TIME100 Cover Star Sabrina Carpenter Shares Her Philosophy on Dealing With Criticism

The singer-actress has had the most exciting, accomplished year yet—and that hasn’t come without critique.

Sabrina Carpenter / Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The TIME100 Next list was published on Wednesday, and it feels more than fitting to have Sabrina Carpenter as the cover star of the annual issue. The pop star just sold out her debut at Madison Square Garden as the fourth stop on her “Short n’ Sweet Tour,” celebrating her sixth studio album, which dropped at the end of August.

The 25-year-old has had the most incredible year, from opening for Taylor Swift’s “The Eras Tour,” headlining a music festival for the first time, performing at the VMAs and breaking multiple Spotify, Billboard and personal records with her latest project. Carpenter is also on the ballot as a nominee for Best New Artist for the 2025 Grammy Awards.

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The Pennsylvania native, who some longtime fans may know from her days on Disney Channel’s Girl Meets World, is slowly taking over the world. She’s had a breakthrough over the past year that several are comparing to the likes of Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, likely because of her embrace of sultry, suggestive lyrics, outfits and dancing. As a result of her well-deserved and long overdue fame, the singer is certainly no stranger to internet criticism (also similar to the aforementioned pop icons).

“Someone told me this, whenever I would get upset or feel like I’m the only one getting criticized for something other people are able to do seemingly so freely: ‘I’m the one that’s seeing all the negative s--- about myself. My friends don’t see that,’” she told TIME. “But you’ll still get the occasional mother that has a strong opinion on how you should be dressing. And to that I just say, don’t come to the show and that’s O.K. It’s unfortunate that it’s ever been something to criticize, because truthfully, the scariest thing in the world is getting up on a stage in front of that many people and having to perform as if it’s nothing. If the one thing that helps you do that is the way you feel comfortable dressing, then that’s what you’ve got to do.”

Sabrina Carpenter / Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

Carpenter’s bouncy blonde curls, playful demeanor, cheeky kiss prints, pronounced blushed-up cheekbones and her tiny but mighty frame have all become signature marks of her stage presence. Just as much as these features define her persona, so does her ability to embrace fame with open arms and a grain of salt. She’s having fun and she’s got millions of fans behind her, so the voices of a few disgruntled skeptics and internet trolls pale in comparison to her success

And, to the many, many fans who are shocked that her mom, dad and even grandfather watched her live show—yes, including those seductive “Juno” dance moves—all she has to say is, “Girl, they are not paying attention to that. They’re just like, I can’t believe all these people are here.”

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