Sabrina Carpenter Shines in Warehouse Performance: Responds to Aitken and Waterman’s ‘Regressive’ Remarks by Saying, ‘If You Can’t Handle It, Don’t Attend My Shows’

Sabrina Carpenter Responds to Industry Comments

Sabrina Carpenter has addressed recent remarks made by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, and Pete Waterman regarding her image.

Comments from Waterman

In a Sun interview earlier this week, Waterman specifically mentioned Carpenter as an artist whose image he believes is detrimental to women.

He stated: “Seeing Sabrina Carpenter dressed like a little girl is quite offensive. She doesn’t need it. She has great talent and yet the industry, these girls go out as little as possible because they know they are leading young boys to their sites.”

Waterman continued: “It’s just crazy. If you’re asking to be respected, don’t go to the G-String,” while Stock dismissed Carpenter’s sexualized lyrics as “lazy.”

Despite the criticism, Carpenter was one of the top artists last year, particularly with her successful album Short N’ Sweet, which included hits like “Espresso Please Please” and “Taste”, allowing her to spend 21 weeks at the top of the singles chart and launch a major world tour.

In a recent interview with Sun on Sunday, Carpenter retaliated, stating, “My message has always been clear – if you can’t handle a girl who is confident in her own sexuality, then don’t come to my shows.”

She pointed out that women being scrutinized for their appearance is an ongoing issue, adding: “Female artists have been shamed forever. Online it was Rihanna, in the nineties it was Britney Spears, in the eighties it was Madonna – and now it’s me. Essentially, it’s saying that female performers shouldn’t be able to embrace their sexuality in their lyrics, the way we dress, and the way we perform.”

Carpenter added, “It’s completely regressive. It’s like those who want to shame don’t comment when I talk about self-care, body positivity, or grief, which are all normal things a 25-year-old goes through. They just want to talk about the sexy side of my performances.”

These sentiments reflect similar comments she made during her US tour last year.

“You’ll still get the random mother who has strong opinions about how you should dress,” she remarked at the time.

“And to that, I just say, don’t come to the show, and that’s okay. It’s unfortunate that this has ever been something to criticize because, frankly, the scariest thing in the world is performing on stage in front of many people and being forced to act as if it’s nothing. If one thing that helps you feel comfortable is how you dress, then that’s what you should do.”

Recently, Carpenter was nominated for six Grammys, including Best Pop Vocal Album, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. Her track “Please, Please” earned a nomination for Song of the Year, while her hit song “Espresso” is up for Best Pop Solo Performance and Record of the Year.

Carpenter was featured in NME‘s Best Songs and Best Albums of 2024 lists, and most recently received accolades from Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, who named “Espresso” the best song of 2024.

The singer has also announced a series of UK and European tour dates for the spring, with her ex NME Cover Star Rachel Chinoworiri as a special guest. The shows kick off at the 3Arena in Dublin on March 3, with additional performances scheduled in Birmingham, London, and Manchester – see ALL dates and purchase tickets here.