When Shania Twain talks about pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter, the admiration is apparent. In an interview with EtalkCTV, country pop icon dissected collaborating with the “Manchild” artiste, not just her artistry, but her integrity as well.
“She’s so beautiful and she’s so popular,” Twain said. “She’s almost too popular to have to be nice. But she’s nice anyway, and I really love that about her. And she’s super talented, you know? We were singing and doing rehearsals, and she’s just got this beautiful voice, she can sing anything. And she’s a great actress, she takes her career very seriously.”
It’s high praise from one of the best-selling female artists in history, and it comes on the heels of a year in which Carpenter and Twain’s worlds collided onstage and on TV.
Sabrina Carpenter’s Netflix Christmas Spectacle
Carpenter ended 2024 with A Nonsense Christmas, a holiday-themed Netflix variety special that borrowed from her cheeky Christmas redo of “Nonsense” from her Fruitcake EP. The Grammy-nominated singer built the night around ridiculous duets, slapstick sketches, and a parade of high-fashion outfits.
She was joined on stage by the most promising faces in music. Tyla joined her on “This Christmas,” Kali Uchis sang with her on “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” amidst a roaring fireplace, and Chappell Roan shouted “Last Christmas” alongside Carpenter, who sported a fur coat tossed over her shoulders. Shania Twain guested for a sultry duet of “Santa Baby” that brought together two generations of pop queens.
Between digits, Carpenter proved her comedic strength in sketches with Quinta Brunson, Nico Hiraga, and Cara Delevingne. Perhaps the highlight starred Carpenter, Brunson, and Delevingne as ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, respectively, who had all been romantically ghosted by Hiraga’s character. Carpenter also unwittingly dated Santa Claus without knowing he was Kris Kringle in another sketch.
The costumes were part of the show as her music, from the strapless pink formal evening gown with which the night opened to the red bodysuit that sparkled during the finale.
Netflix first announced the special in September, and Carpenter teased in the trailer, “Christmas is coming early this year. I wouldn’t count on a silent night.”
The Onstage Shania Twain Tribute That Broke the Internet
Just a few weeks prior, Carpenter was making headlines of another sort, her live performance of Shania Twain. During the Toronto stop on her Short n’ Sweet Tour, the pop star from Pennsylvania surprised fans with a rendition of Twain’s 1997 hit “That Don’t Impress Me Much.”
The show was no fluke. Twain, a national treasure in Canada where she grew up in Ontario, is adored, and Carpenter’s rendition felt like a coming-home tribute. The show gained far over 500,000 views online, with comments like “Now that impresses me” and “Sabrina Carpenter getting in touch with her inner Shania, now that impresses me much!”
As Twain viewed the clip, she was genuinely touched. Speaking with ET, she said, “It’s just a huge compliment. I mean she is such a talented person. You know, she really does have a clue about what’s going on behind the scenes. She’s smart. It’s a compliment to have her, I mean, not that she’s paying homage, she’s just a fan of music, and she’s displaying it and expressing it. So, that’s great.”
Carpenter’s Career is Skyrocketing into a New Era
The Short n’ Sweet Tour, which launched only days after her Twain cover went viral, is Carpenter’s first-ever arena headlining tour, an achievement mirrored in her record-breaking popularity. The tour is in support of her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, which was released last August, and features a rotating lineup of surprise cover songs. Including Twain’s chart-topping song, she has performed ABBA’s “Mamma Mia” and Sixpence None the Richer’s “Kiss Me.”
For Twain, the admiration is mutual. For Carpenter, the timing couldn’t be more fortuitous. Amid an arena tour, a Netflix stand-up special, and a co-sign from one of music’s most legendary names, 2024 positioned her as a crossover force, and if Twain’s commendation is anything to go by, a star whose talent and largesse shine just as brightly.
