• Sabrina Carpenter just dropped “Espresso,” which is already topping the charts.
• She may have just released this year’s summertime hit.
• Here’s how lucrative those sunny, summer hits can be.

Sabrina Carpenter is having her moment.

With her new song “Espresso,” the pop star may have just dropped this year’s summertime hit.

And that’s after months of opening for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, starting a new relationship with “Saltburn” star Barry Keoghan, and performing at Coachella this weekend. She’s been busy.

In her caffeinated new hit, Carpenter gloats about keeping men up at night like an espresso would.

“And now he’s thinkin’ ’bout me every night, oh. Is it that sweet? I guess so,” she sings. “Say you can’t sleep, baby, I know. That’s that me, espresso.”

In the accompanying music video, Carpenter and her girlfriends relax at the beach, where they are doted on by men who oil them up and fan them with palm branches. She channels a “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” vibe in some scenes, complete with a head scarf, sunglasses, and luxury shopping bags.

The song dropped on Friday and was ranked seventh on Spotify’s Top 50 by Saturday with nearly 1.5 million listens.

In years past, the top song of the summer has often been a pop hit, though last year saw a country exception. In 2023, Morgan Wallen’s “Last Night” topped the charts all summer long. In 2022, it was Harry Styles’ “As It Was.” And the year before that, the top bop was “Good 4 U” by Olivia Rodrigo.

But becoming a summer playlist darling is more than just bragging rights for artists. It can completely revitalize or solidify one’s career — just ask Miley Cyrus and SZA.

Cyrus’ 2023 single “Flowers” breathed new life into her career after a rocky public persona

Although “Flowers” burst onto the scene in January 2023, the disco-influenced pop song on “Endless Summer Vacation” became one of the most beloved hits of that summer.

Apple Music announced Miley Cyrus as the second most streamed song of 2023, and the song topped several Billboard Charts, including reigning supreme on the Adult Contemporary Chart for a record-breaking 37 weeks. “Flowers” also became the fastest song in Spotify history to reach one billion streams as of May 2023.

The single no doubt cushioned Cyrus’ wallet, but Business Insider cannot confirm the official amount. Apple Music does not share streaming numbers, and Spotify doesn’t publicly say how much it pays artist royalties.

However, outlets like Forbes have reported that the money continues to roll in for Cyrus more than a year after “Flowers” debuted. The song rose 2,100% in sales the week of February 15, proving the catchy tune hasn’t strayed from the public’s mind.

“Flowers” afforded Cyrus more than money, though. It also allowed her to revitalize her public persona and snag some awards along the way. Like Carpenter, Cyrus was a Disney child star who amassed international fame with “Hannah Montana.” But her reputation stumbled in the 2010s as she faced accusations of cultural appropriation and publicly navigated her transition into an adult celebrity.

Cyrus had released several singles before dropping “Flowers,” including “Nothing Breaks Like a Heart,” but none reached the same heights. She snagged the Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance awards at this year’s 66th Annual Grammy Awards.

Since winning the awards, two industry giants have publicly co-signed her musical talents with high-profile collaborations. Cyrus released “Doctor (Work It Out)” with Pharrell Williams in March and recently featured on Beyoncé’s newest album, “Cowboy Carter.”

SZA’s “Kill Bill” also emerged as a summer hit that brought recognition and profit

Alongside the summer success of “Flowers” is “Kill Bill,” the smooth R&B song by SZA that became a single in January 2023 and cruised into the summer as a fan favorite.

At the time of writing, the song has amassed more than 1.7 billion streams on Spotify and became the third-most streamed song on Apple Music’s 2023 global charts. “Kill Bill” broke the record for most weeks at No.1 on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in May 2023, according to the company.

Money-wise, BI can’t confirm the official amount she made from the single, but Billboard reported that her catchy songs on “SOS” brought fans out to her tour. The tour, which took place between February 2023 and March 2023, generated $34.5 million with 238,000 tickets sold and likely outdid her first tour for “CTRL.”

Like “Flowers,” SZA’s single success helped boost her career and solidify herself as an R&B mainstay, a feat some questioned after waiting since 2017 for a new album.

“Kill Bill” garnered praise from critics and received a number of award nominations, including three at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. Since then, SZA’s career has only continued to grow.

She attended the iHeart Radio Awards this month and won four of them, including Song of the Year for “Kill Bill.” More recently, she performed for audiences at the Dreamville music festival, where other major acts like J. Cole and Nicki Minaj also appeared.

So with “Espresso,” Carpenter has a chance to catapult herself onto the big stage and secure her place as a bonafide star.