Music
Sabrina Carpenter Subtly Referenced Britney Spears At The VMAs
The pop singer performed her latest single, “Tears,” for the first time.
It’s Sabrina, b*tch. Sabrina Carpenter took the stage at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards on Sept. 7, debuting her new single “Tears” live. And during the showstopping performance, she subtly referenced Britney Spears.
Carpenter began her performance by entering the stage through a New York City pothole, before having a kiki with some fabulous drag queens from RuPaul’s Drag Race, just like her “Tears” music video. The trans, non-binary, and drag performers carried posters reading “Protect Trans Rights,” as well as cheeky signs that read “If You Hate, You’re Not Getting Laid,” making Carpenter’s message clear.
Using a see-through phone booth, the singer changed costumes before declaring a “dance break.” Rain began to fall as she and her dancers pulled off surprisingly elaborate choreography, getting soaked in the process.
Carpenter dancing in the rain and wearing a bedazzled fringe bra was a subtle but touching nod to one of Spears’ most memorable tour performances.
Britney’s Iconic Rain Number
For the finale of her Dream Within A Dream Tour in 2002, Spears performed a remixed dance version of her debut hit “...Baby One More Time” entirely in the rain. She started by dancing around the stage, before soaring above the audience on a floating platform with her dancers, then slowly flying back down to the stage for a dramatic ending.
Carpenter opted out of flying and instead focused on just dancing in the rain. But just like Spears did over two decades ago, she ended her performance by looking back at the crowd and giving them a flirty smile.
This isn’t the first time that Carpenter has given flowers to the Princess of Pop. During her VMAs performance last year, she subtly nodded to Spears’ iconic “Oops!... I Did It Again” music video, using astronaut dancers and a clip of Spears’ mid-song monologue.
Given the large role that Spears plays in the history of the VMAs, from dancing with a real snake to kissing Madonna, it’s only natural that Carpenter continues to channel the pop icon on stage.
