echo Short n’ Sweet is Sabrina Carpenter’s sixth studio album, released on August 23 2024, by Island Records. While it’s primarily a Pop record, the album also contains several influences of Rock, R&B, Country and Disco. The album delves into her love life and perspective on how she views dating, as she explores new genres in a fresh and creative way. The title also references the emotional impact of her shortest romantic relationships as well as the short album duration, as it only has a runtime of 36 minutes and 15 seconds.
“Short n’ Sweet” was No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts, shutting out competitors such as Travis Scott with his re-released 2014 mixtape “Days Before Rodeo”. The album sold 362,000 units in the first week and remained at the top spot for the second week, with 159,000 album-equivalent units. This marks Sabrina’s first major success, earning her a Platinum-certified album and number one record in the United States.
Sabrina’s Rise to Fame
Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter was born on May 11, 1999 in Pennsylvania, United States. Sabrina was interested in music from a young age, where she posted covers of Adele and Christina Aguilera songs. However, she first got a taste of Hollywood through her acting roles, which began in 2011. In 2013, she was casted in Disney’s Girl Meets World, which cemented her persona as a quintessential Disney Kid.
Short n’ Sweet is not Sabrina Carpenter’s first rodeo, not by a long shot. She released her debut studio album, Eyes Wide Open, in 2015, followed by EVOLution and Singular: Act I.This was followed by Singular: Act II in 2019 and Emails I Can’t Send in 2022. Prior to “Emails I Can’t Send”, Sabrina had not yet become a household name, despite having hits such as “Sue Me”, which reached number 1 on the US Dance Club Songs chart.
However, Sabrina shot to widespread fame after her hit single “Nonsense” went viral on TikTok, sparking hundreds of thousands of videos featuring her song. Afterwards, she was invited to be an opening act for the Eras Tour by Taylor Swift, which further propelled her into the higher echelons of pop music.
In August 2024, Sabrina released Short n’ Sweet, her sixth studio album, which garnered widespread praise and acclaim by fans and critics alike. In this album, it seems that Sabrina has fully hit her stride and found her niche in pop music, delivering songs with infectious hooks and vibrant, summery beats. Her lyricism, both irreverent and vulnerable, continues to evolve, showcasing a maturity and depth that resonate with her audience. Sabrina has impressively shed her wholesome, family-friendly image, often associated with Disney child stars, showing her evolution into a young woman who’s confident in her image and isn’t afraid to show it, as seen in her raunchy, witty lyrics.
Music Production and Musicality
Short n’ Sweet was produced by Julian Bunetta, John Ryan, Ian Kirkpatrick, and Jack Antonoff. The number of producers chipping in made the album uniquely versatile. With so many big hit making producers under her belt, her production tends to be clean and polished where she blends electronic and acoustic elements to create a modern pop sound. The layered vocal harmonies, early 2000s R&B synths, and tight percussion are often paired with lush, spacious arrangements, providing more depth and quality to her tracks.
Sabrina tends to move from different genres to show her willingness to experiment and go out of her comfort zone to compete with top charting artists. Tracks such as Bed Chem, Please Please Please and Don’t Smile has a more R&B approach, whereas tracks like Coincidence, Dumb & Poetic and Lie to Girls have a more Indie/Folk approach.
Her vocals are delicate yet powerful, allowing her to convey vulnerability and confidence, depending on the track. This highlights her control and expressiveness, especially in slow ballads or intimate songs. There’s even small influences of rap in songs like Bed Chem where she was rapping sensually in verse 2.
Lyrically speaking, she tends to go from silly and flirty to raunchy and sometimes even dark. She tends to juggle between having this persona of not taking herself too seriously, but simultaneously having a lot of humour, which she incorporates in her music.
A pop song is nothing without a catchy hook, and Sabrina never fails to write memorable melodies that stick with the listeners. Whether it’s upbeat or melancholic, songs like Please Please Please and Espresso are crafted with a strong, singable chorus that tends to stick in our minds all day.
Overall, Sabrina’s production and musicality reflects how she is a constantly evolving artist. Her seamless genre blend, emotive vocals and lyricism is not only a reflection of her personal growth but also a testament to her staying power in an ever changing industry.
Short n’ Sweet Standout Tracks
In the author’s opinion, here’s a few tracks that really stood out in Sabrina’s album.
The rock influenced “Taste” serves as the album opener, with a music video featuring Jenna Ortega. The song delves into the idea of being betrayed and taking revenge on her previous partner; stating that even if he is cheating, she’ll allow it because there’s always the taste of her lips on his. The tight drums and guitar power chords really shows the rebellious attitude in this song.
Good Graces is a catchy, 90s influenced and R&B inspired track that shows off Sabrina’s playful, yet slightly sinister side in which she repeatedly advises a boy to “stay in her good graces”, or she won’t hesitate to drop them. The hook of the song “I won’t give a **** about you,” is a true earworm that stays in the listener’s head.
Bed Chem is also another track that is highly liked by the fans and the authors themselves. As its provocative title, Bed Chem infers her relationship’s new found chemistry. The track is speculated to be about her boyfriend, Barry Keoghan, as he wore a “white jacket” when they first met in the Givenchy Fashion Show in Paris last year, 2023. The R&B synths and breathy vocal performances really captures the moment and sets the mood.
Don’t Smile is the most heavily R&B inspired song in which Sabrina masterfully layers high, breathy vocals along with whispered lyrics, creating a wistful ballad in which the songstress sings about lost love. In this track, she showcases an impressive turn of phrase, “Don’t smile because it happened baby, cry because it’s over,” flipping the well known saying on its head. After an album of pop perfect hits and ballads, Don’t Smile is a poignant, tender note to end on.
Short n’ Sweet Tour
The Short n’ Sweet Tour is currently ongoing, with 33 dates in North America and a further 15 shows planned for the European leg of the tour. The tour is widely regarded as a huge success, in which Sabrina has managed to sell out arenas to hundreds of thousands of adoring fans. Each night, Sabrina performs on top of a huge set designed to look like a Polly Pocket-esque dollhouse. She dazzles the crowd with her show-stopping outfits, some of which are bedazzled bodysuits paired with garters and cute, flirty babydoll dresses, with artfully placed kiss marks.
Apart from her impressive tour outfits, Sabrina stuns the crowd with her showmanship and playfulness as she performs surprise songs, which are selected by a game of spin the bottle. Following this, the starlet performs her own renditions of classic hits such as “Mamma Mia” by ABBA and “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer.
Overall, the Short n’ Sweet Tour is a well-designed, engaging and fun artistic feat. As Sabrina continues to tour, we can only hope that she adds more dates to the tour, with an Asian leg as well.
Conclusion
Short n’ Sweet has shown Sabrina’s versatility to tap into different genres, as well her ability to produce chart topping hits alongside other producers, cementing her spot in today’s particularly competitive pop landscape. The album is a testament to her artistic integrity and talent, by combining catchy hooks with heartfelt lyrics, showing she’s more than capable of navigating the constantly evolving music scene. As her career continues to evolve from a Disney Star to top charting artist, she stands as a role model for aspiring artists, proving that persistence and passion is essential in this challenging industry. We can only hope that she continues to find success and consistently build a loyal fanbase after years of gruelling work in the music industry.
Written by: Jeremy Tan and Sarah Wong
Edited by: Ashley
