Sabrina Carpenter, the Grammy-winning singer of Espresso, recently reflected on her early days in music and how she first performed in front of an audience—at a local pub.
Her First Audience: Singing at an Irish Restaurant
Growing up in Quakertown, Pennsylvania, Carpenter described herself as a “sarcastic, unruly child” who discovered her love for singing at an early age.
Her family often visited the Limeport Inn, an Irish restaurant, where a waitress named Patty would ask her to sing "Happy Birthday" for customers.
“Sometimes they would pay me, but my mom would make me pay them back,” she recalled. “It was a short-lived dream, but it was my first real audience.”
The Big Break & Meeting Miley Cyrus
At just nine years old, Sabrina entered a singing competition hosted by Miley Cyrus.
She reached the finals but didn't win. However, she describes meeting Miley as a huge privilege and a defining moment in her career.
The experience motivated her to pursue music seriously, leading her to drop out of traditional school and switch to homeschooling so she could focus on auditions and performances.
Fast forward to 2025, and Sabrina reunited with Miley Cyrus at the Grammys, where she won:
Best Pop Solo Performance
Best Pop Album
A Full-Circle Grammy Moment
During her performance at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Carpenter delivered stunning renditions of Espresso and Please Please Please.
Overwhelmed with emotion, she admitted on stage:
“I'm still breathless from the performance, so I really wasn’t expecting this.”
She added:
“To be among artists I admire so much is something I still can't believe.”
From singing nursery rhymes to Grammy wins, Sabrina Carpenter’s journey proves that big dreams can start in the smallest places.
