Sabrina Carpenter Opens 2025 BRIT Awards With ‘Espresso’ & ‘Bed Chem,’ Accepts Global Success Honor – Billboard
The ‘Short n’ Sweet’ singer tempted a royal guard in her flirty BRITs performance.
By
Ashley Iasimone
Sabrina Carpenter kicked off the 2025 BRIT Awards with a rousing medley of “Espresso” and “Bed Chem” at London’s O2 Arena Saturday night (March 1).
The American pop star — who later on Saturday would be celebrated with this year’s global success award — got the crowd going with a flirty set that referenced the Union Jack and the King’s Guard before moving over to the Short n’ Sweet singer’s heart-shaped bed at the awards show, which was broadcast live on ITV1 and streaming service ITVX in the U.K., and streamed elsewhere via the BRITs’ official YouTube channel.
Surrounded by dancers dressed as marching guards for “Espresso,” Carpenter then playfully shed her sparkly, British-inspired bodysuit, paired with thigh-high stockings and garters, for a red negligee and lacy lingerie. She perched herself atop a bed staged at the O2, where she complemented her “Bed Chem” vocals by performing some sultry, synchronized choreography.
Carpenter wrapped her performance with a camera trick implying her attempt to seduce a member of the King’s Guard. Judging by the guard’s wink, it worked.
Trending on Billboard
Carpenter was awarded with the global success honor later in the evening. The award was presented to her by Millie Bobby Brown, who joked that after seeing Carpenter’s steamy BRITs performance Saturday night, the singer’s the one who should be handcuffed on stage — a bit she does to someone else for being “too hot” on the Short n’ Sweet Tour. (Brown personally requested to be arrested on stage and got her wish in Atlanta.)
Brown introduced Carpenter to the BRITs crowd as “the woman who keeps us all hot and bothered.”
“The first time I ever came to the U.K. was 10 years ago,” the “Please Please Please” hitmaker recalled 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. Carpenter is set to play the 20,000-capacity arena for two nights, on March 8 and 9, as part of the European leg of her tour.
Not one to leave the stage without wise crack, and appreciating that the English get her dry humor, she quipped, “In a very primarily tea-drinking country, you guys streamed the shit out of ‘Espresso.’”
Carpenter also thanked her fans: “This is all because of you and this is for you. Thank you so much. Cheerio!”
Get weekly rundowns straight to your inboxA daily briefing on what matters in the music industrySend us a tip using our anonymous form.A daily briefing on what matters in the music industrySend us a tip using our anonymous form.Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2025 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
