"Manchild" is a song by American singer

Sabrina Carpenter Sabrina Annlynn Carpenter (born May 11, 1999) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. She first gained prominence starring on the Disney Channel series ''Girl Meets World'' (2014–2017). She signed with the Disney Music Group, Disney ...

and the lead single from her upcoming seventh studio album ''

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'' (2025). Carpenter co-wrote the song alongside

Jack Antonoff Jack Michael Antonoff (born March 31, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is the lead vocalist of the rock band Bleachers, and previously the guitarist and drummer for the pop band Fun and the lead vocalist of t ...

and

Amy Allen Amy or Aimee Allen may refer to: *Amy Allen (actress) (born 1976), American actress *Amy Allen (philosopher) *Amy Allen (songwriter) *Aimee Allen (born 1982), American singer-songwriter *Amy Allen (The A Team), Amy Allen ''(The A Team)'' *Amy Allen, ...

, and it was produced by Carpenter and Antonoff. It was released on June 5, 2025, through

Island Records Island Records is a multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It was founded in Jamaica by Chris Blackwell, Graeme Goodall, and Leslie Kong in 1959, and was eventually sold to PolyGram in 1989. Island and A&M Records, another ...

. The accompanying music video was released on June 6. The song was described as a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

-influenced

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

and

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

track with a

disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...

-like energy. Lyrically, it humorously critiques an immature ex-boyfriend over upbeat melodies. "Manchild" topped the charts in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States and has reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand as well as the top 20 in Austria, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden.

Release and promotion

On June 2, 2025, Carpenter shared a cryptic

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post hinting at the release of new music. The singer released a teaser video showing her standing on the side of a road wearing

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, holding out for a truck to drive her home. At the end of the otherwise silent clip, she can be heard saying "oh boy". That same day, billboards appeared across the United States featuring references tied to a new project. The billboards featured various lines from the upcoming song. Carpenter officially announced the song on June 3 on her social media, accompanied by the caption "this one's about you". She also shared the artwork, a snapshot taken from the trailer video. It depicts the singer

hitchhiking Hitchhiking (also known as thumbing, autostop or hitching) is a means of transportation that is gained by asking individuals, usually strangers, for a ride in their car or other vehicle. The ride is usually, but not always, free. Signaling ...

on the side of the road, wearing a white button-down shirt, with the song title in yellow font on the right side. Upon announcing the song, it was made available for purchase on a clear transparent 7-inch vinyl, featuring a B-side track titled "Inside of Your Head When You've Just Won an Argument with a Man". To support the release, fans hosted a drive-in theater experience in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

on June 6, paying homage to the "cinematic" feel of the project's rollout.

Composition

"Manchild" has been described as a

-influenced

and

track with "feel-good

energy." Multiple outlets compared the song to Carpenter's 2024 single " Please Please Please". The song is about a pathetic ex-boyfriend who Carpenter "comically lays into". Throughout the song, the singer hurls "insults over sweet and upbeat melodies", delivering "withering couplets".

Music video

A music video, directed by

Vania Heymann Vania Heymann (; born March 27, 1986) is an Israeli artist and film director. His work includes music videos for artists such as Coldplay, Dua Lipa, DJ Snake, Selena Gomez, and Bob Dylan. His music videos were nominated for three Grammys in the ...

and Gal Muggia, was released on June 6, 2025. The video depicts Carpenter hitchhiking across the American West with a "diverse crop of men"; some of whom use strange modes of transportation, such as a jet ski, a shopping cart attached to a motorcycle, and a motorized recliner. Throughout the video, Carpenter's hitchhiking adventures with the men become increasingly surreal, comedic, and chaotic.

Live performances

"Manchild" was first performed live at the Primavera Sound 2025 festival on June 6, 2025.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal. *

– vocals, background vocals, songwriting, production, percussion *

– production, songwriting,

programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...

, background vocals, acoustic guitar, banjo, bass, drums, electric guitar, percussion,

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

, synthesizer,

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

– songwriting, background vocals, percussion * Rachel Antonoff – background vocals, percussion * Sean Hutchinson – drums, percussion, engineering *

Greg Leisz Gregory Brian Leisz ( ; born September 18, 1949) is an American musician. He is a songwriter, recording artist, and producer. He plays guitar, dobro, mandolin, banjo, lap steel and pedal steel guitar. Biography Leisz grew up in the garage ba ...

– electric guitar,

phin The phin (, ) (, ) is a type of lute with a pear-shaped body, originating in the Isan region of Thailand and played mostly by ethnic Lao people, Laotians in Thailand and Laos. It has frets on the neck over which two or three metal strings run tha ...

* Jack Manning – percussion, remixing, secondary engineering * Michael Riddleberger – percussion, engineering * Oli Jacobs – percussion, engineering * Laura Sisk – engineering * Jozeph Caldwell – engineering * Joey Miller – recording, secondary engineering * Kellie McGrew – recording, secondary engineering *

Serban Ghenea Serban Ghenea () is a Canadian audio engineer and mixer. He has been nominated for a Grammy Award a total of 45 times and has won 21 times. Early life and education Ghenea was born in Romania, and in 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. H ...

– mixing * Bryce Bordone – mixing * Ruairi O'Flaherty – mastering

Charts

Release history

References

{{Sabrina Carpenter 2025 singles 2025 songs American disco songs American synth-pop songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Island Records singles Sabrina Carpenter songs Songs written by Jack Antonoff Song recordings produced by Jack Antonoff Songs written by Amy Allen (songwriter) Songs written by Sabrina Carpenter UK singles chart number-one singles