Pop star Sabrina Carpenter kicked off Friday with the premiere of her cheeky new music video for “Manchild,” arriving just a day after she released the song’s audio. In the clip, Carpenter traverses a sunbaked desert highway, picking up a parade of hapless suitors while brandishing a shotgun, sipping wine in the passenger seat and even witnessing one driver accidentally plunge a car off a cliff.
Music Video: A Desert Adventure
Directed by Vania Heymann and Gal Muggia, the “Manchild” video finds Carpenter donning micro–Daisy Duke shorts and a bandana, thumb outstretched as she hops between pickup trucks, station wagons and a grocery-cart sidecar attached to a motorcycle. Along the way, she encounters a parade of “himbo” drivers: one splashes gasoline on himself as a bizarre grooming routine, another tries to smoke a firecracker like a cigarette. Carpenter maintains a playful smirk as she watches these faux pas unfold, then plunges into a motel pool alongside a shark floatie before relaxing in a hot tub with a group of squealing pigs.
The video’s tongue-in-cheek scenes underscore the song’s point: men who act like big boys but refuse to grow up. Carpenter’s desert romp channels nostalgia for carefree road trips while skewering “male chauvinist pigs” who represent poor romantic choices.
Song Creation and Release
“Manchild” is Carpenter’s follow-up to her 2024 hit “Please Please Please,” which earned her first No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 exactly one year ago. The 26-year-old co-wrote the track with fellow Short N’ Sweet collaborators Amy Allen and Jack Antonoff. On X (formerly Twitter), Carpenter teased the single by writing, “This one’s about you!!” Fans have hailed the song as an early contender for “Song of the Summer.”
In an Instagram post, Carpenter explained the song’s origins: “I wrote ‘Manchild’ on a random Tuesday with Amy [Allen] and Jack [Antonoff] not too long after finishing Short N’ Sweet and it ended up being the best random Tuesday of my life.” She added that the track feels like “the song embodiment of a loving eye roll” and “a never-ending road trip in the summer.” Carpenter cheekily thanked her male subjects with “thank you men for testing me,” accompanied by a pig and heart emoji.
Career Context
Last summer, Carpenter’s profile soared with the release of “Espresso” from her album Short N’ Sweet. The single and album garnered Carpenter two Grammy Awards in February: best pop solo performance for “Espresso” and best pop vocal album. She also earned six nominations, including best new artist, album of the year, song of the year and record of the year.
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Despite not reaching No. 1, “Espresso” remains Carpenter’s top-performing track, accumulating more than 2.2 billion streams on Spotify and spending 59 weeks on the Hot 100, where it currently sits at No. 21.
Tour Dates and Live Shows
Carpenter will continue her Short N’ Sweet Tour with multiple U.S. dates this fall. Ticket holders can look forward to performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Arena, among other major venues.
Fan Reactions
Reaction on social media has been divided but enthusiastic. One Twitter user wrote, “Just finished listening to Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter,” which followed with a hilarious gif of Barbie giving it 5 stars on her phone.
just finished listening to manchild by sabrina carpenter pic.twitter.com/gQKRhFAo73
— ♡ chloe/fae ♡ | stream manchild (@lavenderfae7) June 6, 2025
Another fan exclaimed, “This is what if feels like listening to Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter.”
This is what if feels like listening to Manchild by Sabrina Carpenter pic.twitter.com/L84jzkxEPh
— ໊ (@wandasattorney) June 6, 2025
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Some fans pointed out how Sabrina Carpenter also composed and produced the song, a very impressive accomplishment. ““Performed, composed and also PRODUCED by Sabrina Carpenter.” Manchild, the hit that you are.”
“performed, composed and also PRODUCED by sabrina carpenter”
manchild the hit that you are pic.twitter.com/iHPz2723fw
— caro💋 (@laurenscorp) June 6, 2025
With its blend of humor, high-energy visuals and razor-sharp lyrics, “Manchild” cements Carpenter’s status as a boundary-pushing pop storyteller and leaves fans eagerly awaiting what she’ll do next.
