Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Man’s Best Friend’ Bows at No. 1, Marks Biggest Female Debut of the Year

For the second time in just over a year, Sabrina Carpenter has secured the No. 1 spot on the Billboard 200, this time with her latest album, "Man’s Best Friend." The 12-track project follows her previous chart-topper, "Short n’ Sweet," which spent four weeks at the summit in 2024 and earned a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. According to data from Luminate, "Man’s Best Friend" launched with 366,000 album-equivalent units, narrowly exceeding the 362,000 units of its predecessor and setting a new career high for the artist.

This achievement marks the largest debut week for any female artist in 2025, significantly outperforming Lady Gaga’s "Mayhem," which opened with 219,000 units. Carpenter also dominated streaming services, amassing 184 million on-demand streams during the album’s first week—the highest total for a female artist so far this year. On Spotify alone, she broke the platform’s 2025 record for most streams in a single day by a female artist.

"Man’s Best Friend" is Carpenter’s seventh studio album and was preceded by two major singles: "Manchild," which became her first No. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot 100, and "Tears." In an unexpected release strategy on September 4, she made the bonus track "Such a Funny Way" available exclusively as a digital download through her official website.

Carpenter, who began her career as a Disney Channel star before transitioning into a mature pop presence, is scheduled to perform material from the new album at this Sunday’s MTV Video Music Awards. She has received eight nominations, including Video of the Year for "Manchild." Industry observers highlight her sustained success as a model of strategic artistic growth. “Transitioning from youthful television fame to becoming a streaming-era hitmaker is notoriously challenging,” remarks music analyst Mara Jenkins. “Carpenter has accomplished this with both commercial impact and critical approval, a feat few achieve.”