Sabrina Carpenter “Had Literally No Idea” Anyone Would Like “Espresso” Before It Came Out
Sabrina Carpenter could have never predicted that her song about coffee would explode the way that it has since it dropped in April.
When the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter decided to release “Espresso” before the summer, she figured the drink was more of a fall beverage and wouldn’t cut through the noise because of that.
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“I really didn’t know if it would connect, but the sentiment and the sound of the song and the confidence that it kind of just carries along with it was something that I really believed in,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter exclusively. “So, I had literally no idea that anyone would like it, but I liked it, and that was kind of all that mattered to me in that moment, and something I try to remember over and over again.”
The hit was the most-streamed song of the year on Spotify, garnering more than 1.6 billion dreams. It was parodied on Saturday Night Live in a sketch, starring Marcello Hernández’s Domingo, which has since gone viral with 15 million views on YouTube. “Espresso” also led to Carpenter’s newest partnership with Dunkin’ to bring to life Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso.
With her new collab, the artist hopes to create memories with her fans in different ways, while maintaining her playful persona.
“The way that the world has changed, people really appreciate connection more, I think, because it’s such a rarity,” she says. “To be able to have things that make us feel connected to people that we love, I think is really, really special. And so, for me, it’s like when I’m not on tour, physically able to go to each and every city, it’s finding partnerships like this that can bring me to your front doorstep, or your nearest Dunkin’, or whatever is most convenient.”
She adds, “It’s absolutely the perfect way for me to end the year, the perfect way for me to kind of celebrate this song that just won’t go away. Once it is, we’ll talk then. But for now, I’m happy that people are still enjoying the humor behind the song and excited about the drink.”
Below, Carpenter also opens up about A Nonsense Christmas special on Netflix, her fashion choices and potential plans for new music.
Talk to me about this Dunkin’ partnership. How did it come about?
So, I’m a born and bred East Coaster and just grew up … Dunkin’ was my childhood, essentially, and has followed me into adulthood. Honestly, it was really just a no-brainer I think for a lot of reasons. I have this song called “Espresso,” and when they approached me about it, I kind of realized that my window is closing for my coffee collab, and I didn’t really do it. We kind of had some moments when the song first came out, but nothing that felt really, really signature. This is just a drink I love so much, and they’ve been so supportive in kind of bringing the vision to life and keeping it really in the vein of “Espresso,” which has been really fun.
How did you all come up with the vision that you all wanted to present to people?
I think the playfulness throughout this entire album of mine has been really, really important to me, and the light-heartedness of all of it, and there’s been so many different campaigns that have done that tongue-in-cheek, really, really well. And I wanted to bring on Dave Meyers, because he’s just one of my favorite, most trusted directors, and I know he’ll always understand how to bring my vision to life, and then really, really is always keen on infusing my personality into everything that I do as well. So I was really happy to be able to bring him on board, and he’s just the best.
So, you touched on this a little bit, but how has it been working with Dunkin’ on this?
They’re just such incredible partners. Obviously, it’s so global. I think that, for me, just wanting to be able to find ways to connect with my fans when I can’t be right there in front of them is always super important to me. It’s something that if it’s already a part of everyone’s daily life, then I can just, I’m haunting them wherever they go — hopefully in a positive way. But no, I think again, like I said, it’s so in line with “Espresso,” which, to me, has been such a fun song for so many reasons. But I think one of the main reasons is, the unexpected partnerships and gifts that it has brought me to be able to kind of take things a little less seriously. So, obviously, the drink is amazing. Jokes aside, there’s kind of nothing funny about how it tastes, but just in general, the partnership is light-hearted. They’re very collaborative and amazing. I’m excited to see my fans taking pictures with it and going out and just hopefully — I mean, it sounds kind of cliché — but it’s creating memories in a way, I think, with them for me.
I definitely think it’s haunting in a positive way. Dunkin’ posted a teaser of the drink without outright saying it was a collab with you, and people in the comments were very excited. How does it feel knowing your fans get so excited about things that could even maybe be connected to you?
It’s something where I think now, the way that the world has changed, people really appreciate connection more, I think, because it’s such a rarity. To be able to have things that make us feel connected to people that we love, I think is really, really special. And so, for me, it’s like when I’m not on tour, physically able to go to each and every city, it’s finding partnerships like this that can bring me to your front doorstep, or your nearest Dunkin’, or whatever is most convenient. So I’m just happy that it worked out. It’s absolutely the perfect way for me to end the year, the perfect way for me to kind of celebrate this song that just won’t go away. (Laughs) Once it is, we’ll talk then. But for now, I’m happy that people are still enjoying the humor behind the song and excited about the drink.
What would you want to work with on Dunkin’ next? Do you have any ideas for summer drinks or spring or fall?
Maybe. I mean, I think, they’re so open, and they’ve been so lovely and communicative in that way. So I think the options are kind of limitless there.
So you mentioned that “Espresso” hasn’t gone away, and I think that’s for the best, honestly. It was my No. 1 song on my Spotify Wrapped.
Are you serious? (Laughs)
Yes. I knew I had listened to it a lot, but I didn’t realize I had listened to it that much.
That’s kind of amazing. I think that’s the whole point of it. It’s like somewhat addictive. It’s really all kismet the way that worked out. I didn’t write it with that in mind. So I’m really happy to hear that. But thank you for listening so many times, even if you weren’t aware of it.
When “Espresso” came out earlier this year, could you have guessed it would blow up the way that it has with espresso martinis, the Domingo SNL parody and your new perfume, among other things?
You know what’s funny? I feel like I get asked this question in particular, only because of the fact that when something kind of takes on a life of its own, it’s sort of like you have to have some sort of awareness. But, really, I remember deciding to put this song out in the beginning of summer and thinking espresso, coffee is kind of more of a fall beverage. I really didn’t know if it would connect, but the sentiment and the sound of the song and the confidence that it kind of just carries along with it was something that I really believed in. So I had literally no idea that anyone would like it, but I liked it, and that was kind of all that mattered to me in that moment, and something I try to remember over and over again.
So, this collab sort of brings to a close your holiday-filled month with the Nonsense Christmas special on Netflix. What was it like bringing that special to life?
That was just like something I’ve wanted. I know it’s so random, but I grew up watching the Cher show, and I grew up watching Dolly Parton and Lucille Ball, and just some of these incredible talents that inspired me so much. And so when the idea came to kind of do my own Christmas special, I was so excited, and I jumped at the opportunity. I didn’t have a lot of time to put it together, but I really, really wanted it to feel just aligned with my personality and visually align with the things that I love and am inspired by. So I’m so happy and grateful for the guests that were part of it. That was really, essentially, what made the special, special. I’m definitely looking forward to ways to kind of continue my holiday thing over the years, and I think that was a really good start.
You mentioned all of the guest appearances. It was so incredible. Left and right, there were different people. How did those sort of come about?
A lot of them were honestly just like texts. I’ve gotten really lucky to be able to feel like, in the last couple years, definitely more so, connected with different artists and different writers and different actors and people that I find really, really funny and inspiring, and some people I had met before and were friends of mine. Some people I’d never met before, but I really just wanted to work with and was so grateful that they were game to be on board. A lot of it was just pretty organic, slid in the DMs a few times, and that was kind of how it came to be. And like I said, it was, it was exactly as playful as we wanted it to be. So I wanted every guest that was part of it to have a fun experience making it, too.
Your style onstage and in the special, and just in general, is so particular and so stunning. How do you and your team decide on the look and the theme for the special and then also for your tour?
I just like clothes that fit me well, and that’s kind of where I start off from. I think a lot of my life changed when I met a good tailor, and truthfully, I really do think that when I was younger and I was kind of wearing more ill-fitted clothes or stuff that people felt like maybe it was like … sometimes you’re young and you want to dress much older than your age, or you want to dress younger than your age. I think I found this place where it really just all came down to the fit of things that made me feel the most myself. So, because I’m petite, a lot of these looks came from outfits that I maybe put on and then chopped off half of a dress, and it ended up feeling like something that really complimented me. So, it kind of started there, and then when I worked on the Short n’ Sweet Tour with my stylist, Jared [Ellner], he was so … I mean, we’ve already done so much together, so I think he went into it kind of knowing already exactly where we were going and then from there on, it was just more specific fits and cuts and clothes that are easy to change in and out of, and more sparkles.
You still have the international leg of your tour coming, but have you started working on a new album yet? Have you started thinking about what you’re going to do next in music or onscreen? What’s the future holding for Sabrina Carpenter?
Well, that is up to you guys, I would assume, or fate. But for me, I’m always sort of thinking one year ahead consistently. So, I sort of started the thought process of what would happen after Short n’ Sweet as I was making it, and that’s all I’ll say for now. But I’m very excited for the new year, because I think, again, I just allow myself the space to grow and have fun with it, not take it too seriously, and that’s what I’m going to try to do.
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