Sabrina Carpenter stunned and sparkled in red at the opening of 2025 BRIT Awards last March 2 with her performance of her chart topping hits ‘Espresso’ and ‘Bed Chem.’ However, British viewers were quick to comment that her act was rather ‘racy.’
The pop star’s debut performance at the said awards show was very much in theme, clad in a semblance of a British military uniform surrounded by the King’s Guards and Union Jack all the while singing ‘Espresso.’
The ambiance of the night swiftly took a turn when Carpenter went backstage for a quick outfit change which transitioned to ‘Bed Chem,’ the number that received some criticisms from viewers who raised concerns on Carpenter’s “raunchy” performance.
The stage design was in a relatively similar set-up to the singer’s ‘Short n’ Sweet Tour’ with a heart shaped bed in the middle and a flight of heart-shaped stairs occupied by her backup dancers. Carpenter was adorned with her signature night dress which was ripped off and revealed her red lingerie set.
It seemed that parental viewers were not pleased with the performance being broadcasted prior to watershed, an allotted time where adult content can be shown on television. Parents and other viewers were enraged that U.K. broadcasting service ITV1 allowed such performance considering that kids might potentially be watching. Hence, many viewers threatened to submit complaints via Ofcom, a regulatory board based in the United Kingdom.
In hindsight, Carpenter had always been honest with her explicit musical style as an expression of herself. She’s known to match the message of her songs on-stage with the same grace and sultriness, which her fans of rightful age had adored over the past few years.
Hence, social media users and fans came to Carpenter’s defense. Many looked back on previous performances of renowned pop stars and artists such as Madonna and Miley Cyrus, Lady Gaga who exhibited explicit performances in the past. They added that the target audience for Carpenter’s music is not for children, and is not performing for the younger demographic.
Despite the criticism thrown at Carpenter, she still owned the awards night after winning the ‘Global Success Award,’ to which is bestowed toward artists with phenomenal global sales. Carpenter was the first international artist to receive the honor after the BRITs committee recently decided to open the award for overseas artists. Millie Bobby Brown presented the award to the pop artist, and introduced her as “the woman who keeps us all hot and bothered.”
In Carpenter’s acceptance speech, she looked back at how far her career had come when she first stepped in the U.K. “The first time I ever came to the U.K. was 10 years ago, I was with my mom. Nobody knew who I was. Maybe 10 people. This week I get to headline the O2 because of you guys,” she said.
She ended her speech to express her gratitude to the fans, “This is all because of you and this is for you. Thank you so much. Cheerio!”
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