From Rihanna’s onstage fan romps to boob-flashing stunts… the raunchy pop icons who pushed EVERY boundary

STRUTTING onto stage in a tiny outfit, Sabrina Carpenter knows all eyes will be on her as she sings hit after hit.

The pop star, 25, has come under fire for her sexualised outfits by musical powerhouses Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman.

In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Matt, 68, said: “Pop music, and particularly pop videos, have become a lot more sexualised than back in the Eighties — overtly so, for better or for worse.”

Pete, 78, added: “And that is incredibly strange given that women’s rights are so protected now.

“To see Sabrina Carpenter dressed as a little girl is quite offensive. She doesn’t need that.”

But former Disney star Sabrina isn’t even half as raunchy as some of the female stars she’s followed.

While she opts for skimpy dresses and has simulated racy acts on stage, it’s all in a time-honoured tradition of using sex to help boost sales.

The Sun looks back on the antics of other singers who would make Sabrina blush with their antics.

Katy Perry

When Katy, 40, released her seventh album, she used it as a chance to change her image.

The pop princess, who had been fairly PG for most of her career, gave a sexually charged performance at the 2024 VMAs.

Katy sang I’m His He’s Mine with Doechii and the two performers sexually writhed with each other.

Both women paused in different provocative positions throughout the sexually charged performance.

They also faked a lesbian sex act, which horrified viewers.

One posted on social media: “Desperate. Career is over”.

Rihanna

Rihanna is the best-selling female artist of the 21st century according to the Guinness World Records, and that may be in part down to her controversial performance choices.

The singer, 36, shocked the world with her music video for hit single S&M in 2010.

The overtly sexual video was banned in 11 countries, and in America YouTube required verification that someone was 18 before they could watch it.

Rihanna didn’t stop there with her antics – she even pulled fans up on stage during the tour to simulate sex with them.

One of the chosen few was a 60-year-old man.

She continued her theme of faking sex on stage in a performance with Drake at the 2016 Brits.

The singer twerked and grinded on the rapper as they performed.

Tove Lo

Swedish performer Tove, 37, isn’t afraid to flash her bits when performing to make sure everyone is paying attention.

In 2017 she got her boobs out at different festivals, the first one being Coachella in California.

Explaining her flashing habit, she told MTV News: “I started just by showing a little bit of boob or just being sassy and everyone got so excited and then one night I just did it.

“I was like ‘Why should I not be able to do it? I should just do it if I want to and everyone gets so amped up and a lot of girls, and guys, are flashing me now and taking their clothes off. It gets very heated and I like that.’”

She added: “I hate when someone tells me I can’t do something because I’m a girl, then I’ll do it twice as much.”

In 2023, she made the decision that rather than getting her assets out, she’d have a nude bodysuit with fake nipples stuck on the front.

Grammy-nominated Tove then performed provocative dance moves during the concert in Nashville.

It certainly makes Sabrina and other stars look respectably dressed.

Miley Cyrus

In the infamous Bangerz era, Miley, 32, was happy to fake sex acts with anything and everything she could find.

In an infamous performance at London G-A-Y club in 2014, she was seen riding an inflatable penis and then acted out sex acts with blow up dolls.

A year before she had made headlines for her provocative performance at the VMAs with Robin Thicke where she suggestively flicked her tongue at him and twerked on his crotch while bending over.

She also won legions of fans for her Wrecking Ball video which saw her riding one nude but Miley doesn’t have fond memories of the video.

“I’m never living that down. I will always be the naked girl on a wrecking ball,” she said on the Zach Sang Show.

“I should have thought how long that was going to have to follow me around. That’s my worst nightmare, is that being played at my funeral.”

In an interview with Vogue she admitted she carried a “lot of guilt and shame” for the wild behaviour and feels she was “judged harshly”.

While she is now less raunchy, she still opts for sexy outfits to perform and has no issue embracing her sexuality in a toned down way.

Cardi B

American wrapper Cardi, 32, is no shrinking violet when it comes to an incredibly sexualised performance.

Her collaboration in 2020 with Megan Thee Stallion for WAP left fans shocked at the number of sex acts they simulated.

They are also seen writhing about together on the floor, surrounded by snakes.

It wasn’t just the music video that left people shocked, it was also the explicit and graphic content of the lyrics.

It did get praise for its sex positive message and empowering women.

To date, it’s the most sexually explicit song to ever top the US chart.

And Cardi hasn’t toned it down since. For her single Like What, she is seen walking around a mansion in a string bikini.

She is also filmed writhing on the floor and a bed in a sexual manner.

Madonna

Pop queen Madonna, 66, has always been known for pushing the boundaries with her performances.

And she hasn’t slowed down since turning 60 in any way.

Her Madame X tour between 2019 and 2020 saw her pretend to perform a sex act on herself while performing on stage.

It left fans shocked on the first night of her tour. She went on to say: “I think it’s important women have the right to decide what to do with their bodies.”

She also joked that she had found one of the dancers on dating app Grindr.

The star still wears very revealing outfits to perform and post pictures in on her Instagram.

In 2022 she had a very raunchy performance with rapper Tokischa.

At one point, the rapper acted out going down on Madonna, and then the two had a passionate kiss at the end of their performance.

Nicki Minaj

Rapper Nicki, 42, isn’t afraid to write sexually explicit lyrics and even bring actual sex toys on stage.

Her hit song Anaconda certainly got the world talking about her backside.

In the video, she is seen twerking in a G-string while she raps.

Three years before the controversial song, Nicki had shocked fans when she whipped out a dildo on stage and placed it between her legs.

It’s safe to say she isn’t worried about playing it safe to avoid controversy.

And the sex stunts haven’t harmed her, as she is believed to be one of the wealthiest rappers in the world.

Just three months ago she posted a photo of herself nude in the bath and a photo of herself with just her nipples covered.

Christina Aguilera

Singing sensation Christina has built her career on being racy in her performances and having sexually charged lyrics.

Her more provocative image was crafted to help boost sales of her second album, Stripped, which is one of the best-selling albums of the 21st Century.

Her 2002 smash hit Dirrty saw her prancing around in little clothing and doing provocative dance routines.

And she’s happy to talk about sex and sexuality outside of her songs.

On the Call Her Daddy podcast, she said: “I wanted to always own [my sexuality]. It was always important to me.

“Sexuality is a beautiful thing, and we need to take care of it as women.

“We need to really make sure that we prioritise it and ourselves and what it means to us.”

22 years on, she is still happy stripping down to nothing – which she did to celebrate turning 44-years-old.

She’s also joined Sabrina on tour for Short ‘n Sweet and donned a similar outfit to the younger singer, showing off her incredible figure.