On the Eras Tour, before Taylor Swift began her renowned three-hour show, opening acts such as Benson Boone, Paramore, Girl in Red, Beabadobee, HAIM, Sabrina Carpenter, and Gracie Abrams kept the crowd entertained. Arguably, two of the most famous of these artists today are Sabrina Carpenter and Gracie Abrams. But who were they before they opened for The Eras Tour, and what has become of their careers?
Gracie Abrams
Even though Abrams became more popular following her performances on the Eras Tour and her collaboration with Swift, she had already been active in the music industry since 2019. That year Abrams released her first two singles, “Mean it” and “Stay”. The following year, she released her first extended play (EP), “Minor.” Then, in 2023, Abrams came out with her first studio album, “Good Riddance,” which peaked at 52 on the Billboard 200. Just a few weeks later, Abrams began her journey as an opener for Swift and skyrocketed to fame.
When Abrams released her sophomore album, “The Secret of Us,” in June 2024 with hits such as “I love you, I’m Sorry” and “Close to You,” it peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, just below Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department” and was on the Chart for 29 weeks. The Eras Tour also allowed for a connection to form between Abrams and Swift, which became evident when they released a song together, “us.”
After a year-long break from Swift’s tour during which Abrams traveled around the United States on her own “Secret of Us” tour, selling out concert halls and increasing her popularity, Abrams re-joined the Eras tour in October of 2024. By that time, she had released the deluxe version of “The Secret of Us” and her song “That’s So True”(which would eventually peak at #6 on Billboard Hot 100). With Abrams’ fanbase growing because of Swift’s influence, fans now came to see both performers.
Even after the end of the Eras Tour, Abrams’ career has continued to grow. She performed on Saturday Night Live in December of 2024 and has continued her “Secret of Us” tour internationally. In July, she will begin the second leg of this tour in Canada and across North America. In fact, her increasing popularity resulted in the need for additional concert dates in both New York and Boston.
But Swift isn’t the only reason behind Abrams’ success. Her talent and charming personality are what make fans continue to come back to her music.
Sabrina Carpenter
Carpenter began with a story vastly different to Abrams’. She was born in Quakertown, Pennsylvania and began acting at a very young age, starring in children’s music videos, and eventually getting cast in the Disney Channel show, “Girl Meets World.” As she began her music career, she found it very difficult to separate herself from the Disney brand and have control over her music. By 2016, she had four albums, but they were mostly enjoyed by fans of hers from Disney.
Her first hit came from her fifth album, “Emails I Can’t Send,” released in 2022. The fifth single, “Nonsense,” hit 56 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, when Carpenter began to open for Swift in August of 2023, an even larger audience was introduced to her music.
In April 2024, Carpenter released “Espresso,” which debuted in the Billboard Hot 100 top 10. By July 2024, Swift had declared “the summer of Sabrina.” Carpenter’s “Short ‘n Sweet” album was, overall, a huge success. She held the top 3 spots on the Billboard Hot 100 with the debut of her third single “Taste,” and when “Please Please Please” went to number one, ‘Taste” went to number two, and “Espresso’ held at number three, allowing her to join a very elite group of acts, including The Beatles, and of course, Swift. “Short ‘n Sweet” ended up charting every single track somewhere in the Hot 100 top 50. The album was also Carpenter’s first number one album. It sold 362,000 units in its first week, and was the third most successful album of 2024.
Eventually, Carpenter won Best Pop Solo Performance for “Espresso” and Best Pop Vocal Album for “Short ‘n Sweet” at the 2025 Grammy Awards.
After all of this success, Carpenter is still very close friends with Swift, to whom she attributes her knowledge of the bigger parts of the music industry. In October, Carpenter posted that she owes “the most thank yous I’ve ever thank you’d” to Swift. Despite this, Carpenter’s fun persona, undeniable charisma, and catchy songs are what have truly made her a star.
