section_path: Career/2009–2014: Breakthrough with Disney
section_name: 2009–2014: Breakthrough with Disney
paragraph_text: 2009–2014: Breakthrough with Disney
  
  In October 2008, Carpenter was one of 7,000 to enter the online singing contest The Next Miley Cyrus Project, run by Miley Cyrus. She placed third in 2010. Around this time, Carpenter signed with manager Bill Perlman.
  
  Carpenter's first acting role was in 2011 in a guest role on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Around the same time, she performed as part of the Hunan Broadcasting System 's Gold Mango Audience Festival program in China, singing " Something's Got a Hold on Me ". In the summer of 2012, Carpenter had a recurring role in the Fox sitcom The Goodwin Games. She appeared in Horns (2013) and recorded "Smile" for the compilation album Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust, inspired by the Disney Fairies film series; the song charted on Radio Disney. She had a recurring role as Princess Vivian in Sofia the First, for which she performed the song "All You Need" with Ariel Winter.
  
  In January 2013, Carpenter was cast in a Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, a spin-off of Boy Meets World, as Maya Hart. The show consisted of 72 episodes, and concluded on January 20, 2017. Carpenter recorded the show's theme song alongside her co-star Rowan Blanchard. From 2010 to 2013, Carpenter released various independent promotional singles before signing a five-album deal with Disney label Hollywood Records in 2014.
  
  In March 2014, Carpenter released her debut single, " Can't Blame a Girl for Trying ", which was co-written by Meghan Trainor. The single received positive reviews and titled her debut EP of the same name that was released in April 2014. In July 2014, Carpenter contributed lead vocals to the Disney Channel Circle of Stars cover version of " Do You Want to Build a Snowman? ". She recorded "Stand Out" for the Disney Channel movie, How to Build a Better Boy, which premiered in August 2014. She released her first Christmas single, "Silver Nights", that same year.
  
  In October 2008, Carpenter was one of 7,000 to enter the online singing contest The Next Miley Cyrus Project, run by Miley Cyrus. She placed third in 2010. Around this time, Carpenter signed with manager Bill Perlman.
  
  Carpenter's first acting role was in 2011 in a guest role on the NBC drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Around the same time, she performed as part of the Hunan Broadcasting System 's Gold Mango Audience Festival program in China, singing " Something's Got a Hold on Me ". In the summer of 2012, Carpenter had a recurring role in the Fox sitcom The Goodwin Games. She appeared in Horns (2013) and recorded "Smile" for the compilation album Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust, inspired by the Disney Fairies film series; the song charted on Radio Disney. She had a recurring role as Princess Vivian in Sofia the First, for which she performed the song "All You Need" with Ariel Winter.
  
  In January 2013, Carpenter was cast in a Disney Channel series Girl Meets World, a spin-off of Boy Meets World, as Maya Hart. The show consisted of 72 episodes, and concluded on January 20, 2017. Carpenter recorded the show's theme song alongside her co-star Rowan Blanchard. From 2010 to 2013, Carpenter released various independent promotional singles before signing a five-album deal with Disney label Hollywood Records in 2014.
  
  In March 2014, Carpenter released her debut single, " Can't Blame a Girl for Trying ", which was co-written by Meghan Trainor. The single received positive reviews and titled her debut EP of the same name that was released in April 2014. In July 2014, Carpenter contributed lead vocals to the Disney Channel Circle of Stars cover version of " Do You Want to Build a Snowman? ". She recorded "Stand Out" for the Disney Channel movie, How to Build a Better Boy, which premiered in August 2014. She released her first Christmas single, "Silver Nights", that same year.