GQ: Growing up did you always envisage yourself on stage? How did you know that was something you wanted?
SC: I’m trying to get back on the road as soon as possible as that’s what I love. I was always performing as a child, anytime there was a stage or an elevated hill that i could pretend was a stage, I was straight to it,. I think there's just an energy that you can't really get anywhere else after, doing a show. I still get my nerves here and there.
GQ: What's been difficult in the past few years?
SC: The most difficult thing is knowing who's real and who's not. It's really hard in life in general and outside of the industry to know who’s there for you and to depict someone’s true character, but definitely extremely hard within this industry. Over the past few years that has been tricky for me.
GQ: What can we expect from your new music?
SC: My recent songs “Fast Times” and “Skinny Dipping” don't sound like anything else I've put out previously and I think that's a good indication for what the rest of the album is going to bring. The [other] songs don’t necessarily sound like those two, but there will be an unexpectedness. I can say that everything is based on my life, so you’re going to get some specific stories and memories, [and] that is actually quite terrifying. I’ve experienced both me being discontent and also happy, so I want to show that. It’s going to be complex.
GQ: How much freedom do you have in your music, videos and other creative projects?
SC: I have probably been given too much say. I have all these movies in my head when I write songs. Growing up making movies and TV shows has made me really fascinated with cinematography, wardrobes, characters and theatrics. When it comes to telling a narrative of my own experiences in my life, I want it to be really cinematic. For “Fast Times” I imagined hot girls in a car shop who were fighting off these bad guys, but I wanted to portray it in a way that felt fun and effortless.
GQ: Who inspires you?
SC: I love Taylor Swift. So many artists inspire me. Dolly Parton is a huge influence, especially with this album. Carly Simon and Marvin Gaye are people I listen to a lot. Doja Cat has nailed it, she has just got it. I have a diverse range of inspirations. That Griff and Sigrid song is amazing. Yebba is incredible and when I listen to her I’m like, um, is this a real person?
GQ: If you could collaborate with anybody, who would it be?
SC: Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak. I talk about this all the time – where is the Black Eyed Peas of 2022? No one is doing this. So Silk Sonic, sign me up for this mega mixed-gender group. We’re missing a little summin' summin' there in this industry. Rosalía – I would love to collaborate with her at one point. She’s amazing.
GQ: You're working on Netflix's Alice. How is that going and what can we expect? Is producing something you want to continue with and could directing be a future career?
SC: Alice is going amazing. We are in pre-production and it’s a dream project, but I can’t say too much. It’s going to be a different version of the Alice we all know. Someone asked me if I could have a dream cast and I said Harry Styles and Childish Gambino. Also Kate McKinnon, she's amazing. Alice has so many characters who are so diverse, so the cast could be anyone. Ever since I was young I’ve had a lot of creative control over music videos and the shows I was on, so producing comes naturally to me as something I want to do. Directing, maybe in the future. It would need to be the right thing, but it might come along.
GQ: How was the pandemic for you? How creative did you feel?
SC: sh*t! Interestingly no. I know a lot of people felt like they were in a slump or had writer's block, but I think I was more motivated to work than ever before. There were days where it just wasn't hitting, but it was a long two years, so I made the most of it.
Sabrina Carpenter's “Fast Times” is out now.
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