Controversy Is Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Best Friend’ With Scandalized Reaction to New Album Cover

At this point, we should be conditioned to expect pop stars to behave in a controversial manner. And yet, when Sabrina Carpenter released the cover for her upcoming Man’s Best Friend album, social media was up in arms about the provocative artwork, which features the singer/songwriter on all fours with her hair being grabbed by a faceless person.

On the new Billboard Pop Shop Podcast, Katie & Keith are talking about the loud reaction to the album art — including the women of The View debating its feminist merits — and why the buzz plays directly into Carpenter’s hands. (Did you know Sabrina had a new album coming out on Aug. 29? Now you do!)

Also on the show, we’ve got chart news on how Carpenter’s “Manchild” debuts at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, scoring the singer her second chart-topper; Mariah Carey lands her 50th Hot 100 hit with the debut of “Type Dangerous”; and Lil Wayne, ENHYPEN, Addison Rae, My Chemical Romance and Turnstile shake up the top 10 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Plus, we’re remembering Beach Boys leader Brian Wilson, who died last week at age 82.

The Billboard Pop Shop Podcast is your one-stop shop for all things pop on Billboard‘s weekly charts. You can always count on a lively discussion about the latest pop news, fun chart stats and stories, new music, and guest interviews with music stars and folks from the world of pop. Casual pop fans and chart junkies can hear Billboard‘s executive digital director, West Coast, Katie Atkinson and Billboard’s managing director, charts and data operations, Keith Caulfield every week on the podcast, which can be streamed on Billboard.com or downloaded in Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast provider. (Click here to listen to the previous edition of the show on Billboard.com.)