Sabrina Unplugged: No Phones, More Skin, No Apologies

Sabrina Carpenter is considering a bold move that could change how fans experience her concerts, locking up phones.
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the “Espresso” singer admitted that attending a Silk Sonic concert in Las Vegas, where she had to give up her phone, shifted her perspective.

She also discussed her creative direction and her chart-topping single “Manchild.” She also addressed the controversy surrounding her upcoming album’s cover art, in which she is on all fours. The cover art received backlash for allegedly being sexually degrading and backward towards women.

Sabrina Carpenter Reflects on Phone-Free Shows

“This will honestly piss off my fans, but absolutely,” Carpenter said when asked about the idea of requiring fans to seal their phones in pouches. 

He explained, “I’ve never had a better experience at a concert. I genuinely felt like I was back in the Seventies, wasn’t alive. Genuinely felt like I was there. Everyone’s singing, dancing, looking at each other, and laughing. It really, really just felt so beautiful.”

Speaking Out on Scrutiny and Empowerment

In her Rolling Stone cover story, Carpenter discussed her creative direction, her chart-topping single “Manchild,” and the constant judgment female artists face online. “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,” she said.

She continued, “I’m not just talking about me. I’m talking about every female artist that is making art right now. We’re in such a weird time where you would think it’s girl power, and women supporting women, but in reality, the second you see a picture of someone wearing a dress on a carpet, you have to say everything mean about it in the first 30 seconds that you see it.”

Carpenter also responded to reactions to her provocative “Man’s Best Friend” album cover, released June 11. The image shows her on all fours in a black dress, beside a man’s leg holding her hair.

Some fans called it “disturbing” and “not empowering,” while others saw it as a critique of how some men view women.

Reflecting on online criticism, Carpenter added, “When you get down the little rabbit hole is truly when people start commenting on you as a person or you physically. All of those things that you’re already thinking on a day-to-day basis. You don’t need a stranger from Arkansas to remind you.”