I'm Working Late, Because I'm a Fangirl: A Basic Rundown on Sabrina Carpenter’s Discography

Credit: Sabrina Carpenter

Article by Clancy Kimble

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few months, I’m sure that the catchy chorus of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso” has been playing on a non-stop loop in your head. If you’re a newer fan and you survived the Ticketmaster war, “please, please, please” don’t embarrass yourself at her “Short and Sweet” tour by thinking that this is only her second album. Lucky for you, I consider myself to be an expert on all things Sabrina Carpenter and am here to fill you in on everything you need to know before you see her this Fall. 

Credit: Sabrina Carpenter

Sabrina Carpenter burst onto the scene with her debut album, Eyes Wide Open, in 2015. Featuring eleven tracks exploring themes of young love, resilience, and staying grounded in the face of life's challenges, this album set the stage for her musical journey. This, along with her single “Smoke and Fire” are rumored to be about Bradley Steven Perry, as the two dated briefly around this time. (Talk about worlds colliding.) Notable tracks like "Eyes Wide Open" and "Can't Blame a Girl for Trying" quickly became fan favorites, though the album itself never saw a formal tour.

Following her debut success, Sabrina delved deeper into mature themes with her sophomore album, EVOLution in 2016. This album not only showcased her evolving sound but also marked her first headlining tour, the "EVOLution Tour.” This album was toured on Carpenter’s first headliner tour, the “EVOLution Tour” at the end of 2016 with 42 shows in total across the US and Europe and again in 2017, on her “De-Tour” with 35 shows across North America. The most notable songs from this album are “Thumbs” and “On Purpose.” 

In 2018 and 2019, sister albums Singular: Act I and Singular: Act II were put out, marking the last two albums Carpenter put out under Hollywood Records. With a total of seventeen tracks between them, these albums hinted at personal struggles and a breakup, though the true inspiration remains cryptic. The songs may not even be about a breakup at all, the iconic song Sue Me from Act I was written about a time Carpenter was actually sued! These albums were toured on the “Singular Tour” in 2019, with 21 shows total across the US and Asia. The most notable songs from these albums are “Sue Me,” “Almost Love,” and “Looking at Me.” 

CREDIT: DON ARNOLD/TAS24/GETTY 

In a career-defining move, Sabrina signed with Island Records in 2021 and unleashed her emotionally charged album, Emails I Can't Send in 2022. Inspired by a high-profile breakup and the public scrutiny that followed, this album has seventeen songs, including the deluxe version. The iconic “Driver’s License love triangle” was what put Carpenter on many people’s radars and was what inspired this album. Her “Emails I Can’t Send Tour” started in 2022 and ended in 2023; Carpenter also opened for Taylor Swift, performed at Coachella, and was the musical guest on SNL with songs from this album. The most iconic songs from this album are “Because I Liked a Boy,” “Read Your Mind,” and “Feather.” 

In 2023 Carpenter released a Christmas EP, with six Christmas songs. These songs are theorized to be about Shawn Mendes, although their relationship was never confirmed, the two were seen together at several points throughout that year. Carpenter preformed songs from this album at the 2023 iHeartRadio Jingle Ball. The most notable songs are “A Nonsense Christmas” and “Is it New Year’s Yet?” 

Credit: Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images

Now, with her highly anticipated sixth album, Short and Sweet set to drop on August 23rd, Sabrina Carpenter shows no signs of slowing down. Tickets for her “Short and Sweet Tour” are on sale now, so if you want tickets, you better move fast. So far two singles have been released, “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” These songs are about her current boyfriend, Barry Keoghan. Both songs have hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and have been the only thing filling just about everyone’s brains the last few weeks. 

Whether you're a fan who's been with Sabrina Carpenter from the beginning or someone just discovering her music, I hope this recap of her discography has prepared you to sing along with our pop princess this Fall; now all you need to worry about is what you’re going to wear!