Sabrina Carpenter On Being Called a 'Tortoise' Her Whole Life: 'Pissed Me Off a Lot!'

Using the well-known tale of "The Tortoise and the Hare" as a metaphor for her ascent in the music business, Sabrina Carpenter collected the Variety Hitmakers Rising Artist Award, which was given by H&M on Saturday.

"Something that my mom always said to me as a little girl that really annoyed me was that I am the tortoise, and if you guys know the tortoise and the hare thing, that pissed me off a lot because, you know, throughout my life, [I was] being told, 'Sabrina, you're the tortoise, just chill,' like 'it's okay, you're the tortoise, just slow down, it's going to be okay,'" Carpenter said. "In moments of frustration and confusion it can feel like a letdown, but it turns out it's actually a very good thing. And I've really loved getting to know the mindset of a slow rise.

"Knowing that I have a lot to look forward to and no matter how much I experience and how much I have under my belt, I'll always have something to learn. That's kind of where I'm at right now, I'm just learning," continued Carpenter. "And I'm very grateful."

ALSO READ: Sabrina Carpenter Defends 'Blasphemous' 'Feather' MV: 'Jesus Was a Carpenter!'

Julia Michaels, the singer-songwriter of "Issues," was the one who presented to Carpenter the award. Carpenter is coming off of a fantastic year can look at this award as a bonus.

Meanwhile, Michaels called Carpenter a friend, a longstanding partner, and an inspiration. "I've had the honor of getting to know and write songs with this incredible artist over the last few years. I'm absolutely in awe of her lyricism and her incredible voice and her extremely quick-witted sense of humor. It's top-notch. And her completely unmatched work ethic," said Michaels in her introduction of Carpenter.

"She's one of the most intelligent women that I know and I love her ability to turn anything good and bad into a song." After then, Carpenter went up on stage to pick up her prize.

Carpenter jokingly said, "Oh my god, it's so scary up here. The lights are bright, and it's hot."

"I just want to thank you because you've taught me so much," she said to Michaels. And you inspire me so much, and I adore you so much.

Last year, Carpenter's fifth studio album, "Emails I Can't Send," was released. It soon became her highest-charting album to date and gave rise to the hit song "Nonsense," which became a fast favorite among fans. She started an 80-date worldwide headline tour to promote the project earlier this year, following the 2022 release with a deluxe version. She has most recently been warming up for Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour, which is currently taking place in South America and Australia. Swift will resume the tour in February.

The Disney persona that Carpenter, who appeared in "Girl Meets World" from 2014 to 2017, has long since shed. On "Emails," she collaborated with a close-knit group of people, including songwriter Julia Michaels, to create an album that combines pop skill with R&B tones.

Her most recent song, "Feather," sparked controversy when its music video was released in October. The Brooklyn Catholic Church, where she shot the video, said that the video's bloody content required them to re-bless the building and remove a priest.

She said to Variety that they had permission in advance, and "Jesus was a carpenter."

She tossed her hat into the Christmas ring last month when she released her "Fruitcake" EP, a Christmas endeavor that included, among other things, a festive reworking of "Nonsense."

She also disclosed that she intends to record new songs for possible release the following year.