Sabrina Carpenter Shares Her Childhood Shock at Taylor Swift’s Collaboration Invitation
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Before becoming a pop-music icon herself, Sabrina Carpenter looked up to Taylor Swift. This admiration reached new heights when Swift invited Carpenter to collaborate on the title track of The Life of a Showgirl, released this fall.
In a cover story interview with Variety published on December 3, Carpenter shared her reflections on the experience of singing alongside her childhood hero. “Ten-year-old me, for so many reasons, could not believe it — to hear our voices together,” Carpenter remarked, explaining that it was Swift who originally proposed the collaboration.
“We definitely realized it was special, but I would have never been like, ‘Hey, bestie, put me on a song,’” she stated. “She was so gracious to think of me for a song that spoke to our life experiences in such a real, genuine way. It really sums up what so many young women in this industry go through.”
The song “The Life of a Showgirl” closes Swift’s October LP, which topped the Billboard 200. The track includes audio sampled from Carpenter’s guest appearance during one night of the Eras Tour, with both artists addressing the challenges faced by young stars in the entertainment industry. Carpenter’s poignant lyrics reflect this theme: “Do you wanna take a skate on the ice inside my veins? They ripped me off like false lashes and then threw me away.”
Following the announcement of the collaboration in August, Carpenter expressed her excitement on Instagram, writing, “i know someone who’s freaking out and it’s me.”
In the same Variety interview, Carpenter discussed her upcoming album, Man’s Best Friend, which showcases her bold writing style, first showcased in her 2024 release, Short n’ Sweet. Addressing the backlash regarding some of her PG-13 lyrics, the singer, who rose to fame on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, noted, “I think it wouldn’t matter so much if I wasn’t a childhood figure for some people.”
“But I also can’t really help that,” she added. “It’s not my fault that I got a job when I was 12 and you won’t let me evolve.”
See Carpenter on the cover of Variety below.
