The Alleged Sabrina Carpenter, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello Love Triangle: Us Explains

Sabrina Carpenter ’s new album, Short n’ Sweet , has finally arrived — and fans can’t stop talking about … Shawn Mendes ?

If you were unaware that Carpenter and Mendes were ever an item, then you’re not alone. Their alleged romance (which Mendes denied happened) only lasted for a couple months at best, and Mendes, 26, briefly reunited with ex Camila Cabello after he was spotted with Carpenter, 25.

While none of the involved parties have commented on the situation, Carpenter confirmed that Short n’ Sweet was so titled to reference short relationships — not her stature.

"I called it Short n' Sweet for multiple reasons. It was not because I'm vertically challenged," she explained during an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe . "I thought about some of these relationships and how some of them were the shortest I've ever had, and they affected me the most."

So was one of those short relationships with Mendes? Us explains the possibility below:

The Key Players

Sabrina Carpenter: The pop star released her sixth album, Short n’ Sweet , on Friday, August 23.

Shawn Mendes: The “Stitches” artist was briefly linked to Carpenter in early 2023. Shortly after they were spotted together, he rekindled his romance with Cabello, 27, but Mendes and Cabello split for good in June 2023.

Camila Cabello: Cabello and Mendes originally dated from 2019 to 2021 after being friends for years and collaborating on several songs.

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The Gist

Carpenter and Mendes were first photographed together in February 2023 while having dinner in Los Angeles. The following month, they were spotted leaving a release party for Miley Cyrus ’ Endless Summer Vacation together, fueling speculation that they were dating. They then attended the Vanity Fair Oscars Party separately, but a source told Entertainment Tonight at the time that they were indeed a thing. Fans also speculated that Mendes had been wearing an emerald necklace in honor of Carpenter’s May birthstone.

Days later, however, Mendes denied that he and Carpenter were anything more than friends. “We are not dating,” he told the Dutch TV program RTL Boulevard on March 17, 2023.

One month later, Mendes and Cabello reunited at Coachella and shared a kiss. Their rekindled romance lasted until June 2023. “Camila was the one who ultimately decided to end things,” a source exclusively told Us at the time, adding that Mendes was “very upset” that the duo couldn’t make it work.

Why It’s a Big Deal

Mendes and Carpenter’s alleged romance didn’t make a big splash at the time it was supposedly happening, but Short n’ Sweet is already on its way to becoming one of the biggest albums of the year , so listeners are feverishly looking for clues to who the songs might be about.

While Carpenter isn’t as much of an Easter egg dropper as her pal Taylor Swift , this also wouldn’t be the first time she’d hinted at an alleged love triangle in a song. Back in early 2021, Carpenter found herself at the center of internet drama when Olivia Rodrigo dropped “Drivers License,” which many fans thought was about her split from Joshua Bassett . Rodrigo’s song seemed to hint that an older “blonde girl” came between her and her ex, and social media users theorized that Carpenter was the blonde in question.

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Carpenter seemingly responded to the situation on her 2022 track “Because I Liked a Boy,” which included lyrics like, “Now I'm a homewrecker, I'm a slut / I got death threats filling up semi trucks.”

She never confirmed who the song was about, but she did tell Rolling Stone that she had developed a lower “tolerance for bulls–t” while working on her last album, Emails I Can’t Send . "When you're younger, it's a lot easier to let the words and labels that people put on you affect you and become part of who you are,” she said in July 2022. “Once you start to rebel against that, it starts to feel a little bit scarier, but also a bit more freeing. That's why it felt like growing pains the whole time I was making it."

What People Are Saying

After Short n’ Sweet debuted, fans immediately began theorizing that several songs were about Carpenter’s alleged romance with Mendes. “Coincidence” in particular stoked the fire, as it seemed to be about a guy who got back together with an ex soon after splitting with the song’s narrator.

“The second I put my head on your chest / She knew, she's got a real sixth sense,” Carpenter sings on the first verse. “Now her name comes up once, then it comes up twice / And without her even bein' here, she's back in your life / Now she's in the same damn city on the same damn night.”

Single “Taste,” meanwhile, is directed to an ex’s new girlfriend with lyrics like, “I heard you're back together and if that's true / You'll just have to taste me when he's kissin' you / If you want forever, I bet you do / Just know you'll taste me too.”

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s Relationship Timeline: The Way They Were

Carpenter also dropped a video for “Taste” starring the notably brunette Jenna Ortega as the other woman. Cabello may be blonde now, but she’s been a brunette for most of her career — and she was in 2023 during her second go-round with Mendes.

Some fans also revisited Carpenter’s 2023 holiday EP, Fruitcake , which included a track called “Cindy Lou Who” that was rumored to be about Cabello as well. That song includes a line about the narrator’s ex meeting his new girlfriend “somewhere in the desert.” And what takes place in the desert? Coachella.

What We’re Saying

To keep it Short n’ Sweet , this album will be the only thing in rotation at the Us office for the next two months whether it’s about Mendes and Cabello or not.

What’s Next

Maybe it’s a coincidence , but Mendes’ new album, Shawn , is coming out in October. It’s unlikely that he, Carpenter or Cabello will publicly comment on this situation, but there’s no doubt that listeners will be scouring Shawn for more hints about what might have happened.