Sabrina Carpenter’s latest single “Manchild” is already making waves, and with it comes a flood of speculation. Fans were quick to wonder if the sharp-tongued track was a swipe at her ex-boyfriend Barry Keoghan—but Sabrina’s clearing things up.
Let’s just get this out of the way: the song isn’t about Barry. In fact, Sabrina has shared exactly what inspired the playful-yet-pointed anthem, and it turns out the real story is a bit more nostalgic than fans expected.
“This song became to me something I can look back on that will score the mental montage to the very confusing and fun young adult years of life,” Sabrina said in a note on Instagram. So rather than being about any one relationship, “Manchild” is more like a retrospective eye-roll at the emotional rollercoaster of growing up and figuring things out.
She added, “it sounds like the song embodiment of a loving eye roll and it feels like a never ending road trip in the summer ! hence why i wanted to give it to you now- so you can stick your head out the car window and scream it all summer long! thank you always and forever for listening and thank you men for testing me!”
The track, which dropped not long after Sabrina wrapped up her upcoming album Short ‘n Sweet, blends cheeky lyrics with a sunny pop vibe that feels tailor-made for blasting with the windows down. It’s a bit of a breakup anthem, sure, but more in the way that pokes fun at your own past than dragging anyone in particular.
“Manchild” might sound like a diss track on the surface, but Sabrina’s lyrics carry a kind of lighthearted catharsis—less bitterness, more “bless your heart.” With that final wink to “thank you men for testing me,” she’s not naming names, but it’s clear she’s owning the lessons, laughs, and eye rolls that shaped her.
And honestly? That’s the kind of summer soundtrack we can all get behind.
