Sabrina Carpenter’sShort n' Sweetwas heavily inspired by a famous 1970smusicgroup. In 2024, during Carpenter’s breakout year, the star drew a lot of comparisons to artists from older generations. Among them were people like Marilyn Monroe andcountry queen Dolly Parton. Carpenter has never been shy about the artists that inspire her and has become known for covering their music at her shows.
Short n' Sweettrackslike “Slim Pickins” and “Bad Reviews” feel very reminiscent of Parton’s music, while Carpenter’s R&B songs take inspiration from notable female artists within that genre, such as Rihanna and Mariah Carey. However, there’s one music quartet from the ’70s that has inspired Sabrina Carpenter more than anyone else, especially in this era.
ABBA Is A Huge Inspiration For Sabrina Carpenter’s Music
Carpenter Has Sung The Band’s Praises For Years
Sabrina Carpenter has never been shy about how much she loves the Swedish pop group ABBA. She’s expressed her love for their music on social media quite a lot throughout her career and evennamed her kittens after ABBA members Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus. During herShort n' SweetTour cover set, Carpenter regularly covers ABBA’s 1975 hit, “Mamma Mia.”
However, Carpenter had covered the band for years before her breakout era. Carpenter covered ABBA’s “Lay All Your Love On Me” at various music festivals and on herEmails I Can’t SendTour. The pop star even occasionally added “Dancing Queen” to her setlist when she was opening up for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
It’s no surprise that, since she’s such a big fan of the group, ABBA had such an impact on her career. Carpenter has quitea few songs that mimic ABBA’s ’70s disco-popproduction.Emails I Can’t Sendtracks like “Read Your Mind” and “Feather” utilize disco elements like bass, strings, and four-on-the-floor beats. However, Carpenter really leaned into the ABBA influence on one of herShort n' Sweettracks.
TikTok DJs have grown accustomed to mashing up similar-sounding songs, and the account@altegomusicdid this with Carpenter’s song “Please Please Please.” After a follower suggestedthe song sounded like ABBA’s single “Super Trouper,“the duo mixed the songs, proving how perfect they sound together. However, it’s no mistake that “Please Please Please” sounds a lot like ABBA. The song’s producer, Jack Antonoff, admitted that the Swedish pop group was one of the inspirations behind the song’s production.
OnVariety’s Behind the Song, Antonoff explained thathewanted “Please Please Please” to feel organic, like an ELO or ABBA song. He appreciates that the music from that time period used real instruments since they didn’t have the technology the world has today. Antonoff said the “synthetic instruments” are what give these kinds of songs “incredible character.”
ABBA’s Iconic Fashion Inspired The Short N' Sweet Tour
Carpenter Modeled A Costume After ABBA’s Concert
For Sabrina Carpenter, it’s more than ABBA’s music that has inspired her; their fashion has as well. Carpenter has become known for her platform go-go boots, reminiscent of what ABBA would wear in the ’70s. However, Carpenter also admitted there’sa specificShort n' SweetTour costume that was inspired by the ABBA Voyage showin London.
In a video forVogue, Carpenter revealed that an Act III outfit wasinspired by a fabric that one of the ABBA members woreduring the Voyage show. Carpenter described the material as “liquidy,” and although the ABBA show uses holograms of the bandmates, Carpenter knew she wanted to bring the fabric to life for her tour.
To make the third act of theShort n' SweetTour even more ABBA-inspired, before “Please Please Please,” the pop star and her backup singers line up in a triangle position.The silhouettes look too similar to Donna and the Dynamos from the ABBA jukebox musicalMamma Miato be a coincidence.
Could Carpenter & ABBA Collaborate?
Carpenter Has Worked With Her Inspirations In The Past
With Sabrina Carpenter being so outspoken about her love for ABBA, it seems like a collaboration between them is imminent. When Carpenter took herShort n' SweetTour to Stockholm, Sweden, she met up with Ulvaeus and made a quick video with him forABBA’s TikTok account. Whether it was an Easter egg for something to come is a mystery, butCarpenter is no stranger to collaborating with her idols.
Carpenter invited Dolly Parton to a stripped-down version of “Please Please Please” for theShort n' Sweet Deluxe Edition. The two even starred together in a music video, inspired by old black-and-white crime films. The “Espresso” singer has also performed live with many of her inspirations, like Taylor Swift, Shania Twain, Kacey Musgraves, and Christina Aguilera.While nothing’s confirmed, there’s certainly a future whereSabrina Carpentercould get in the studio with the ’70s icons, or at least bring them out on stage at theShort n' SweetTour.
