Carpenter teamed up with writers and producers behind Dua Lipa’s dancefloor staples to craft a breezy, pun-filled anthem. We look at the lyric’s caffeine metaphors, the disco-pop instrumentation, its chart surge, and the eye-popping Waterworld-inspired music video.
Carpenter revels in being someone’s “little espresso,” mixing sweetness with bite.
Chic-style bass, Nile Rodgers-esque guitar flicks, and bright synth stabs keep the energy high.
Lyrics like “I can’t relate to desperation” populate Instagram captions and Starbucks fan edits alike.
“I got him drinkin’ espresso” translates charm into a buzz you can’t shake.
Carpenter sings about being “that girl” with humor, not malice.
Lines like “I’m working late” wink at balancing fame with fun.
Sabrina refers to herself as “the girl of your dreams” with a wink, combining Y2K pop bravado with Gen-Z meme language. The lyric is loaded with double entendres—coffee, late nights, whipped cream—all delivered with breezy confidence that invites listeners to join the joke.
Fans embraced the song as a statement of main-character energy, similar to explainers we’ve written for Dua Lipa’s “Levitating” and Lizzo’s “Good as Hell.”
Carpenter announced “Espresso” days before her 2024 Coachella debut, previewing the chorus on TikTok. The clip instantly sparked dance trends. She performed the song live on the Coachella stage the same day it dropped, complete with glossy choreography and a full band, solidifying it as a summer anthem.
The single was produced by Julian Bunetta and John Ryan—hitmakers behind One Direction and Harry Styles—who helped craft its disco-pop sheen. Sabrina said she wanted a song that made people “feel like main characters,” continuing the playful persona she honed on her Emails I Can’t Send tour.
“Espresso” debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100—the highest entrance of Sabrina’s career—before climbing into the Top 5. It also topped Spotify’s global chart for multiple weeks and became a staple on pop radio in North America, Europe, and Australia.
The single’s success vaulted Sabrina into prime-time late-night performances, including Saturday Night Live, and earned her festival bookings around the world. It’s widely considered her breakthrough into A-list pop status.
The track mixes Chic-inspired guitar licks, a rubbery bassline, and clapping percussion. Sabrina’s vocals are stacked with tight double tracking, giving the chorus a glossy sheen. The bridge strips back to just bass and finger snaps before the finale delivers a punchy last hook.
Bunetta and Ryan keep the arrangement lean, allowing Sabrina’s personality to shine. A vocoder subtly articulates “espresso” in the background—a detail fans latch onto in memes and edits.
"Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know / That’s how I get, when you got me alone"
Carpenter equates infatuation with the buzz of espresso—fun, fast, slightly dizzying.
Directed by Dave Meyers, the video places Sabrina in a sun-soaked lifeguard fantasy with 70s aesthetics—think Baywatch, roller skates, and water-ski pyramids. Campy visual gags include a giant coffee mug float and Sabrina steering a yacht surrounded by admirers.
The video’s bold colors and playful tone mirror the song’s feel, helping it rack up tens of millions of views quickly. It also fuels the song’s meme-ability, as fans screen-cap the closing wink to use in reaction posts.
Watch the official music video below:
Carpenter pens lines begging to be captioned—“I’m working late ‘cause I’m a singer” and “I’m your espresso” became instant trends. The lyrics never take themselves too seriously, which is part of the charm; Sabrina simultaneously flexes and pokes fun at the flex.
Read the full lyrics:
Pair it with Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” for more disco-pop confidence.
We break down the lyrics, production, and cultural context behind the songs you can’t stop replaying.
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