Sabrina Carpenter likes her songs up for interpretation.
That’s why fans will never know if she’s singing about her ex-boyfriend Barry Keoghan, despite the constant speculation that her music—and videos—have nods to their year-long romance.
"I just wouldn't say,” Sabrina said about the constant chatter surrounding her lyrics in an Aug. 29 interview with CBS Mornings. “It’s more fun to picture the person in their head than the person I picture in my head I think.”
Since Sabrina, 26, and Barry, 32, ended their relationship in December, they had largely stayed away from addressing the split in its aftermath, though at the time he called out fans who dug too deep into his personal life.
“I can only sit and take so much. My name has been dragged across the internet in ways I usually don't respond too [sic]," the Banshees of Inisherin star, dad to Brando, 2, with ex Alyson Sandro, wrote on X Dec. 7. “I have to respond now because it's gettin to a place where there are too many lines being crossed.”
Indeed, while Barry felt the need to hit back at the fans, Sabrina shared why she feels she isn’t to blame for the speculation.
“I feel pretty transparent going into any of my relationships that I write songs,” the “Manchild” singer said on CBS Mornings. “Most of the times they have been pretty flattered when they get a song about them, good or bad. I think they're just excited to get a shoutout."
And as for the idea that her song lyrics will keep men from wanting to date her, that’s all nonsense.
“I'm not scared of men in that sense,” Sabrina shared. “I think I'll attract exactly who I'm supposed to attract."
However, the Grammy winner previously shared why she remains so private when it comes to the details of her personal life.
“People underestimate how tricky it is to navigate being a young woman, having relationships, and then having a bunch of strangers have opinions on them,” she told Rolling Stone in June. “Surely, all of these people that are commenting, if they had the same microscope on their personal lives, I don’t think they’d be as eloquently spoken as me.”
She added, “I know it’s a tale as old as time. It’s just unfortunate that it’s still a tale.”
Keep reading or more of Sabrina’s most iconic clapbacks…
Talkin’ Nonsense
Not everyone is a fan of Sabrina Carpenter’s love for lace and provocative lyrics. In fact, music producer Pete Waterman labeled the “Nonsense” singer’s live shows as downright “offensive.”
“They’ve won all of their freedoms and their rights, women,” Waterman said in January 2025. “They fought for everything they’ve got, and now they’re throwing it away, is the way I would look at it.”
And in her response, the Girl Meets World alum did not hold back.
“My message has always been clear,” Sabrina said in an interview with The Sun on Sunday, “if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows.”
“Female artists have been shamed forever,” she continued. “In the noughties it was Rihanna, in the nineties it was Britney Spears, in the eighties it was Madonna—and now it’s me.”
Can’t Blame a Girl for Clapping Back
To the critics calling Sabrina’s renowned “Juno” poses and raunchy lyrics “lazy,” Sabrina countered their “totally regressive” opinions.
“It’s essentially saying that female performers should not be able to embrace their sexuality in their lyrics, in the way we dress, in the way we perform,” the pop star explained to The Sun. “It’s like those who want to shame don’t make comments when I talk about self-care or body positivity or heartbreak, which are all normal things a 25-year-old goes through. They just want to talk about the sexual side of my performances.”
She’s Working Late, ‘Cause She’s a Singer
During Sabrina’s Short n’ Sweet Tour, critics on social media shared their suspicions that the “Espresso” singer was lip-syncing during her shows.
"Hate to say it," one person wrote in an October 2024 TikTok video, "but 30 percent lip singing [sic] 30 percent backing track [and] 40 percent singing."
The Disney alum, however, was quick to shoot down the claims.
"I sing live at every show 100 percent," Sabrina declared in the comments. "Would you like to speak to my audio engineers?"
Keeping it Short n’ Sweet
It doesn’t take many words for the Grammy nominee to silence her haters.
In June 2024, a keyboard warrior shared their disapproval of Sabrina’s hit single “Please Please Please.”
“I don’t think I've ever seen someone fumble a second single this hard,” the user wrote on X, formerly Twitter, “my goodness.”
But as soon as the tune reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, she posted side-by-side screenshots of the rankings alongside the comments with the caption, “ohhhh I’m a grateful grateful grateful girl.”
It’s Funny and It’s Ironic
After receiving backlash for her iconic “Feather” music video filmed in the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—which she had received permission from the church to film in—Sabrina’s story differed from the one Msgr. Jamie J. Gigantiello told in his official statement.
“The parish did not follow diocesan policy regarding the filming on Church property,” the parish’s then-pastor said in his November 2023 statement, “which includes a review of the scenes and script.”
But Sabrina refuted his claims with one simple sentence.
“We got approval in advance,” Sabrina quipped to Variety at the time, “and Jesus was a carpenter.”
What a Coincidence
While onstage at NYC’s Madison Square Garden in September 2024, Sabrina alluded to her “Feather” music video scandal having played a part in New York mayor Eric Adams’ federal investigation at the time. The pastor that approved Sabrina’s “Feather” music video—though he said he was “not aware” of its inappropriate content—was demoted, leading to “broader administrative review” of the parish.
In their review, the diocese told the New York Post that they may have found a connection between the Parish and Adams involving business dealings between the pastor and senior figures within Adams’ embattled administration. (The mayor was charged with bribery and wire fraud scheme in the ongoing case, to which he has pleaded not guilty.)
And to that, Sabrina said, "Should we talk about how I got the mayor indicted or…”