On Sunday night, the petite pop star performed her new single \u2018Tears\u2019 off of her freshly released album \u2018Man\u2019s Bestfriend\u2019. <\/p>\n
The onstage performance\u2014 with all its sparks and colors, features several backup support from Drag Race performers made famous by RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race, as well as a dramatic stage set evoking a city nightlife scene \u2014 complete with rainbow lighting and protest signs.<\/p>\n
While Colman Domingo, who appeared on the \u2018Tears\u2019 MV, did not make a cameo at the VMAs, Carpenter re-created a vibrant city set on stage\u2014filled with the same glam, sparkle, and drag queens.<\/p>\n
Carpenter emerged from the stage in what seemed to be a sparkling silver fringed poncho top, which she later shed to reveal a matching fringed bra and bedazzled black tights during a rain-splattered dance break\u2014a nod to Britney Spears\u2019s iconic 2001 performance of \u201cBaby One More Time\u201d.<\/p>\n
During the quick mid-performance costume change, the queens appeared, delivering an energetic yet powerful message. With picket signs that read \u201cProtect Trans Rights,\u201d \u201cDolls Dolls Dolls,\u201d \u201cLove each other,\u201d and the cheeky phrase \u201cIf you hate, you\u2019ll never get laid\u201d on one hand, Carpenter and the queens truly created a bold yet fun statement on stage.<\/p>\n
It comes at a time when many in the trans community are raising concerns about state and national legislative efforts to limit gender identity care.<\/p>\n
Carpenter is a well-known ally to the LGBTQIA+ community, and her performance Sunday night felt inspired by the music video for \u201cTears.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow can I be so self-aware and yet so blind and so stupid at the same time? Women are the smartest and the dumbest, in my experience. It\u2019s like they are dumb exactly when they want to be. I think that that\u2019s kind of a theme that I tackle throughout the whole album, just because it\u2019s a little bit more about the reflection of my own choices and these relationships and how I get into them and how I get out of them,\u201d Carpenter said during an interview with NPR talking about her recent album. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think even with my last record, it was sort of like there was a little bit more spite towards people. That hurt my feelings. And I think this one was a little bit more like, you know what? Can\u2019t be that mad because I am putting myself in these positions to kind of experience these things. So yeah, I think it\u2019s just like 2 percent healed, which gives me a lot more room to grow.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carpenter\u2019s return to the VMAs stage follows the recent release of her seventh studio album, a 38-minute project that marks a bold, experimental turn. The singer branches into country, R&B, and disco influences while lyrically unpacking the aftermath of a failed relationship<\/p>\n
Forget subtle. Sabrina gave us sparkle, drag legends, and signs that screamed truth.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":110,"featured_media":260909,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19567],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-260908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hollywood"],"zyndk8_nxtgen_metadata":{"nxtgen_comments":[{"4392":"go girl sabrina!!\r","4393":"trans rights \u270a\r","4394":"love wins \ud83c\udf08\r","4395":"message clear\r","4396":"colorful, strong at very brave performance with lots of meaning \ud83d\udca1\r","4397":"ang cute nya nung nag shed ng poncho tapos big reveal ng outfit \ud83d\ude0d\r"}]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/110"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=260908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/260908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/260909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=260908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=260908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uptownmanila.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=260908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}