Sabrina Carpenter's heartbreaking speech about writing 'Because I Liked a Boy' leaves fans in tears

10 March 2025, 17:21

Sabrina Carpenter's heartbreaking speech about 'Because I Liked a Boy' leaves fans in tears. Picture: Samir Hussein/WireImage, @onlyforhou via TikTok

By Sam Prance

"I wrote that a song at a very very low point in my life..."

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No, I'm not crying, you are. Sabrina Carpenter just got candid about writing 'Because I Liked a Boy' in a new speech.

Sabrina Carpenter may be one of the most beloved superstars in the world right now but that wasn't always the case. Back in 2021, she became the target of online vitriol when rumours surfaced that she was the "blonde girl" in Olivia Rodrigo's 'drivers license' lyrics. Sabrina reportedly dated Joshua Bassett shortly after he broke up with Olivia.

Sabrina never publicly commented on the trolling she experienced at the time. However, she did address her side of the story in her music. Sabrina's sleeper hit 'Because I Liked a Boy' is believed to be her response to how she was treated and now she's opened up about the headspace she was in when she created the song.

Sabrina Carpenter performs at the BRITs

On Sunday (Mar 10), Sabrina performed 'Because I Liked a Boy' as part of her Short n' Sweet Tour show in London and fans noticed that she looked visibly emotional during the song. Not only that but Sabrina gave a speech afterwards.

Addressing the crowd, Sabrina said: "I should start by saying, the song that I just sang that you guys were singing at the top of your lungs, so much that I couldn't even hear myself, I wrote that a song at a very very low point in my life where I didn't picture a room of 10 people singing that song with me let alone 20,000 of you."

She then added: "Thank you so, so much 'cause I am hormonal right now but I definitely was starting to cry so that means a lot to me and it's just so surreal."

In the 'Because I Liked a Boy' lyrics, Sabrina famously sings: Now I'm a homewrecker, I'm a slut / I got death threats fillin' up semi-trucks / Tell me who I am, guess I don't have a choice / All because I liked a boy.

She also sings: I'm a hot topic on your tongue / I'm a rebound gettin' 'round stealin' from the young.

The song never charted but it's since been streamed over 300 million times and become a fan-favourite on tour.

her saying this after ‘because i liked a boy’ broke my heart #LondonShortnSweet @TeamSabrina pic.twitter.com/bWy8KByjMH
— abs🪽 (@abbiebeth_) March 10, 2025

Discussing the song in a video with Capital Buzz back in 2022, Sabrina said: "I feel like that song perfectly captured a really interesting time in my life and I feel really summed up a lot that I wish I could have said for a really long time.

"So that song's really special to me and I love seeing how it's related to people all over the world. I think when I wrote it I didn't think anyone would relate to it in the way that they have which has been really nice."