Sabrina Carpenter has said that she does not think “pop music would exist” if it were not for the queer community.
The ‘Manchild’ star was recently interviewed by the fashion mogul Marc Jacobs for an issue of Perfect Magazine, and he asked her how she would characterise the importance of the LGBTQ+ audience to her success.
“I don’t think pop music would exist if it wasn’t for the queer community,” she said in response. “I don’t think some of our greatest pop stars would exist if it wasn’t for the queer community.”
She continued by highlighting some of the queer people in her life: “I feel so deeply connected. I mean, some of my greatest friends and collaborators and artists that I know are a part of the queer community or are just so celebratory of it.”
“I feel so connected and grateful to be able to have them be a part of my journey, to be a part of the world,” she added.
Carpenter used her platform at the 2025 MTV VMAs to celebrate and advocate for trans and LGBTQ+ rights during her performance of ‘Tears’. She was joined on stage by a troupe of drag and trans performers, with some of them holding up signed reading “Protect Trans Rights”, “In Trans We Trust” and “Support Local Drag”.
She has also been making headlines with her two headline performances at Coachella 2026. In week one, she revived the spirit of classic Hollywood, with Susan Sarandon, Sam Elliott, Samuel L. Jackson and Will Ferrell joining her, while on week two, she was joined by Madonna in a surprise appearance, performing ‘Vogue’, ‘Like A Prayer’ and a new unreleased track.
After week one, Carpenter issued an apology after mistaking Zaghrouta, a celebratory Arabic chant, for a yodel. “My apologies, I didn’t see this person with my eyes and couldn’t hear clearly,” she wrote. “My reaction was pure confusion, sarcasm and not ill intended. Could have handled it better! Now I know what a Zaghrouta is! I welcome all cheers and yodels from here on out.”
NME last caught Carpenter live when she headlined BST Hyde Park in London last summer. The glowing five-star review read: “[‘Espresso’ has] catapulted the singer from an artist orbiting the pop girl league tables to one of its reigning champs, but her command of this space is a testament to the years of graft it took to get there. All she needed was time.”
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