Sabrina Carpenter’s new album Man’s Best Friend is out, and it plays like we’re watching one of the best sexy horror movies. In the new record, the 26-year-old recounts the scary feelings that come with an on-and-off relationship turning into heartbreak with tons of sharp and sultry dialogue, exciting jump-scares of comedic moments, heavenly harmonies and disco influences.
But when she first announced the album with the cover art, it seemed all anyone was saying was how “degrading” and “misogynistic” it was. Now, the singer has shared her (and her parents') thoughts on the whole thing.
Sabrina Carpenter Reveals Her Family And Friends' Reaction To Man's Best Friend Cover
Previously, Carpenter briefly spoke to the controversy by releasing alternative cover art that she joked was “approved by god.” Now that Man’s Best Friend is out in the world, the singer spoke to CBS Mornings about her thoughts on the whole thing. In her words:
My fans that know me and know the person behind the music will look at that photo and they know exactly what it is. People that have no idea who I am absolutely look at that photo and go, like, 'where are her parents?' My parents actually saw the photo and they loved it.
There you have it. Man’s Best Friend is parent-approved from where Sabrina Carpenter stands.
My new album, “Man’s Best Friend” 🐾is out on August 29, 2025.i can’t wait for it to be yours x Pre-order now: https://t.co/E7QJWhYV2D pic.twitter.com/UXVLzBQTj4June 11, 2025
The album cover (which you can see above) features Carpenter kneeling down while a man in a black suit pulls her hair. As she also commented:
Y’all need to get out more, I think. I was actually shocked because I think between me and my friends and my family and the people that I always share my music and my art with first, it just wasn't even a conversation. It was just, like, it's perfect. For what the album is, it's perfect for, you know, kind of what it represents.
As Carpenter also pointed out in the new interview, the internet was also reacting to the cover without having the full project to give them context on the satirical image that the cover was inspired by. Perhaps now that the album is out in full, people have a better sense of the reasoning behind the cover. However, Carpenter also explained her reasoning behind it in the interview as well.
Sabrina Carpenter's Own Interpretation Of The Album Cover
This is certainly not the singer’s first controversy, from shooting a music video in a church to receiving criticism for her suggestive performances that include starting the “Juno” pose trend. She has only doubled down on it with her latest music video “Tears” which features her pole dancing in lingerie as she sings, “I get wet at the thought of you being a responsible guy / Treating me like you're supposed to do, tears run down my thighs”.
Here’s what Carpenter had to say about her thoughts behind the Man’s Best Friend cover:
My interpretation is being in on the control. Being in on your lack of control and when you want to be in control. I think as a young woman, you're just as aware of when you're in control as when you're not and I think some of those are choices.
The cover, along with the album title itself, is a clever take on being self-aware, she’s being submissive in a situation or in a relationship, but perhaps realizing that she’s not “in control”. As she continued:
I think for me this whole album was about the humanity of allowing yourself to make those mistakes knowing you’re putting yourself in a situation that will probably end up poorly. But, it’s going to teach you something.
Fans love Sabrina because she’s owning up to not being perfect, and being caught in a bad situation, and the Man’s Best Friend cover and content itself illustrate that in a way that allows her and fans to examine themselves and dance through the pain of being flawed together.
You can listen to all her new bops on streaming and through physical copies now!
