Takeover
When the full album Short n' Sweet dropped in August 2024, the industry finally realized she wasn't just a singles artist. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the third-biggest debut of the year.
Popular Sabrina Carpenter songs from this record started popping up everywhere at once:
- Taste: The music video featured Jenna Ortega and was a bloody, campy tribute to Death Becomes Her. It went straight to number one in the UK.
- Bed Chem: A fan favorite that leaned into the "cheeky" lyrics she’s become known for.
- Juno: This one became a staple on the tour, further cementing her status as a pop powerhouse.
What's interesting is how she managed to stay relevant even into 2025 and 2026. Her follow-up album, Man’s Best Friend, proved the momentum wasn't slowing down. The single "Manchild" hit number one, showing she could keep that sharp, witty edge without repeating the same formula.
The Controversy That Actually Helped
You can’t talk about her most popular tracks without mentioning "Feather." The song is a fun, "I’m better off without you" anthem, but the music video caused a legitimate scandal.
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She filmed it in a Catholic church in Brooklyn, featuring a satirical funeral for guys who acted out. The Brooklyn Diocese was not happy. They actually stripped a priest of his duties because he allowed the shoot. Sabrina’s response? During a New York show later that year, she joked, "Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted?" referring to the wider investigation that the church drama accidentally triggered.
It was a bold move. Most PR teams would have panicked. Sabrina just leaned in. That authenticity—that "I’m going to say what I want" attitude—is exactly why her fan base is so fiercely loyal.
What to Listen to Next
If you're just getting into her discography, don't stop at the radio hits. While "Espresso" is the obvious choice, tracks like "Because I Liked a Boy" offer a much deeper look at the scrutiny she faced during the high-profile drama of 2021. It’s vulnerable in a way her newer, more polished hits aren't always.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Watch the "Nonsense" Outro Compilations: If you want to understand her personality, YouTube has years of these archived. It’s the best way to see her comedic timing.
- Listen to "Emails I Can’t Send (Fwd):" This deluxe version of her fifth album contains "Feather" and other tracks that bridged the gap between her Disney past and her current "Main Pop Girl" status.
- Check Out the "Taste" Music Video: It’s a perfect example of her visual aesthetic—blending old Hollywood glamour with 2020s irony.
The reality is that popular Sabrina Carpenter songs are successful because they don't take themselves too seriously, even when the production is world-class. She found a way to be the "relatable best friend" and a "glamorous pop idol" at the same time. Whether she’s hosting Saturday Night Live (which she’s done multiple times now) or breaking streaming records, she’s clearly here to stay.