Sabrina Carpenter Pays Homage to Britney Spears With Espresso Performance at MTV VMAs

While singing her hit track of the summer — perhaps the year — “Espresso,” Carpenter channeled the 2000 music video for Spears’ hit, “Oops!…I Did It Again.”

Complete with a diamond-encrusted swing and astronauts sent from an unworldly planet, Carpenter put her own spin on it, but the nod was surely there, with fans of Spears quick to notice all the ways the pop phenom gave the “Lucky” singer her flowers.

She even kissed an alien — a moment reminiscent of Spears’ iconic VMAs kiss between Christina Aguilera and Madonna — which also had viewers cracking the same “transgender operations on illegal aliens” joke.

And if that moment was iconic enough, Carpenter’s performance itself was pretty epic, with the audience inside New York’s UBS Arena singing all the words to “Espresso” so loudly, the “Please Please Please” crooner could barely be heard over the catchy track.

That wasn’t the only song she performed either, giving fans a “Taste” of her upcoming Short ‘n Sweet tour, Carpenter performed a medley of songs from her hit album, included that track, and “Please Please Please.”

In addition to Spears, Carpenter kicked off the VMAs by paying tribute to another pop icon — the “Vogue” singer herself! She the red carpet ahead of the show by wearing a vintage Bob Mackie gown that Madonna previously wore in 1991 for the Oscars.

Changing back into the stunning gown after the playful performance, Carpenter was still rocking the gorgeous look when she accepted the award for Song of the Year for her her hit, “Espresso.”

The shocked singer started by thanking her fans for her first-ever VMAs win, telling the audience, “You guys are the reason that I get to do what I love, but also the reason that we get to have so much and share music with each other, and I just feel so grateful have the best — truly the best fans in the world. I know that sounds cheesy, but I love, so thank you.”

She continued, “Thank you to my managers. Thank you to my family, my cats and dogs that are at home watching. And thank you to the people who made ‘Espresso’ with me — Steph, Amy, Julian, I love you guys so much. I love making music with, and I can’t wait to share more with the world.”

“And thank you to that me, espresso,” Carpenter added.

To see more coverage from the 2024 MTV VMAs, hosted by Megan Thee Stallion, click here.