Sabrina Carpenter’s rise into one of pop music’s most defining voices did not happen overnight. Before the Grammy-winning Short n’ Sweet and chart-topping success of Man’s Best Friend, the singer-songwriter spent years carefully shaping her artistic identity. That turning point arrived in 2022 with emails i can’t send, an album that unlocked her sharp wit, emotional honesty, and viral appeal through breakout tracks like “Nonsense” and “Feather.” From that moment on, Carpenter’s trajectory accelerated fast—and in the middle of that creative surge, she quietly laid the foundation for a modern holiday staple.
In November 2023, while working toward future pop smashes such as “Espresso” and “Please Please Please,” Carpenter released Fruitcake, her first Christmas-themed project. The six-track EP blended playful humor, bittersweet storytelling, and classic seasonal influences, opening with a festive rework of “Nonsense” and expanding into original songs that balanced romance, loneliness, and tongue-in-cheek holiday charm.
Since its release, Fruitcake has grown beyond a seasonal side project. Each December, the EP experiences a renewed surge in streaming, cementing Carpenter’s place among a new generation of holiday hitmakers. By 2025, the project had become a recurring presence on festive playlists worldwide.
Three years after its debut, Fruitcake stands as both a snapshot of a pivotal era and a timeless holiday companion. To celebrate the EP’s growing popularity, we put on our headphones this Christmas Day and ranked all six tracks.
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