Stock, Aitken & Waterman blast modern popstars for “throwing away” women’s rights: “To see Sabrina Carpenter dressed as a little girl is quite offensive”

Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman have taken aim at modern popstars and described artists like Sabrina Carpenter as “throwing away” women’s rights.

• READ MORE: Sabrina Carpenter – ‘Short n’ Sweet’ review: a new pop princess ascends

The English songwriting and record production trio made the comments during a new interview with The Sun, where they shared their outlook on modern pop music.

“Pop music, and particularly pop videos, have become a lot more sexualised than back in the ‘80s — overtly so, for better or for worse,” Aitken, aged 68, told the outlet.

“And that is incredibly strange given that women’s rights are so protected now,” Waterman, 78, agreed. He also went on to name Sabrina Carpenter as one artist whose image, he thinks, is detrimental to women. “To see Sabrina Carpenter dressed as a little girl is quite offensive. She doesn’t need that. She’s got great talent and yet the whole of the industry, these girls come out in as little as possible because they know they’re driving young boys to their websites.”

He continued: “So you go, hang on, we could never have done that 30 years ago. We would have been killed if we’d have done half of what they do now… Madonna was the only person who ever got close to that image.”

Last year, Carpenter became the first solo artist since The Beatles to place two simultaneous Top Three hits on the Billboard Hot 100, and has got fans talking for her sexual lyrics and suggestive quips at her live shows and often-revealing outfits.

In The Sun interview, Stock, 73, also weighed in on how he thinks women’s rights can be affected by pop music, saying: “They’ve won all of their freedoms and their rights, women. They fought for everything they’ve got and now they’re throwing it away, is the way I would look at it.”

Waterman added: “It’s just crazy. If you’re asking to be respected, don’t come on in a G-string,” before Stock dismissed Carpenter’s sexualised lyrics as “lazy”.

“I would never try to write a lyric that said anything specific on a sexual level,” he said. “You’d always be allegorical or allude to it somehow. So I don’t like that. I think it’s a bad show and it’s lazy. You’re going to grab some form of attention by doing that.”

Sabrina Carpenter was one of the most successful artists of last year, particularly thanks to her hit album ‘Short N’ Sweet’. Containing hits like ‘Espresso’, ‘Please Please Please’ and ‘Taste’, the singer spent 21 weeks at the top of the singles charts and has gone on to launch a massive world tour.

She also won over fans by opening for Taylor Swift as part of the singer’s ‘Eras’ US tour dates, and even teamed up with the likes of Shania Twain in her Netflix Christmas special last month.

She was featured in NME’s lists of the best songs and best albums of 2024, and more recently she received a Grammy nod and praise from Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, who declared ‘Espresso’ as the best song of 2024.

As highlighted by The Sun, the comments made by Stock, Aitken & Waterman come as they also represented a number of acts in the ‘80s who wore equally revealing outfits and used sexuality in their music.

For instance, the trio famously worked with former Page Three girl Sam Fox as she transitioned from glamour model to pop star. They also produced music for Mandy Smith who, The Sun reports, drew attention for her relationship with Rolling Stone’s Bill Wyman back when he was 47 and she was just 13.

Other acts they represented that used sexuality in their music and on-stage performances included Kylie Minogue and Sinitta.

Carpenter was recently nominated for six Grammys, earning her nods in the categories for Best Pop Vocal Album, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist. Her track ‘Please Please Please’ earned a nomination for Song Of The Year, while her hit song ‘Espresso’ is up for Best Pop Solo Performance and Record Of The Year.

In a four-star review of ‘Short N’ Sweet’, NME shared: “It feels like the 25-year-old singer is at something of a turning point. Keep Carpenter’s musical calling cards, justify the hype, and she’ll soon be levelling up to major festival headliner – and this record largely gets the job done.

“For the most part, though, who Sabrina Carpenter is has never been clearer – and her long-awaited, hard-earned climb to pop’s summit should continue with ease.”

As for Pete Waterman, earlier this month he revealed that he is “still sad” that his collaboration with Judas Priest being scrapped.

The post Stock, Aitken & Waterman blast modern popstars for “throwing away” women’s rights: “To see Sabrina Carpenter dressed as a little girl is quite offensive” appeared first on NME.