Sabrina Carpenter bared her soul at her BST Hyde Park show telling fans she has learned a lot about herself as a person from conversations she “didn’t get to have with people”.
The pop superstar performed two headline sets at the music festival in London and during her second night on Sunday (06.07.25) she took a moment to speak candidly with her “Carpenters” about the songs which have a deeper meaning for her.
Before performing an acoustic version of Sharpest Tool, Sabrina admitted the track was “really special” to her because of how writing it helped her process the end of a relationship with an ex-boyfriend.
She said: “I wanted to sing a song for you guys that’s a little bit different to how I normally do it on tour. Probably for some of you this is the first time I’ve ever met you guys. We played a few shows at The O2 not so long ago and I think some of you were there.
“This song is really, really special to me, I want to sing it in this way because I feel I can be so much closer to you guys.
“When I wrote this song, I was really, really in my head. Sometimes when you’re writing songs they’re not always going to be the most confident and relatable songs, they’re going to be a little bit insecure, they’re going to be things that maybe you’re going to be scared to put in a song. When I was writing this I was in the middle of a situation where I really wanted to have a conversation with someone that I knew was never going to happen. I kept asking myself, ‘Why do I feel like I need to have this conversation with this person so much in order to feel like I can move on and feel whole?’
“That gave me a big realisation that some of the conversations that taught me the most were the ones I didn’t get to have with people and I had to give myself those answers. It’s called Sharpest Tool.”
Sharpest Tool features on her hit album Short n’ Sweet, and Sabrina previously revealed that the LP’s title was inspired by her past romances.
In an interview with Apple Music, Sabrina – whose ex-boyfriends include singer Shawn Mendes, actor Joshua Bassett and Saltburn star Barry Keoghan – said: “I called it Short n’ Sweet for multiple reasons.
“I thought about some of these relationships and how some of them were the shortest I’ve ever had, and they affected me the most.”
Elsewhere during her set on Sunday evening, Sabrina – who was photographed by Jordan Hughes and Alfredo Flores at BST Hyde Park – paid tribute to her fans for enduring a thunderstorm during the afternoon to get the best spot to see her.
She said: “We really turned that weather around didn’t we. Raise your hand if you were damp earlier. Guys it’s really, really sweet of you to wait outside, I know you’re used to this because this is your land, but seriously thank you, that means so much to me.”
And before singing Coincidence, Sabrina thanked the British crowd for making her a headliner just two years since she supported BLACKPINK at BST Hyde Park.
She gushed: “London, I actually don’t understand how this is possible but you guys sold out two nights, 65,000 people at Hyde Park.
“I believe two years ago I was playing a show here for about 5,000 people and before that I was opening for many different talented artists and I was just, like, dreaming of this day and this moment. I am just so grateful for everybody who came here.”
Sabrina’s set was packed with hits, including Taste, new single Manchild and Please Please Please.
For her performance of Bed Chem, the 26-year-old singer frolicked with her dancers on a bed as the song switched to Ginuwine’s Pony for a raunchy dance routine.
At one point, Sabrina cryptically urged her fans to “howl” in unison before she introduced legendary band Duran Duran on stage and performed a duet of Hungry Like the Wolf with Simon Le Bon.
Sabrina closed her show with global smash single Espresso complete with fireworks lighting up the London night sky.
American Express presents BST Hyde Park continues this week with sporting event PDC Presents Hyde Park Darts on Tuesday (08.07.25), Neil Young and the Chrome Hearts on Friday (11.07.25), Stevie Wonder on Saturday (12.07.25) and Jeff Lynne’s ELO on Sunday (13.07.25).
Away from the music, other highlights at the event include The House of Peroni which brings a premium taste of the Amalfi coastline and blissful Italian shores to Hyde Park, the Casamigos Tequila cocktail bar and funfair rides.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro is the official beer partner for BST Hyde Park and its owners – Asahi UK – is also serving up a range of its brands at the iconic London festival including Cornish Orchards Cider, Grolsch and Asahi Super Dry 0.0 percent for those looking for a quality tasting beer without alcohol.