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Sabrina Carpenter’s teaser for her new single, Manchild, has become 2025’s most-watched video preview on X (formerly Twitter), surpassing the trailer for Grand Theft Auto VI. The announcement came on June 2, when the singer shared a lo-fi clip depicting her hitchhiking attempts in high heels and blue denim shorts alongside a highway.
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Fans subsequently flooded social media with reactions celebrating the unexpected milestone with tweets like:
"LMFAO ROCKSTAR GET UPPP."
"SABRINA DONT GAG THEM LIKE THAT," tweeted a user.
"Manchild shows how music can outpace even the biggest game hype," wrote a user.
"End them again for me Sabrina," said a user.
"See when you’re the queen of pop ?" said a user.
"She knows how to hit and be the greatest, a diva," wrote a user.
However, some were critical of the milestone and suspected bots behind the success of the teaser.
"And she still didn't surpass the likes," wrote a user.
"Overrated," said another.
"Botted," stated a user.
"More than likely bots. Look at the likes and retweets," said a user.
The achievement caps a breakthrough period for Sabrina Carpenter. Her 2024 single Espresso peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and fueled her first No. 1 album, Short n’ Sweet. Manchild marks her first new music since the deluxe edition of that album dropped in February, adding tracks like Bad Reviews and Please Please Please (featuring Dolly Parton).
The singer is currently on hiatus from her Short n’ Sweet Tour, which completed North American dates in late 2024 and European shows this spring. The tour will resume in England, starting in July, and end in November in the United States.
Strategic buildup and fan engagement behind Sabrina Carpenter's new song
Sabrina Carpenter accompanied the teaser with cover art, which comprised a grainy photo of her thumbing a ride in a tied-up white button-down, and confirmed the song’s release for June 5 at 8 pm ET. She captioned the post, "this one’s about you!!," adding that a 7-inch vinyl was available for pre-order.
The reveal followed a cryptic billboard campaign near Interstate 69 displaying phrases like "Amen," "Hey men!" and "I swear they choose me, I’m not choosing them."
Sabrina Carpenter’s rollout blended real-world intrigue with digital momentum. The interstate billboards, unattributed and cryptic, sparked widespread speculation days before her social media teaser. Fans decoded messages like "Amen" as clues, amplifying anticipation.
The milestone reflects Sabrina Carpenter’s upward trajectory since Espresso. Her tour’s strategic pacing, with the North American leg in fall 2024, European leg in spring 2025, then a break, allowed Manchild to dominate conversation without competing with live performances.
The June 5 release date follows the teaser’s record-setting debut. Tour dates resume after the single’s launch, with vinyls shipping to pre-order customers. Billboard campaigns concluded upon the song’s announcement
