By Gerry Strauss

After placing third in a singing contest run by the Miley Cyrus website, young Sabrina Carpenter's career was kicked into high gear. This Quakertown native has appeared on hit shows like Law & Order: SVU, The Goodwin Games, & and even records songs for Radio Disney.

But that is just the beginning. Sabrina was recently cast in the lead role as the rebellious Maya Hart in Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, debuting in 2014, opposite titular character Rowan Blanchard.

We caught up with this rising star to ask about her big new role, her big break from Miley Cyrus, & what's it been like moving from Bucks County to LA.

Gerry: Now that you are a West Coaster, what do you miss the most about Quakertown?

Sabrina: Honestly, I miss all of the land. I remember in my development, I was able to sit in the middle of the street for two hours and no car would come by; it was just so quiet and peaceful. Another thing I miss is the camp fires, because you can't really have any camp fires out here, and we always used to have those back in PA. Also, I miss Wawa a lot, and there's not many Dunkin Donuts out here, I haven't, I have yet to find one, but I'm sure there is some. They have Krispy Kreme, but I don't know if it's as good as Dunkin.

Gerry: As far back as you can remember, were you always interested in both singing and acting?

Sabrina: I was definitely interested in singing first, because I didn't really know what acting was. I was about six years old when I started really singing. Obviously I started singing when I could talk, which was about two, but I really started practicing my singing, taking lessons when I was about six. Then when I was about ten years old I was watching “Hannah Montana”, believe it or not, and I just thought it was amazing how she had her own show where she could sing and she could act. I was like, “Well maybe I can try that.” I didn't really know what it was, and I don't know if I still know what it is. I think I'm just making it up as I go along, but I'm really enjoying it.

Gerry: As far as your singing career goes, you got a big break by being named one of the winners of a talent search conducted by none other than Miley Cyrus. How important was that contest to your career?

Sabrina: That definitely jumpstarted my career – not even just my singing career, but my whole career. I entered the contest when I was nine, and I look at my first video compared to my last video. In my first video I sounded like a chipmunk and I was the shyest thing. Then in the last video, I was dancing all over the place and my dad found out how to create videos and edit videos along the way, and I definitely just broke out of my shell. I learned how to perform, I learned how to act and feel the music. I also got a fan base through that, which helped me more than anything. I joined YouTube, and throughout my YouTube videos, those are the things that really helped me navigate my singing career and my style, because I was just able to do whatever I wanted. It was definitely a good route to go.

Gerry: You've had a lot of success already in music, and your fans are clearly excited for your upcoming first album. What can we expect from it?

Sabrina: Yeah, it's coming next fall. They've heard the EP, they've heard the type of music that I made, and that was just a couple months ago. Now they're going to hear songs that I've written, a lot of my own original stuff. They're just going to hear what I'm like right now, because that's totally what my music is…, it's just a representation of me and my personality right now. Whether it's a slow ballad or it's a happy, “roll down the windows in your car”- type song, they're all really just feel-good music. I always make sure that I have messages that I want to convey to the listener.

Gerry: Of course, everyone is also talking about “Girl Meets World” on the Disney Channel. You play “Maya Hart”, the best friend of the show’s signature “Girl”, Riley Matthews. Tell us about the character: what is she like and how are you enjoying playing her so far?

Sabrina: Honestly, I couldn't choose a better character to play for me. She comes really naturally to me, she's like second nature at this point. Honestly, Maya is very much a rebellious girl… she's got a broken home, so she is very different than me. When I explain that character to people, people are very surprised that I play her, because I've got such a stable family. That is why it's so much fun to play. Obviously playing opposite of Rowan Blanchard is better than anything because of our chemistry. We just have so much fun on set.

Gerry: Do you find it helpful to have people on set, like Danielle Fishel and Ben Savage (stars of both “Boy Meets World” and “Girl Meets World”), who went through the trials and tribulations of starring in a show like this at such a young age?

Sabrina: Yeah, it's the most helpful thing in the world when you're actually having an issue one day, and you can just say, “Oh, wait there's people that have gone through their whole lives just like I have.” They literally grew up, the same age as we are, as kids on a television show. They know exactly what the lifestyle is like, and they know exactly what problems we are going to go through and the problems that we have gone through. The best part about it, is that they're so welcoming. I can't imagine how difficult it would be after seven seasons of a show to just meet these new kids and have to welcome them into your old family, but they've done it so well and so graciously. We just feel so lucky to have them as mentors.

Gerry: Once more question for you: You're 15 years old as you said, you've already been in entertainment for a number of years. It's a chunk of your teen years, your childhood years that are different than what a lot of your peers, people you grew up with experience. How do you feel about that? Looking back now at 15, do you feel that they're certain things that you're missing, do you feel there's any regret for any aspect of your life, that maybe you're not able to fully experience because of how busy you are?

Sabrina: Well honestly now that I've come to California, I've realized that so many children have started at a much younger age than I did. I started at 11 years old, when I really got into acting, whereas most kids start when they're months old or they start when they're two years old or five years old. I really did get to experience a lot. I went to elementary school, I went to dance school, I had sleepovers, I did all those things. I still have those things now, because I've made lots of friends in California and still keep in touch with my friends in Pennsylvania. I wouldn't regret anything for the world, because I know this is exactly what I'm supposed to be doing. It's opened the doors to so many new experiences that I don't think I would have gotten to experience if I didn't try this. All the traveling and the intelligent people I've met and all the great advice they've given me is something that I can never repay them for.

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