On February 19, 2016, Sabrina Carpenter released her newest single, “Smoke and Fire”. This pop song is for more mature than her previous tunes, which contained happier pop beats, and presents a new and unique style.

Sabrina Carpenter’s breakup with her boyfriend, Bradley Steven Perry, inspired her to write “Smoke and Fire.” In an interview, she stated, “I hadn’t written for, I want to say eight months since the first album released, and I had a lot of stories building up… I kind of write wherever I go. So even when I’m not in a professional session, I’m always writing down things in my phone and in my notes on stuff that inspired me and stuff that I see in everyday life.”

This song is quite different from her previous songs. Sabrina’s use of varied sounds blends together to create something magical, while her voice has been described by many to be beyond amazing. Indeed, many listeners have remarked upon how the16-year-olddisplays such a beautiful voice without auto-tune.

The constant beat in the background and Carpenter’s constantly changing pitch alternately swell and deepen throughout various parts of the song. Continuing the unpredictability of the song, Carpenter layers, in some segments, a background melody underneath her own main lyrics. The song starts with glass smashing, which is also very creative and unexpected.

The glass breaking in the beginning of the song symbolizes how her relationship with Bradley had broken. Lines such as “Our love is running into a burning building/Our love is scattered ash with a burnt up feeling” explain how she felt when she realized that her relationship was at its end. In the song, she writes, “Rumors spread like wildfire, I held a strong ground/But I’ve been burning down/Cause it’s like fire is all I hear about/And we are fading out,” showing how, despite getting hurt, she remains strong.

Teenagers going through a heartbreak can look up to how she stayed strong throughout and did not crash down. She dealt well with her breakup. Carpenter was inspired by the heartbreak and used it to benefit her, rather than moping and retreating from productivity. Instead of turning to the stereotypical breakup Netflix and ice cream, Sabrina used her negative emotions and turned them into a work of art.

Anusha Siddarama ’17 exclaims, “Although this song is not well known, I really loved it.”

Nowadays, people assume that Disney caters to kids – that, after a certain age, the celebrities of the neon-colored channel are not considered “cool” anymore. However, Carpenter, who is currently with Disney, has a lot of potential to grow in the future. Though only sixteen, she already sponsors many products, has modeled, acts on the Disney show Girl Meets World, is releasing her second album, and has been featured in multiple magazines. Carpenter also maintains a popular online presence, posting covers to many other songs on her account as well as thirty second clips of covers on her social media every Monday.

“Smoke and Fire” truly is a song that anyone can listen to. If you haven’t already, check out her YouTube channel or Instagram page to learn more about Carpenter’s work. A role model for teenage girls, Carpenter once said,

“Singing is about telling a story. When you are onstage, you get to be your own self.” With such an attitude and a large fan base, one may safely tell Carpenter’s peers to watch out.