At the beginning of this month, global superstar Sabrina Carpenter released a brand new single “Manchild.” This marked the singer’s first release since her award winning album Short n’ Sweet. Shortly after, Carpenter surprised fans with the announcement of a new album. Man’s Best Friend will be released on August 29th, almost one year after Short n’ Sweet. The announcement brought buzz and sparked a lot of conversation. From her “Nonsense” outros to her “Juno” positions, Carpenter knows how to turn people’s heads. The album artwork for Man’s Best Friend is receiving the same kind of attention.
The End of an Era
Short n’ Sweet came out in August 2024, a little under a year ago. This record was Carpenter’s most successful release to date. It won her numerous awards including a Grammy, took her on sold out tours and to play some of the biggest festivals in the world. Why is she ending this era so early?
With the announcement of Man’s Best Friend, Sabrina revealed in an interview why the Short n’ Sweet Era is coming to an end. She expressed how she could very easily live in her current musical era much longer, but the process of the new record came unexpectedly, naturally.
“Manchild” is the first taste of Man’s Best Friend. The track fuses country pop with a plucky synth. In the same interview, Carpenter mentioned who influenced her new record. She mentioned names like Donna Summer and Dolly Parton.
With every new release, critics and fans always voice their opinion all over the internet. While many had much to say about “Manchild,” what sparked more buzz was the album cover.
Sabrina’s In Control
On the cover of Man’s Best Friend, Carpenter poses on the floor on her hands and knees at the foot of a man who is holding her by her hair. The cover is proactive and grabs your attention. Looking through the comments on Instagram alone, many fans were upset by the cover art. Many expressed that the cover felt regressive and degrading. Some even went as far to say it was a “tone deaf” decision.
No matter what the pop star chose for the album cover, she would have been met with harsh criticism regardless. It is the unfortunate reality that we live in today. Women in music are constantly ridiculed, shamed and torn down by fans and critics. In her Rolling Stone interview, Carpenter touches in exactly this point.
“I don’t want to be pessimistic, but I truly feel like I’ve never lived in a time where women have been picked apart more, and scrutinized in every capacity. I’m not just talking about me.”
The judgement and remarks being made about Sabrina feels similar to when Madonna was stirring the pot in the music industry. Madonna and Carpenter share the quality of being unapologetically themselves in common. People don’t seem to like that about women in the music industry. It’s an unfair double standard. Rarely, do we ever see men receive criticism even close to the kinds that female artists do.
Carpenter continuously makes it very clear through her music that she is in control and doesn’t answer to any man. Lyrically, “Manchild” says exactly that. She uses wit and humor to empower herself and poke fun at men. She empowers herself and her fans. The cover of Man’s Best Friend sparked a conversation that was meant to be had. Female artists constantly receive more criticism than male artists and it’s time for a change.
