36 h. ago X Factor star Diana Vickers defends Sabrina Carpenter over THAT raunchy album cover backlash: 'Women should be free to be sexy'

Diana Vickers has jumped to the defence of pop sensation Sabrina Carpenter after the chart-topper sparked controversy with her saucy new album artwork.

Culture

64 h. ago From Madonna to New Order and Oasis, one man’s odyssey to make an ‘atlas of album cover maps’

Damien Saunder set out to survey the cartographic influence on album sleeve design. Four years and 400-plus records later, he’s created the coffee table book music fans and map lovers never knew they neededGet our weekend culture and lifestyle emailGrowing up in rural Wangaratta in north-eastern Victoria, Damien Saunder spent many a wintry day listening to music on the family’s record player. Just beneath the stereo was a Reader’s Digest atlas. “Anytime we put on a record, I’d get out the atlas,” Saunder recalls. “It was like a gateway to the world – a way to dream, explore and let your mind wander.”Decades later, music and maps have come together again, this time in a coffee table book: Maps on Vinyl, a world-first survey of the cartographic influence on album sleeve design; an atlas of album cover maps. It’s the book most music fans – and map-makers – never knew they needed. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago 'Russian Paris Hilton' who appeared on iconic Pulp album cover has link to Putin

Ksenia Sobchak is a Russian journalist and liberal politician, but is also known as the scantily-clad blonde woman on the cover of Pulp's 1998 release This Is Hardcore

Politics

8 d. ago Lorde fans left in shock after receiving picture of her private parts on new vinyl cover for Virgin album

The singer, 28, had already raised eyebrows with her latest album's main artwork , which features an x-ray of her pelvis - inter-uterine device included.

Events

9 d. ago Sabrina Carpenter releases a demure album cover she says has been 'approved by God'

Prudes can purchase a copy of Man’s Bets Friend with less debaucherous album art

Politics

1 week ago Sabrina Carpenter says alternate album artwork has been ‘approved by God’ after divisive original cover

‘Espresso’ singer faced criticism earlier this month when she released provocative artwork for her next album ‘Man’s Best Friend’

Politics

1 week ago Sabrina Carpenter unveils cheeky alternative to her sexually

Carpenter, 26, dropped the image on social media, days after facing backlash over her original album cover which saw her posing on all fours as a faceless man tugged at her hair.

Politics

2 w. ago When did ‘feminist critique’ of celebrities become nothing more than a snide telling

Those delivering paternalistic lectures to Sabrina Carpenter, Addison Rae and Sydney Sweeney would do well to revisit recent historySabrina Carpenter was accused of dragging women back into an unenlightened past last week, as the controversial cover for her new album was met with (apparently) feminist furore. It’s ironic, then, that the past is precisely where Carpenter’s most outspoken critics could do with looking. It’s clear that the general consensus is lurching grimly to the right when it comes to gender, and a new generation of young, female critics should be wary of falling into step. The debate about how we look at women, and what they want, risks limply missing the point.In the past few weeks, Sydney Sweeney has been chastised for selling sexy soap, and Addison Rae scolded for dancing in her underwear on stage. It’s odd that the backlash has been so immense, given the celebration of Halina Reijn’s Babygirl film just a few months ago. The SheEO Nicole Kidman slurping milk ou...

Politics

3 w. ago Let women be horny – but Sabrina Carpenter’s album cover isn’t helping | Arwa Mahdawi

The Man’s Best Friend image has reopened a debate: sex-positive feminism or soft porn for the male gaze?Please join me for a quick game of “is this sex-positive feminism or just a lazy repackaging of the patriarchy”? Today’s protagonist is Sabrina Carpenter, a pop star whose music videos have got a Brooklyn priest demoted and might have played a small role in getting the mayor of New York, Eric Adams, indicted.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago The Grammys tweak rules to create two new categories for 2026

The Recording Academy has carved out a stand-alone category for best album cover, just as Sabrina Carpenter takes the spotlight

Politics

3 w. ago Sabrina Carpenter fans are 'missing point' of controversial new album cover

Fans of singer and actress Sabrina Carpenter have been left divided after she shared the cover art for her upcoming album, Man's Best Friend, which will be released in August

Events

3 w. ago Sabrina Carpenter slammed by domestic violence charity as she defends sexy image

Sabrina Carpenter is facing intense backlash following her latest album cover, with a domestic leading domestic violence charity accusing her of 'reducing women to pets'

Events

3 w. ago Sabrina Carpenter goes naked in suspenders after backlash over saucy album cover

It-girl of the moment Sabrina Carpenter has been causing controversy with her sexy new album artwork and recently stripped off for a series of sultry new lingerie snaps

Politics

3 w. ago If you think Sabrina Carpenter’s album cover is ‘disturbing’, you need to get a grip

The new princess of pop has sent shockwaves across the internet with her artwork for ‘Man’s Best Friend’. But anyone who thinks it’s ‘off-brand’ has clearly missed the point of the singer’s provocative persona, argues Helen Coffey

Politics

3 w. ago Sabrina Carpenter is accused of 'reducing women to pets' by domestic violence charity as she poses on all fours with faceless man pulling her hair on new album cover

The popstar, 26, announced the 12-song record titled 'Man's Best Friend' on Wednesday accompanied with a picture of a faceless man pulling her hair as she posed on all fours.

Events

3 w. ago Sabrina Carpenter faces furious backlash as fans say raunchy album cover is 'too far'

Sabrina Carpenter has angered fans after she released her new album cover art for her upcoming album Man's Best Friend, as many are left shocked by her new submissive image

Politics

3 w. ago Sabrina Carpenter hits back at scrutiny over sexualized image

The pop star recently divided opinion after unveiling her new album cover

Events

3 w. ago A Grammy category is created for album covers just as Sabrina Carpenter's takes the spotlight

The Recording Academy has tweaked some of its rules for the 2026 Grammy Awards, including carving out a stand-alone category for best album cover

Politics

3 w. ago Scottish women's charity slams Sabrina Carpenter album cover as 'misogynistic' and promoting violence

The charity say the Sabrina Carpenter album cover design is ‘regressive’ and promotes violence and control.

Events

3 w. ago Glasgow Women's Aid slam Sabrina Carpenter over new album cover

Glasgow Women's Aid described the image as "regressive", adding that the scene promotes violence and control.

Politics