From Disney Channel to the music industry, singer and actress Sabrina Carpenter has grown up under the spotlight. With her most recent single titled “Skin,” that light grew a bit brighter with its release alongside Disney+ stars Joshua Basset and Olivia Rodrigo‘s new singles.

For anyone unfamiliar, Rodrigo and Basset are the leads of Disney’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” and rumor has it that Rodrigo’s new song, “Drivers License,” is about Basset and Carpenter. Six days after Rodrigo’s hit debut single, Basset released his third single, “Lie Lie Lie.” Eight days after Basset’s single, Carpenter released “Skin.”  

The song is one of many of Carpenter’s as her singing/songwriting career began in 2014 with her single “Can’t Blame a Girl for Trying.” “Skin,” as Carpenter put it in on her Instagram post on Jan. 24. 2021, is about how “(she) was at a tipping point in (her) life for countless reasons.” The song’s chorus and the title came from the lesson she, just like many of us have learned: people can only get to you if you give them the power.

I have been a big fan of Sabrina Carpenter as I adore many of her singles, especially “Sue Me,” however, I was not feeling this new one. While she claimed the song did not target any singular person, it most definitely seemed that way. 

Basset has been spotted with Carpenter on multiple occasions, and while they have not confirmed it, many suspect they are dating. As mentioned above, Rodrigo and Basset both star in the same Disney show, and while filming, dating speculations arose. Unfortunately, Basset being 20 and Rodrigo 17 at the time, it is believed he told her that he would wait for her to become of age.

Soon after, he was seen with Carpenter, and many speculate she is the older blonde girl mentioned in Rodrigo’s song. Therefore, Carpenter’s lyric mentioning how blonde must have been the only rhyme seems to be directed towards Rodrigo’s single. Later in “Skin,” she also sings in the chorus, “You can try/To get under my, under my, under my skin/While he’s on mine/Yeah, all on my, all on my, all on my skin.”

For everyone up to date with all the drama, it’s almost humorous how clear it is that “he” is Basset if all the rumors are true. If everything churning across social media is accurate, I feel it was very tactless of her to write what she did. Rodrigo sings about how envious she is of Carpenter, and yet, she decided to flaunt her relationship with Basset.

Setting the drama aside, the overall message of the song is empowering. Unfortunately, her artistic abilities were overshadowed by the drama, and this just wasn’t the right time to release it.  I would give “Skin” a 5.5/10 because it could’ve been a more uplifting song instead of her flexing about her relationship as it was hurting someone else the whole time.