Sabrina Carpenter Explains Her Bold New Album Man’s Best Friend

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Sabrina Carpenter was explaining the creative process behind the new project Man’s Best Friend in an interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music. She had explained that this album is that very conscious act of having taken a leap, artistically speaking, a boil of risk over commercial predictability.

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From there, Carpenter reflected on sound changes. According to her, Short & Sweet was made in two and a half years after the famous Emils I Can’t Send. That album, she said, was partly directed by criticism or constructive criticism and partly by the impulse to turn her pop-side into something smooth and palatable.

But Man’s Best Friend came from a very different place. “I felt like I had accomplished something that had something for everybody and they really liked it. And then I was like, now I’m going to make this, not just for me.” She said it was all about maybe checking boxes or recreating her previous discographies; she was making music that felt authentic to her present artistic spirit, even if that cannot be easily digested by everyone at the very moment.

“Did that last album, do you want to hear the same album again? No, let me make a new album,” she said. “Let me try something. If you don’t like it, that means I did something, right? Because I think it means like you’re not used to it.”

Fans flooded the comment section to praise the entire interview. One listener bested it for many when she said: “i’m so proud of you for writing such a beautiful album!!! the musicality of it felt so theatrical and magical.”

That whole thing about artistic growth really hit home. Another fan expressed that “She’s so smart. She knows every move she’s going to make and the potential reaction to said moves.” They said that some songs click right away, some require a few listens, and Man’s Best Friend is in the rewarding latter category.

Others talked about how certain tracks really grew on them after a handful of plays. “First listen I wasn’t fully sure, third listen I’m in love and in two days it’s become one of my favorite albums of all time,” confessed one converted fan. Another picked out “Nobody’s Son” as something that “gets better every listen.”

Not everywhere, however, was there confirmation; indeed, the criticisms would sometimes spur some thoughtful discussion on the ever-present saga of artistic evolution. One contributor wondered if the topics brought by the album were repetitive, while others rushed to Carpenter’s defense on her right to push and venture into unfamiliar artistic terrain.

If there ever was a most telling comment, it was someone who subscribed to Carpenter’s philosophy: “If you don’t like, it means I did something right are words to live by as an artist.” That sparked a mini-debate about whether that is healthy artistic confidence or a convenient excuse—but for the most part, were in agreement that true art is supposed to challenge both the creator and the audience.

Several Twitter accounts had commented on the gorgeous black-and-white stylization of the interview, agreeing that it fits Carpenter’s current visual look to a tee. The remainder merely expressed their appreciation that they got to see an artist talk about their passion with such analytical rigor and self-awareness.

Carpenter’s open discussion of her creative process offers an eye-opening view into how a successful artist wrestles with the pressure of following up a hit album. Carpenter avoids safe plays, trusting his own gut to craft something that demands the listener to meet him halfway.

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One very insightful fan puts it in terms best fitting an artist: “EXPLORATION IS AN ARTIST’S BEST FRIEND.” For Sabrina Carpenter, exploration has become the quest to one of her most fascinating and talked-about projects to date—an album that rewards those willing to take that journey with her.