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Sabrina Carpenter Denies Writing ‘Skin’ as a ‘Diss Track’ About Olivia Rodrigo: ‘The Song Isn’t Calling Out One Single Person’

Clearing the air. Sabrina Carpenter spoke out for the first time about the inspiration behind her new single, “Skin,” after fans speculated that it details her love triangle with Olivia Rodrigo and Joshua Bassett.

Related: Breaking Down Olivia, Joshua and Sabrina’s Love Triangle

“Thank you to everyone who has listened to skin especially those who have opened their minds to lyrically what i was trying to get across,” the Girl Meets World alum, 21, wrote via Instagram on Sunday, January 24.

Carpenter denied that she had been “bothered by a few lines in a (magnificent) song and wrote a diss track about it,” referencing the social media theory that she released “Skin” as a response to Rodrigo’s hit, “Drivers License.”

Sabrina Carpenter Denies Writing Skin Diss Track About Olivia Rodrigo
Sabrina Carpenter and Olivia Rodrigo Shutterstock (2)

“I was at a tipping point in my life for countless reasons. so i was inspired to do what i usually do to cope, write something that i wish i could have told myself in the past,” she continued. “people can only get to you if you give them the power to. and a lot of people were trying to get to me.”

Related: Song Lyrics Inspired by Celebrity Breakups

The Adventures in Babysitting star asserted that “the song isn’t calling out one single person,” explaining, “Some lines address a specific situation, while other lines address plenty of other experiences I’ve had this past year.. it also shows that many things have actually gotten under my skin.. and I’m still learning to not give other people so much power over my feelings. I know a lot of you struggle with the same thing.”

Without naming her High School Musical: The Musical: The Series costars, Carpenter asked fans not to turn the drama into “an endless cycle.” She added, “Please don’t take this as an opportunity to send more hate anyone’s way. Lots of love to u all. Thanks for letting me grow.”

Related: Disney Channel Stars’ Biggest Controversies

Rodrigo, 17, drove fans wild on January 8 when she released “Drivers License,” which references a “blonde girl who always made me doubt.” She and Bassett, 20, were linked before he started dating Carpenter. Two weeks later, the Milo Murphy’s Law voice actress released “Skin,” which includes eyebrow-raising lyrics such as, “Maybe ‘blonde’ was the only rhyme” and “You been tellin’ your side / So I’ll be tellin’ mine.” (Bassett also released a song this month, “Lie, Lie, Lie,” which was the most cryptic of the three.)

Rodrigo has repeatedly dodged questions about the inspiration behind her debut single, which hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, she acknowledged in a January 20 interview with Billboard that she “totally understand[s] people’s curiosity with the specifics of who the song’s about and what it’s about.”

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