Quick Read
- Sabrina Carpenter debuted “When Did You Get Hot?” on Billboard Pop Airplay at No. 40 as 2025 ended.
- Her earlier single “Tears” remained at No. 17, illustrating her simultaneous chart presence.
- She released the bonus track “Such a Funny Way” on Christmas Eve, paired with a stylized lyric video.
The final week of 2025 wasn’t just a flurry of festive content—it was a masterclass in how modern pop stars like Sabrina Carpenter use timing, storytelling, and social media to keep their momentum surging. Carpenter’s ability to stack radio hits, drop surprise tracks, and keep her audience engaged isn’t just luck—it’s a signal of how the music industry itself is evolving.
Just as the holiday season peaks, Carpenter unleashed a two-pronged strategy: her single “When Did You Get Hot?” debuted at No. 40 on the Billboard Pop Airplay chart dated December 27, 2025, signaling its rise on Top 40 radio (Billboard). At the same time, her earlier hit “Tears” was still holding strong at No. 17, with a previous peak at No. 6. For radio programmers and listeners alike, this overlap is golden—it keeps the artist’s name in constant rotation, ensuring audiences don’t just hear one song and move on.
But Carpenter’s chart presence isn’t confined to the U.S. On the Official UK Singles Chart Top 100 from October 2025, both “Tears” and “When Did You Get Hot?” appeared together, underlining how her album-era tracks travel and resonate internationally (Official Charts). The “multiple songs everywhere” phenomenon is what shifts an artist from hitmaker to cultural constant—a playlist fixture and a default recommendation for millions.
Carpenter’s “Manchild” single earlier in 2025 topped the Billboard Pop Airplay chart, cementing radio’s central role in her ongoing era. That success set the stage for the end-of-year push, but it’s her holiday-week maneuvers that really show how she’s redefining the album cycle.
On December 24, Carpenter dropped a streaming bonus track, “Such a Funny Way,” calling it a “cathartic christmas crashout song” on Instagram (PEOPLE). Far from a full album rollout, this was a “gift” for fans—an extra reason to keep playlists fresh and the artist in the conversation. The track was previously available as a digital download in September, then rolled out to streaming months later—a staggered-release tactic designed to extend buzz across the calendar.
To amplify the impact, Carpenter paired the song with a vintage-inspired lyric video, leaning into old-Hollywood aesthetics that are perfect for clipping, sharing, and reposting. The stylized visuals don’t just enhance the music; they feed social algorithms and encourage discovery among new listeners. This strategy is a clear response to how audiences now encounter music—through bite-sized, shareable content that travels fast.
PEOPLE notes that Carpenter’s album “Man’s Best Friend,” released August 29, 2025, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, providing a strong foundation for these ongoing releases. In a September interview with Zane Lowe, Carpenter explained that the album draws from a “newer heartbreak experience,” but her focus shifted from bitterness to growth—a narrative thread that runs through her recent songs and resonates with listeners looking for authenticity and emotional evolution.
Beyond the charts, Carpenter’s presence in the cultural conversation is reinforced by appearances in media events. In December, she joined Seth Meyers in a festive “day drinking” segment, blending humor and music for late-night audiences. These moments, documented by outlets like PEOPLE and AOL, showcase her versatility—not just as a singer, but as a cultural personality.
Interestingly, Carpenter’s media strategy overlaps with trends seen in other celebrity circles. The same production company behind Kim Kardashian’s “Kimsmas Live!” TikTok shopping special—OBB Media—also produced Carpenter’s Netflix holiday special “A Nonsense Christmas” (Inc.). This convergence isn’t just a coincidence; it points to a broader shift where music promotion and commerce-driven events share the same playbook: high-quality video, strategic timing, and social-first distribution.
Why does this matter as we move into 2026? The old model of separating “promotion” from “content” is fading. For artists like Sabrina Carpenter, every release, video, or live appearance is both a creative moment and a promotional event. The result is an endless campaign—radio, streaming, video, and social feeds all working together to keep the artist’s narrative alive.
In a media landscape where attention is fleeting, Carpenter’s approach is both practical and visionary. By controlling the timing, the story, and the format, she doesn’t just chase trends—she sets them. Her success this holiday season is a blueprint for other artists, showing that if you can master the moment, you can master the narrative. And in 2025’s pop ecosystem, controlling the narrative means winning the chart, the feed, and the cultural conversation.
Assessment: Sabrina Carpenter’s holiday surge in 2025 isn’t just a string of chart entries—it’s a demonstration of how modern pop stars must blend music, story, and social strategy to thrive. By leveraging staggered releases and stylized media, Carpenter turns fleeting holiday attention into lasting cultural impact. This model, echoed by other celebrities, will likely define the rhythm of pop culture promotion into 2026 and beyond.