Who is Sabrina Carpenter? The Skin singer whose response to Olivia Rodrigo's Drivers License is climbing the charts

The singer's latest track Skin - in part a response to Olivia Rodrigo's Drivers License - is set to become her first UK Top 40 hit.
sabrina-carpenter.jpg

Are we talking about another new artist here? 

Not exactly, but her star is very much on the rise at the moment, for reasons which will soon become apparent. 21-year-old Sabrina started out in acting aged 12 and scored her big breakthrough on Disney's Girl Meets World in 2014. She's appeared in several Disney shows since, but in 2014, she signed to Hollywood Records, under which she has released four albums and two EPs. 

Why is she only taking off now then? 

Sabrina is hugely popular with the Disney crowd and has a loyal online following, but interest in her has surged since the release of her latest single Skin, which may or may not (but probably is) a response to Olivia Rodrigo's Drivers License. 

Okay, you've reeled us in - what's going on?

Olivia's Drivers License is said to be about her split with ex-boyfriend Joshua Bassett, her co-star on High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Joshua released a song immediately after titled Lie Lie Lie, a not-so-thinly veiled reply. Sabrina, who is reported to have dated Joshua after the pair broke up, has now released Skin, which also seems to address the love triangle situation. 

The key bit of the drama is in Drivers License, where Olivia refers to a "blonde girl" who’s "so much older than [her]." On Skin, Sabrina sings: "Maybe you didn’t mean it / Maybe blonde was the only rhyme," adding: "But you been tellin’ your side / So I’ll be telling mine."

Have any of them actually confirmed any of this? 

Funnily enough, none of them are doing a particularly good job of directly calling another out or putting an end to the drama. Olivia has been pretty quiet on the subject, but most recently, Sabrina posted on Instagram that Skin is not a diss track, adding: "The song isn’t calling out one single person. some lines address a specific situation, while other lines address plenty of other experiences I’ve had this past year." 

All is fair in love and war - but who's actually winning here? 

In terms of chart positions, Olivia's Drivers License is on course for its third week at Number 1, and made UK chart history in its opening week by scoring the biggest single day of streams outside of a Christmas song. Joshua's Lie Lie Lie isn't faring quite as well, so far peaking at Number 98, and for Sabrina, Skin looks set to become her first UK Top 40 hit this week. Regardless, with little else to do at the moment, the drama is keeping us thoroughly entertained.

Are any of Sabrina's other songs worth checking out? 

Absolutely. In fact, Skin is more than a (potential) clap-back, it's also a good indicator of her moody, darker-edged pop sound. We suggest starting with In My Bed and Paris - both are from the Britney stable of sultry pop. Last year's Honeymoon Fades is breathy, effortlessly cool R&B, while her panpipe-heavy collaboration with Alan Walker, On My Way, is her most-streamed song.

Related artists

Join the conversation by joining the Official Charts community and dropping comment.

Already registered?

Log in

No account?

Register

avatar

thierry henon

1

Very talented singer and great vocals but with the hype going on right now with OLIVIA, i really doubt she will get much success in the UK or even the USA..shame really..Happened the same when lewis capaldi released his album in 2019 and just a few months later the more talented DERMOT KENNEDY released his..Lewis had all the success worldwide and the amazing DERMOT only in Ireland!!