Sabrina Carpenter Drops ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Album: ‘Not for Any Pearl-Clutchers’

Sabrina Carpenter admits her lyrics can be “really bold,” but she’s confident her latest record will resonate a wide range of listeners.

Before unleashing her seventh studio album, Man’s Best Friend, the Grammy-winning artist discussed the project with CBS Mornings’ Gayle King. In a newly released teaser clip, the host praised Carpenter for her unapologetically provocative lyrics that undoubtedly left some people “clutching their pearls.”

Carpenter co-signed the take.

“The album is not for any pearl-clutchers,” she said in the interview, set to air August 29. “But I also think that even pearl-clutchers can listen to an album like that in their own solitude and find something that makes them smirk and chuckle to themselves.”

Gayle noted that Carpenter’s music was not only “sexual,” but also “powerful” and “vulnerable.” The singer-songwriter agreed and acknowledged that some people might find her music uncomfortable… at least when they’re in public

“That’s the thing, is sometimes people hear the lyrics that are really bold or they go, ‘I don’t want to sing this in front of other people.’ It’s like it’s almost too… It’s TMI,” she explained. “But I think about being at a concert with, you know, however many young women I see in the front row that are screaming at the top of their lungs with their best friends. And you can go like, ‘Oh, we can all sigh of relief, like, this is just fun.’ And that’s all it has to be.”

Carpenter announced Man’s Best Friend — the follow-up to 2024’s Short n’ Sweet — back in June and immediately caused a stir with its cover art. The Bryce Anderson photo showed the singer on all fours as an anonymous man pulled on her hair. Some criticized the image for being regressive and catering to the male gaze, while others defended it as a sharp, subversive, and satirical.

You can listen to Man’s Best Friend now on all major streaming platforms and purchase physical copies on Complex. In support of the album release, Complex is launching the Man’s Best Friend pop-up experience in Los Angeles and New York City. Get the details below.