This is the fourth installment in a weeklong series of the Wildcat staff’s favorite things of 2025.
Since Sabrina Carpenter’s hit album Man’s Best Friend released Aug. 29, social media has been dominated with its records, from “When Did You Get Hot?” transition videos; to suggestive lip-syncs to “Tears”; to first-date horror stories set to “Manchild.”
Man’s Best Friend is Carpenter navigating a thrilling, obsessive, and clearly unhealthy relationship, expressed through her trademark comedically honest lyrics and catchy rhythms.
Two years ago, Carpenter was mainly known as one of Disney Channel’s child actors as the star of the 2014 sitcom Girl Meets World. With the release of 2024’s Short n’ Sweet album, however, Carpenter’s popularity as a singer skyrocketed.
Then, during her 2025 Short n’ Sweet tour, Carpenter took over the internet. From provocative, carefree choreography (Carpenter’s iconic and risque “Juno” poses that varied show-to-show, for example) to “arrests” of fans for being “too hot,”, viral clips from the tour dominated YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram algorithms.
Carpenter’s persona of an unapologetically messy, playful, and entertaining pop star continued into Man’s Best Friend.
While there was a notable difference in the way songs were received — many fans criticized “weak” songs like “Goodbye” and “We Almost Broke Up Last Night” — on the whole, Man’s Best Friend was a massive success, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 100 albums chart, and the album opener, “Manchild,” currently has almost 600 million streams on Spotify.
The hit helped garner attention for other standout tracks like “Nobody’s Son” (an amusing, catchy song that resonated with listeners for its relatability), “When Did You Get Hot?” (the flirty track fed the internet’s obsession with “glow-ups”), and “Never Getting Laid.”
Including other Billboard chart-toppers like “Tears,” Carpenter’s album found success on more than just social media. The album received recognition with six nominations for the 2026 Grammys: “Man’s Best Friend” was nominated for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, while “Manchild” received four nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, and Best Music Video.
With Carpenter’s delightfully playful return to the stage, the Wildcat’s album of the year amuses and entertains with a collection pop earworms.
Photoillustration by Tiffany Yoo (’28) from image “Sabrina Carpenter at the O2 Arena in March 2025” under the CC-BY-2.0 license.
