Sabrina Carpenter Announces New Album, Art Ignites Controversy

Sabrina Carpenter is coming out with a new album so soon.

While fans wonder whether the new tracks will be shading exes or about some new adventure, the discourse has already begun.

Some are calling out the new album art — expressing disgust or simple disappointment in the singer.

Are these the usual pearl-clutching prudes who are afraid of Sabrina? Or is this something different?

So soon! Sabrina Carpenter is releasing a new album!

Early on Wednesday, June 11, Sabrina Carpenter took to Instagram Live to tease exciting news.

She has a new album coming out. Man’s Best Friend will be out on August 29.

That is not only good news because fans love her music.

It’s also exciting to see an artist coming out with more music so soon after her last success with 2024’s Short & Sweet.

There is more to say about the upcoming album and what fans can expect. Aside from, you know, great music.

But first, we have to address the photo that Sabrina is already teasing — apparently, the album art.

On her Instagram page and beyond, she shared a photo of herself on her knees and leaning forward, wearing a short black dress and heels.

The hand of an unseen figure clutches her hair rather loosely and towards the tips.

🚨 Sabrina Carpenter announces new album ‘Man’s Best Friend.’ Out August 29th.

[image or embed]— Pop Base (@popbase.tv) Jun 11, 2025 at 12:06 PM

Why is Sabrina Carpenter’s cover art controversial?

Some are comparing the art to Spinal Tap’s 1982 Smell The Glove cover art. It, too, was controversial at the time.

Yes, while this cover art (and the announcement) is eliciting mostly praise from her fans, some very loud critics are aghast.

The “scandal,” if we can call it that, is that this is a provocative image with the implication of both sexuality and domination.

As is more or less always the case, conservative voices are decrying the presence of human sexuality in art, in music, and in, well, humans. That is no surprise. Especially when the art features a woman controlling her image.

Some ostensibly left-leaning critics have decried this as evidence of society’s moral backslide — because Sabrina Carpenter is showing her legs, and because she is posing in a submissive manner.

(And some of these critics have accused the art of romanticizing abuse, but we have to note that kneeling and hair-pulling can both be perfectly consensual activities. Though, if you’re having your hair pulled for fun, you’d want the hand to grab closer to the root)

Pushing the envelope, if we can even call this that, is nothing new for her

Sabrina Carpenter has been posing provocatively on stage, in music videos, and for photos for literally years. Even her Fortnite character is decidedly NSFW in the right hands.

One of the most infamous tweets about her included the oft-mocked line: “I’m 17 and AFRAID of Sabrina Carpenter when she’s performing.” The issue was Sabrina’s “provocative” dances.

Yes, older generations clutching their metaphorical pearls and people born in the 2000s who are afraid of getting roasted by their friends for admitting to liking horny content on social media have some things in common. Not good things, necessarily, but things.

As for the album itself, we do not yet know much about Man’s Best Friend except that the music will be delightful. Because, you know, they’ll be Sabrina Carpenter songs.

One song is already out. Sabrina released “Manchild” earlier this month, with a jaw-dropping music video. As many have commented, it looks like a trailer for a film that does not exist.

We’re sure that there will be other controversies.

Women like Sabrina, who control their image and own their sexuality, are easy targets for reactionaries and prudes and people who lack media literacy. It’s sad!

Sabrina announced this album a little over a week before the start of summer. Man’s Best Friend will be out this summer, in August. It will be here before we know it.

Sabrina Carpenter Announces New Album, Art Ignites Controversy was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.