Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter first caught the public’s eye as a Disney Channel star on “Girl Meets World,” but she’s since carved out her own lane in pop music – one filled with chart hits and confessional songwriting. Born in small-town Pennsylvania in 1999, Carpenter has transformed from kid actor to bona fide pop star, thanks to earworms like “Nonsense” and her breakthrough album “Emails I Can’t Send.” That record, in particular, marked a turning point: the playful Disney persona faded, replaced by a songwriter unafraid to get brutally honest about heartbreak, insecurity, and growing up.
Critics and fans alike have picked up on how she weaves sharp, sometimes biting observations into buoyant melodies – “Feather,” which topped charts in 2023, is a prime example. Carpenter pairs her airy, instantly recognizable vocals with lines that can sting. “I want my songs to feel like conversations I’d actually have,” she told Rolling Stone last year, and that authenticity cuts through in every track. Whether she’s singing about feeling misunderstood or poking fun at herself, there’s a realness that’s hard to manufacture.
A lot of that comes down to her dedication behind the scenes. Carpenter has collaborated with top-tier songwriters and producers like Julia Michaels and Jack Antonoff, not just lending her name and voice but helping to shape her own sound. You get the sense she’s seriously invested – not just showing up to sing someone else’s lyrics.
Relationships and Public Scrutiny
Of course, being a young pop star in the social media age means her love life often ends up in the headlines – sometimes unwillingly. Carpenter’s most publicized relationship drama was the rumored love triangle involving Joshua Bassett and Olivia Rodrigo, a saga that inspired a wave of breakup anthems from all three artists. Rather than unpack the whole situation in Instagram statements, Carpenter instead addressed it on her own terms: in her music, and with a sense of restraint. She let the songs do the talking.
By 2023, Carpenter was linked to Irish actor Barry Keoghan, with the two spotted at several events together. Before Keoghan, her reported dating history looks like a mini who’s-who of young Hollywood – and it’s often been the subject of breathless online speculation. The most high-profile was Bassett in 2020–2021, though neither ever really confirmed things outright. In 2022, she was seen out with Dylan O’Brien, of “Teen Wolf” fame, but both stayed mum about the nature of their relationship.
There have also been whispers about Griffin Gluck (after they walked red carpets together) and way back in her early career, she dated fellow Disney alum Bradley Steven Perry. But don’t expect Carpenter to serve up a play-by-play of her personal life on social media. “I’ve learned that everything doesn’t need to be shared,” she told Cosmopolitan in 2022. “Some things are just for me.”
That same measured attitude extends to breakups. While other celebrities post Notes App statements, Carpenter tends to process her experiences through her music. Her 2022 song “because i liked a boy” seemed to lay bare the backlash she got during the Bassett-Rodrigo saga, lamenting that falling for someone suddenly made her “the most hated person in America.”
Past Relationships
Barry Keoghan
Shawn Mendes
Dylan O'Brien
Joshua Bassett
Griffin Gluck
Bradley Steven Perry
It’s been fascinating to watch Carpenter grow up under a relentless spotlight – from Disney darling to genuine pop force crafting her own stories. Fans may speculate about her relationships, but she’s made it clear that her main focus is the music. Judging by her latest success, keeping things private – and pouring her truth into her songs – might just be her secret weapon.