Sabrina Carpenter | Audacy Check In | 2.3.2023

Last time we talked to Sabrina Carpenter, we were waiting on her music video for “Nonsense” to drop. So, now that it has, and we’ve had plenty of time to obsess over it, we’re checking in with the singer again to talk all about the song, and a whole lot more.

Currently in her creative hibernation phase, Sabrina is beyond happy to hear about the success of “Nonsense” when she comes up for air. The track, which sounds different than the rest of her album -- and as Julia also pointed out, doesn’t sound like anything currently on the radio -- was actually almost left off her album emails i cant send, for that exact reason.

“That was like the one song that was this close to not making the album,” Sabrina said, pinching her index and thumb fingers together, “because of that reason. I just felt like maybe it didn’t fit the tone of some of the more serious songs on the record. And then I just really had to convince myself that people can be both, people can be multi-fasciated and they can be going through the worst times of their life, and they can also be really excited about someone they have a crush on.”

When talking about how the song came about, Sabrina explained how her friends referred to the song as “the octave song,” and calling it funny, which Sabrina reveled in. “I love it when my friends find my sense of humor in my music because I feel like they feel more connected to me,” and the same goes with her fans.

“I didn’t really set up to do that with that song,” Sabrina added, “but it just kinda happened naturally. And again, the song doesn’t really take itself too seriously.”

When discussing her very personal album, emails i cant send, Sabrina admitted it felt “freeing” to be that raw, she says, “but more than anything it really felt like a relief, because I think for a long time when I was younger I wrote for what I thought people wanted to hear as opposed to what I needed to say.”

For all that and more, including what she learned while working with incredible songwriters like Julia Michaels and JP Saxe, what it’s like having Taylor Swift in her life, and more, check out the entire interview above.

Words by Maia Kedem Interview by Julia