LONDON (Fwrd Axis) — Sabrina Carpenter made history on Saturday, becoming the first international singer to receive the global success award at the 2025 BRIT Awards.
The award was presented to her by Millie Bobby Brown, who was “arrested” by Carpenter for being “too hot” on the Short n’ Sweet Tour.
“The first time I ever came to the U.K. was 10 years ago,” Carpenter said during her acceptance speech. “I was with my mom. Nobody knew who I was. Maybe 10 people.”
“This week I get to headline the O2 because of you guys,” she said. “In a very primarily tea-drinking country, you guys streamed the shit out of ‘Espresso.’ “This is all because of you [the fans] and this is for you. Thank you so much. Cheerio!”
The American pop star kicked off the show with a spicy performance, singing “Espresso” and “Bed Chem” at London’s O2 Arena.
She was surrounded by dancers dressed as marching guards for “Espresso,” Carpenter then playfully shed her British-inspired bodysuit for a red negligee and lacy lingerie. She performed “Bad Chem” and ended the song with a camera trick that showed her seducing a member of the King’s Guard.
The performance sparked controversy as viewers complained about Carpenter being “too sexual”.
“Completely inappropriate performance by Sabrina Carpenter. Pre-watershed and a lot of explaining to a 9 year old! #BRITs2025,” one viewer wrote on X.
“Ofcom is gonna be getting lots of complaints tonight,” another viewer wrote.
Carpenter responded to the complaints on Instagram, writing, “I now know what watershed is!!!!” in a caption above a picture of her red carpet outfit.
The watershed refers to the time of day when TV programs that might be unsuitable for children can be broadcast – in the UK, it’s 9 pm.
Carpenter is overseas for her “Short N Sweet” tour, which begins in Ireland.
