Who is Sabrina Carpenter, the pop princess and Grammy best new artist nominee?

She’s the “Short n’ Sweet” pop princess who dominated the charts in 2024, but the path to breakthrough stardom was longer and more intense for Sabrina Carpenter than casual fans may think.

Among her six Grammy nominations at the 2025 ceremony are an impressive showing in the Big Four categories: Album of the year (“Short n’ Sweet”); record of the year (“Espresso”); song of the year (“Please Please Please”); and best new artist.

But while Carpenter, 25, was ubiquitous the past 12 months among radio, streaming, a headlining arena tour and numerous dates opening for pal Taylor Swift on her record-breaking Eras Tour, she has toiled in the entertainment industry for more than a decade.

“I’ve always been true to myself and believed in my work since I was young,” Carpenter told People magazine in January. “I’ve realized that it’s always been about the small baby steps that you take over time to get you to this point.”

Born in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, a small borough near Allentown and Bethlehem, Carpenter grew up with a famous aunt – Nancy Cartwright, the longtime voice of Bart Simpson on “The Simpsons” – and hopped on YouTube as a 10-year-old singing Adele and Christina Aguilera covers.

Here’s what else to know about the new(ish) hitmaker.

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Was Sabrina Carpenter on a Disney Channel show?

Carpenter’s quest for success began in 2009, when she placed third out of tens of thousands in “The Next Miley Cyrus Project,” a singing competition overseen by the “Flowers” singer.

But acting pulled Carpenter into the entertainment industry first, with small roles on episodes of NBC’s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and the Fox sitcom, “The Goodwin Games.”

After getting ingrained in the Disney machine with songs recorded for Radio Disney (“Smile,” “All You Need”), Carpenter landed the role of Maya Hart in the Disney Channel’s “Girl Meets World,” for which she also sang the theme song.

Her 72-episode, four-year stint on the show ran concurrent with a record deal with the Disney-owned Hollywood Records and launched her singing efforts with the 2014 EP “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying,” followed shortly by the full-length “Eyes Wide Open."

What songs does Sabrina Carpenter sing?

Between 2016’s “Evolution” and 2024’s “Short n’ Sweet” album christening her as chart-ruling royalty, Carpenter released three additional albums, which spawned a handful of middling pop hits including “Almost Love,” “Nonsense” and “Feather.”

While her 2022 release “Emails I Can’t Send” earned critical kudos for its introspective lyrics and agreeable disco-pop strains as well as a spot performing on the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards, it still didn’t spark a pop culture explosion.

That happened with the August 2024 arrival of “Short n’ Sweet,” produced by, among others, faithful Swift partner Jack Antonoff.

A few months prior to the album’s entrance, Carpenter unveiled its lead single, the percolating pop soufflé “Espresso,” which hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 while topping the charts in other countries.

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Breathy follow-up singles “Please Please Please” and “Taste,” the latter birthing a controversial video that highlighted cartoon violence and a co-starring role for actress Jenna Ortega (“Jane the Virgin,” “Wednesday”), awarded Carpenter with a rare trifecta: She became the first artist since The Beatles to have her first three hits in the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100 in the same region in the same week.

“I don’t think I have fully reflected yet, as I’m also trying to be present in the moment,” she told People about this tsunami of success. “But I’m just happy to see my songs connect with so many people from all walks of life. That’s why I love to write songs.”

Sabrina Carpenter at the 2025 Grammys

Carpenter secured her first Grammy nominations for the 2025 award show.

She’s among the most-nominated artists, with six nods, and is the only artist nominated this year in both the record of the year and song of the year categories who received nominations for different songs.

Along with her Big Four nominations, she’s up for best pop solo performance (“Espresso”) and best pop vocal album (“Short n’ Sweet”).

She’ll face stiff competition in the best new artist category from Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Benson Boone, RAYE, Khruangbin, Doechii and Teddy Swims.

The 2025 Grammy Awards are scheduled for Sunday, Feb. 2 in Los Angeles.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Sabrina Carpenter, a Grammy best new artist nominee