Sabrina Carpenter Sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to Local Pub Customers as a Kid



Imagine getting serenaded by Sabrina Carpenter on your birthday.

In a new cover story interview with Vogue, the Grammy-winning “Espresso” singer, 25, opened up about developing her love of performing and how she used to sing “Happy Birthday” to patrons of a local pub as a young child.

Growing up in “desolate” Quakertown, Pennsylvania, Carpenter told the outlet she was “a sarcastic, snarky kid from day one” and realized quite early that she had a knack for singing.

Sabrina Carpenter.

Steven Meisel/Vogue


Her family, including parents David and Elizabeth, sisters Sarah and Shannon as well as half-sister Cayla, would often dine out at a local Irish pub called the Limeport Inn. There, a waitress named Patty would have Sabrina sing “Happy Birthday” for tables of fellow customers at the pub.

Sometimes they paid her, but her mom made her give back the money. “That was a short-lived dream, but also kind of my first real audience,” Sabrina told Vogue.

Soon, she took her dreams of performing a bit more seriously. She left school in favor of getting homeschooled in fourth grade, knowing she wanted to “audition for things.”

At age nine, Sabrina entered a singing contest run by Miley Cyrus and became a top-three finalist. “After that contest ended—did not win, got to meet Miley, though, big perk — I kept doing it because I just loved it so much,” she said.

Miley Cyrus and Sabrina Carpenter in February 2025.

Kevin Mazur/Getty


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She recently reunited with Cyrus for a photo at the 2025 Grammy Awards, where she won best pop solo performance for “Espresso” and best pop vocal album for Short n’ Sweet.

“I’m still out of breath from the performance, so I really was not expecting this,” said Sabrina on stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles during the ceremony, where she performed “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.”

Sabrina Carpenter in February 2025.

Sonja Flemming/CBS


“And all those nominees that were just on the screen are some of my favorite artists in the world, and I can’t believe I’m nominated against them, or even in this room right now,” she added.

After thanking the Recording Academy, she thanked her collaborators, friends and family.

“You have no idea how much I love you and how much this album means to me,” she said before ending her speech with “Thank you, holy s—, bye.”

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