Sabrina Carpenter is pulling back the curtain on her creative evolution, revealing in a new interview with Perfect Magazine how she took full control of her artistic direction. Speaking with Marc Jacobs, she traced that shift back to a pivotal career move in 2021.
“It’s changed in the last five years,” Carpenter said. “Back in 2021, I signed with Island Records. That was the beginning of everything shifting and me feeling really in control of what I was doing.” From that moment, she began shaping every layer of her output, from visuals to live production. “Everything you just said – the videos, the covers, the merch, the tour especially – it’s all something that clicked one day,” she continued, describing a realization that redefined her process.
Creative autonomy has since become central to her identity as an artist. “Oh my gosh, this is what makes it feel special and uniquely myself. It’s me running the show,” Carpenter explained. That independence comes with added responsibility, but she framed it as necessary to preserve authenticity. “It’s a lot more hats to wear and a lot more jobs to do, but it’s those little changes that if I was doing it with someone who was directing me on what to do, it wouldn’t feel so personal to me.”
Her inner circle remains a key part of that vision. Carpenter highlighted her sister as a constant collaborator across projects, emphasizing a shared creative instinct. “I work with my sister a lot. She has been my creative partner with pretty much everything I do,” she said. “We kind of share a brain… she’s got such an amazing creative eye. She’s a great photographer… we’ve been best friends our whole lives, so she knows me better than anyone.”
The interview lands just days before her headlining set at Coachella, where she is preparing what she describes as her most ambitious show to date. “It’s the most ambitious show I’ve ever done,” Carpenter said, noting that the production process began seven months ago. Extended development time has allowed for a more deliberate build, contrasting with the rapid turnaround typical of previous tours.
Momentum around the performance is driven by the continued success of her Man’s Best Friend era. On April 6, Carpenter released the cinematic “House Tour” music video, starring Margaret Qualley and Madelyn Cline, which unfolds as a stylized heist spiraling into chaos. The track has already amassed nearly 200 million streams on Spotify, emerging as one of the project’s strongest performers.
Commercially, the album has delivered at scale. Man’s Best Friend debuted at No. 1 in 18 countries, including the United States, where it earned platinum certification from the Recording Industry Association of America after surpassing one million units. Lead single “Manchild” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, marking her first chart-topper.
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