Introduction to Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter brought her typical sugar-containing pop sound to a crowd of 65,000 at the London BST festival on Saturday evening. The 26-year-old built a brand around sexual self-confidence and racy texts that were noticeably weakened when the US singer performed a more family-friendly show in London’s Hyde Park.
A Family-Friendly Show
At some point, a graphic flashed on the screen advising "Parental Discretion" when Carpenter started the Chem album track Bed. She toned down her usual sexually suggestive performance on song Juno and instead used a cannon to shoot T-shirts into the crowd. Despite these changes, she was still in top form and stormed through a 17-song setlist that included her biggest hits, charming the crowd with her Hollywood smile and incredibly bouncy hair.
Music for Women
Carpenter writes music for women of the dating app generation, and her songs are filled with the kind of anecdotes they share with the girls on a Friday evening – tales of anger that they don’t get closure from a man who embarrasses them when they meet all of their friends. Maybe that’s what makes her so relatable. She is a talented singer and dancer who became famous on the Disney channel, but she could also be the girl next door, ranting about ice cream if she’s going through a breakup.
Impressive Performer
Her ability to switch from a cheeky, optimistic dance number to a vulnerable, acoustic solo performance is also impressive. She is an experienced performer for someone whose breakout single, Espresso, is only a little over a year old. But to the surprise of many, she has been in this game for a very long time. The star, born in Pennsylvania, started posting videos on YouTube at the age of 10 and became a finalist in a competition to find the next Miley Cyrus a year later.
Rise to Fame
After playing a few small acting roles, she became a real Disney star in 2013 when she was cast in the TV series Girl Meets World. She started releasing music the following year and has released six albums to date, but has only recently received global recognition. Carpenter was the first artist to have number one and number two on the British singles charts for three consecutive weeks in 2024 and was also the first artist in 71 years to spend 20 weeks at the top of the charts with Espresso.
Performance at BST Festival
It seems like she has been waiting for this moment to appear on the largest stages in the world, performing for thousands of fans – something she acknowledged between songs a few times. She told the crowd that she was "so grateful" that the audience had decided to spend their Saturday evening with her and raved that "London is so much fun and gives so much to do here." A large part of the sassiness that she has built her brand on was toned down throughout her performance, including Infomercials-style sprays from the 1950s that don’t put down good men from their lives and mattresses that are perfect for "activities."
Criticism and Controversy
But apart from a racy rendition of Bed Chem and a pony section of Ginuwine (one for the Magic Mike fans), the show was more tame than expected. Perhaps it was the large number of small children in the crowd under US Gen Z and Millennials. Or maybe the pop princess needs a break from headlines. The first was in March when her opening performance of the Brit Awards was criticized for being too racy for television in front of the watershed. Media watchdog Ofcom received more than 800 complaints, with the majority concerning Carpenter’s choreography featuring dancers in Beefeater outfits.
Recent Controversy
Then in June this year, she was under fire again for sharing artwork for her new album, Man’s Best Friend, which showed her in a short dress on all fours, while an anonymous man grabbed her hair in a suit. Carpenter then revealed alternative artwork, which she said was "approved by God" and shows her holding the arm of a suitable man. The criticism of the original artwork came from charity organizations, including Glasgow Women’s Aid, which supports victims of domestic abuse, who said Carpenter’s album cover was "regressive" and "promotes an element of violence and control."
Conclusion
However, the performance on Saturday showed that Carpenter is a true professional who can adapt both her style and her setlist to different audiences. She ended the show perfectly, rising up on a crane that sat over the huge mass of people, exciting fans and giving them the opportunity to post close-up videos on their social media. "Damn, nobody showed up," she joked, adding: "London, thank you for having us tonight. This must be one of the biggest shows that I’ve played in my whole life." She finished with Espresso and marked the end of the show by throwing some confetti out of a crystal glass in a Martini form. There were a few murmurs from the crowd that might have expected one or two special guests, but it was clear from the offset that this was a pivotal moment in the pop star’s career and one in which she only wanted the spotlight on her.
