Sabrina Carpenter Describes Meeting Paul McCartney as ‘A Happier Version of Stranger Things’

Sabrina Carpenter Meets Paul McCartney

Sabrina Carpenter reflects on her first meeting with Paul McCartney, likening the moment to Stranger Things “but much happier.”

Promoting Pointless Christmas

This week, Carpenter appeared as a guest on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert to promote Pointless Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter, a unique holiday music special that was released on Netflix earlier this month.

During the episode, Colbert asked Carpenter about her evident fondness for the Beatles’ music, which prompted her to share nostalgic memories from her childhood.

“When I was very, very little, my dad played me ‘Rocky Raccoon’ for the first time, and I was so mesmerized by the song and the writing that I fell in love with Paul McCartney,” she reminisced.

“I was convinced that this was my husband, my future husband. But he was quite old, and I was so young that I didn’t realize he was much older than me… So as I grew up, I continued to fall in love with his songs.”

She recounted her meeting with him “with tears in my eyes”: “He was so normal, laid-back, and charming that it felt like I was in an alternate universe,” she said. “Like the vibe of Upside Down.” It felt like Stranger Things but much happier than Stranger Things.” Watch the interview below.

The pop star commended McCartney’s ability to make “everyone feel seen and heard” and described the meeting as “such a wonderful experience for me to see that from someone I admire so much.”

“He’s great,” she added. “I’m obsessed with him.”

Pointless Christmas with Sabrina Carpenter featured the singer performing a variety of holiday songs, both new and classic. She was joined by an array of stars, including Chappelle Roan, Tayla, Shania Twain, Kali Uchis, Nico Jiragua, Quinta Brunson, Cara Delevingne, Kyle Mooney, Megan Stalter, Sean Astin, Owen Thiele, and Jillian Bell.

Twain shared her experience during the filming, describing Carpenter as “so funny” and noting that she “laughed pretty much the entire shoot.”

Carpenter is set to bring her Short N’ Sweet tour to the UK next year, with dates that include a headlining performance at BST Hyde Park next summer. Click here for tickets.

In other news, her track “Bed Chem” was recently recognized as one of NME‘s 50 best songs of 2024.

Rhian Daly noted: “Sabrina Carpenter has turned mastering her sexuality into an art – to the point where she had to deny being the ‘horniest girl in the world.’ ‘Bed Chem’ didn’t help matters. Full of cheeky lyrics (“Come right on me, I mean camaraderie”) and winking euphemisms, the song was destined to become as ubiquitous as ‘Espresso.’