When Sabrina Carpenter dropped her album Short n’ Sweet last month, we’d be lying if we said we hadn’t expected 12 tracks largely dedicated to “on and off” boyfriend, Barry Keoghan. While we did get a few songs that seemingly nodded to the Irish actor, it was a different male A-lister who got Sabrina fans talking.
Cast your mind back to early 2023. Remember those rumours that Shawn Mendes was dating his chiropractor, Jocelyne Miranda? Don’t worry if you don’t because it turns out those reports probs weren’t true. At that time, it seems, Shawn might actually have been involved with none other than *drum roll*… Sabrina!
The pair stirred up dating rumours early last year, but speculation quickly fizzled out after Shawn denied they were an item, and he ultimately went back to ex-girlfriend, Camila Cabello. However, fans have been speculating that the singer cops a few references on Short ‘n Sweet—and that their relo may have been a bit deeper than the public ever clued on to.
Scroll on for everything we know about the rumoured relationship between Sabrina Carpenter and Shawn Mendes—including which of her new tracks fans think might be about him (and Camila).
Related: Will Sabrina Carpenter Bring Her Short n’ Sweet Tour To Australia?
Did Sabrina Carpenter & Shawn Mendes Date?
The answer to this is… complicated.
Sabrina and Shawn first sparked dating rumours in February 2023, when a tipster tipster wrote into DeuxMoi saying, “Spotted Shawn Mendes and Sabrina Carpenter on clearly a date at Horses anon pls. Thursday night.” They added, “Sabrina was in a little brown miniskirt and clearly was Shawn newly shaved head wearing white sweater. They were verrrry comfortable.”
Us Weekly published pics of the pair on a walk in LA a week later. They also both attended a party hosted by Miley Cyrus, as well as Vanity Fair‘s Oscars after-party in early March.
A source confirmed the romance on March 13. The insider told Entertainment Tonight, “Shawn and Sabrina are seeing each other. They have been hanging out a lot and trying to keep things low-key. They were at a birthday party together a couple weeks ago and were cute together. Shawn is happy.”
However, four days later Shawn told RTL Boulevard “We are not dating.”
It is worth noting that Shawn publicly denied dating Camila Cabello which we now know was not true.
Speaking of the Fifth Harmony alum: Things between Sabrina and Shawn were seemingly over by April 2023 because he was spotted locking lips with Camila at Coachella, two years after the pair had broken up.
And that brings us to…
Did Sabrina Call Out Shawn & Camila On her New Album?
Okay, fans are so convinced Sabrina is calling out Shawn and/or Camila on Short ‘n Sweet that it’s sparked a whole Reddit thread. Here’s the TL;DR for you.
Firstly, there’s ‘Taste.’ The song—which was released alongside a music video starring Jenna Ortega—is seemingly about a man Sabrina was dating getting back together with his ex. She sings, “I heard you’re back together and if that’s true / You’ll just have to taste me when he’s kissin’ you.”
Fans are also speculating that ‘Coincidence,’ is about Shawn potentially chatting up Camila while he was with Sabrina. “Last week, you didn’t have any doubts / This week, you’re holding space for her tongue in your mouth / Now shе’s sendin’ you some pictures wеarin’ less and less / Tryna turn the past into the present tense, huh / Suckin’ up to all of your mutual friends.”
Sabrina herself has not confirmed who any of her songs are about.
